Morgan, you've just described Sega's scheme which people are criticising in this thread :)
And Square's PlayOnline plans are a little up in the air in the West since Sony's plans are different here. PlayOnline was planned/launched before Sony announced their umbrella service plans...
I thought all MS network stuff was pure conjecture - have htey formally announced their online gaming plans? I didn't think they had...
And yes, if you're going to play online on different platforms, it /is/ going to get expensive. Which is why Sony etc want to tie you into their portal &...