Owners of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console who are not already subscribed to Xbox LIVE Gold will be able to give the service a try for free this weekend. For the period of June 1st to June 3rd, gamers will be able to take advantage of all that an Xbox LIVE Gold account has to offer, without having to stump up the fee usually associated with it.

With so many Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers, it is hard to believe that there are any non-subscribers that will want to give the service a try nowadays, but if you have been sitting on the fence ever since a recent Xbox 360 purchase, then now is the time to dust down your headset and take to the world of online gaming ala Xbox.

It’s not just online gaming that people will be able to try out, either. Along with a Gold subscription, gamers get access to instant video streaming services too, although an additional fee will apply in order to get access to the likes of Netflix and the brand spanking new Amazon Instant Video service.

The news was announced by Microsoft Xbox mouthpiece Major Nelson, who wrote about the announcement on his blog today.

We’re also unlocking our Xbox LIVE Gold subscription service in various regions from Friday, June 1 through Sunday, June 3 – no Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for this time. Through this promotion, anyone In the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile with an Xbox will be able to enjoy multi-player gaming experiences featured on the Xbox LIVE service.

With Microsoft streaming its E3 announcements live to Xbox Gold subscribers on June 4th, we suspect someone somewhere in Redmond had something of a light bulb moment, hoping that a trial period combined with the streaming event will see an increase in subscribers.

Xbox LIVE Gold is Microsoft’s paid-for online service that allows extra content and online gaming to be accessed by those willing to pay the price. The fee allows Microsoft to offer a service that many would argue is a more polished alternative to Sony’s free PlayStation Network, which has had its fair share of detractors since its release. Both services have seen major changes over the years, but it is Microsoft that has embraced the idea of streaming media content the most, trying to turn the Xbox 360 into more than just a game console.

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