Is Microsoft planning to sell the Xbox in phone-style contracts?
Microsoft is apparently taking inspiration from phone contracts to give its Xbox division a shot in the arm.
Windows Central has got word from a number of sources that the Xbox One and Xbox One X will soon be available on a two-year contract in the US. Dubbed Xbox All Access, the deal would provide users with an Xbox One console, as well as two-year subscriptions to Xbox Live and Game Pass.
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It will set you back $22 per month (~£17) for an Xbox One S or $35 per month (~£27) for the 4K-toting Xbox One X.
At the end of the two years, as with your current phone contract, your debt is paid off and you own the console. Unlike a phone, of course, the console will likely still have plenty of legs left, and you won’t be left immediately seeking an upgrade.
So, is that good value? Well, an Xbox One S costs $230 and an Xbox One X goes for $499. Two years of Live is $120 and Game Pass goes for $9.99 each month, so multiply that by 24 for $239.76. All in, that means a total of $579.76 for the One S plus extras or $858.76 for the One X.
The subscription cost, by contrast would be $528 or $840. So yes, that is a good deal, assuming it’s true and the figures are accurate – even if you could go lower with a little shopping around.
There’s one big caveat, of course: you may not want Xbox Live or Game Pass. Unfortunately, Microsoft really does want you to have that (and ideally to forget to cancel your subscription in two years’ time).
Read more: Xbox One vs Sony PS4
This feels like a smart move by Microsoft. If the phone industry has taught us anything, it’s that people will go for a top-end model if they can split the cost, often paying more in the long haul than they would by buying a handset outright.
If anything’s going to help close the gap with the PlayStation 4, this isn’t a bad horse to back.
Would you buy an Xbox One via a subscription? Let us know what you think on Twitter @TrustedReviews.