I 100% agree. Me being a new xbox owner (I've been PS in the past) there was no good reason for me to assume that i'd have to pay to use a free app like youtube, or pay just to use an app that's free for Microsoft to load into their OS like Netflix (Microsoft didn't write the netflix app for xbox). The fact that some people suggest you should have known, or you could easily look that up is ridiculous. It is akin to planning a road trip, and in the middle of North Dakota hitting a toll road that doesn't connect to anything special. You could have looked that up, but should you expect something like that? NO.
This kind of thing is what drives an entire generation away from a platform in my opinion, by leaving a bad taste in their mouth from the price gouging. I doubt if i'll be able to, but i'm going to try and return my xbox. Playstation obviously packed more hardware into their unit, aside from the kinect, and doesn't price gouge it's customers over free services they "ALLOW" to be added into their store.
I gave MS the benefit of a doubt, thinking my entertainment experience might be better w an xbox (and possibly cheaper w dvr capabilities of the future), only to find that i need a gold subscription to pull up a guide for my comcast service on the xbox, and in the end pay even more money than i already am. Try saying XBOX DISCOVERY and see if it actually changes to that channel. Intentionally done poorly to get me to poney up for a gold subscription just to look at a tv guide? Well done MS, you have put off a former advocate. Two of my friends that i've tried to disuade from buying a PS4 are now going to hear from me again, and i'll be telling them to not get an xbox, even though i won't be able to play online with them which sucks. Well done MS, your gold subscription requirements have cost you at least two additional console purchases. That will take you at least 16 years of my gold subscription service to make up that difference, not counting game and other purchases that would have been made.
I can't believe of all the ways MS can make money with their consoles, that they thought this would be a good idea w concern to marketshare. It's Christmas morning, and i'm enraged that we spent money on this POS money pit.