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Xbox May Be Launching A New Subscription Service That Includes A Console
35 minutes ago
If the latest rumors are to be believed, Microsoft could be looking to make modern gaming more affordable than ever with a possible subscription plan that includes access to Xbox Live, Xbox Game Pass, and even an Xbox One console. All of this is said to be part of a two-year subscription plan known as Xbox All Access.
The folks over at Windows Central have rolled out a lot of supposed details about Xbox All Access but, again, until Microsoft makes an official announcement, all of this information should be taken with an appropriately sized grain of salt. Still, pile their own sources on top of the sources they state are being referenced by The Verge and it seems like there may be something to this.
As noted in the report, Xbox All Access looks to be geared at getting an Xbox One into the hands of as many people as humanly possible. There are two pricing plans said to exist, starting at $22 a month for an Xbox One S, access to Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass. If you want to get an Xbox One X, that'll cost you $35 a month. It should be noted that this is a two-year deal, after which point you own the Xbox One completely and, presumably, access to Live and Game Pass would revert back to their normal subscription plans.
You can pick up an Xbox One S for about $300 right now, or an Xbox One X for about $500. Xbox Live will cost you another $60 a year, with Xbox Game Pass costing $10 a month. That's a hefty initial investment. In other words, if these rumors hold true, the two-year All Access plan should actually save you a few bucks and, again, drop you straight into current generation gaming for $22 or $35 upfront. Paying that same price each month following for two years sounds like a reasonable way to spread out the burden of cost.
And remember that, as soon as you sign up for Live, you'll have four games (two for Xbox One and two Xbox 360 backwards compatible titles) ready to be permanently added to your digital collection, with another four rotating in on a monthly basis. And then there's Xbox Game Pass, which has a library of 100-plus games you can download and play however you see fit, so long as you remain a customer. That service will soon include all of the mainline Halo titles, as well as titles like Max Max, some Gears of War and Mass Effect games and, when it launches, Crackdown 3. Microsoft plans to make pretty much all of their first party games part of the collection.
So why is this only a rumor at the moment rather than being announced at Gamescom? Because it's apparently planned as a U.S.-only offer and, if things work out as foretold, it'll be officially announced later this month.
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