It looks like October was a busy month for Netflix. Last week, Sony announced that they will enable Netflix live streaming on Playstation 3 video game consoles by November for U.S. users.  What’s more, in an effort to rise above the Microsoft Xbox competition, Sony will allow the video streaming at no extra cost.

Xbox already offers Netflix streaming, but users must pay $50 a year for the service.  Of course, Netflix’s entire catalog isn’t available to live stream users, but there are still plenty of movies available for viewing.

In addition to Sony’s announcement, rumors also circulated that Nintendo is following close behind its gaming competitors and will also be offering Netflix on the Wii as soon as the end of 2009.

The new Netflix offerings are evidence that gaming console manufacturers are looking to make their devices useful beyond the gaming world.  Consoles are becoming more than just afternoon activities for adolescent males; they are fast becoming entertainment staples of the living room.

“While gaming is clearly our core DNA I think we felt very confident three years ago when we debuted PlayStation 3 that this was going to be a device that was going to mean much more than gaming,” said Jack Tretton, chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment America, in a recent Reuters article.

As a Netflix subscriber, I’ve used my Xbox to live stream movies and I must say it’s incredibly convenient, not to mention green! Viewing movies online means there is no need for DVD packaging and no more gas guzzling trips to Blockbuster.