By: Marcus Axford
Editor: Joshua Francom (@frakbox)
Last year, Microsoft announced their newest subscription service: Xbox All Access. For a limited time people had the chance to purchase an Xbox One X, Xbox One S, or Xbox One All Digital Edition for a monthly payment versus dropping hundreds on a console all-at-once. Now, the company has brought the subscription back as part of their mounted assault for the next generation of consoles. So you might be wondering: what is Xbox All Access? And why should I care? Well, let me break it down for you.
Diving into All Access: What You Need to Know
You know how in every console generation you’re always sweating on how your going to be able to afford the newest machines and the coolest games? For many gamers, especially in the United States, it’s a real issue. Microsoft has been slowly solving this problem over the past few years with things like Xbox Game Pass (and Game Pass Ultimate), deals on downloadable games, free games with Gold, and finally, Xbox All Access. It’s essentially a special loan program you can apply for when purchasing one of the three different Xbox consoles through a line of credit extended by Citizen Bank. Microsoft recently announced that you will even be able to upgrade to an Xbox Scarlett in the future. The program goes live on November 18, 2019. You’ll be able to use the service to obtain one of the previously discussed three members of the Xbox family of consoles. You can find more details on pricing and registration here. All the bundle plans last 24 months at no interest; however, it is unclear if there will be interest beyond the two years. Since it appears to be a subscription without an actual “full price,” then there is no future financial interest to be charged. While I won’t do the exact math on the monthly charges, it appears these plans will definitely beat out the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP).
When you purchase one of these bundles, included in the box is the standard console set up, a controller, and 24 months of Game Pass Ultimate (the headset is unconfirmed at this time). This means, at the lowest price of $20 a month, you have an entire gaming experience right from the get-go. Game Pass now includes first-party titles day one. This means you will be able to play AAA titles like Halo: Infinite at launch. Microsoft has already proven willingness to do so with Gears 5, The Outer Worlds, and many other titles.
What Does This Mean for the Next Generation?
To put it simply, Microsoft could easily dominate the next generation of consoles right out of the gate; unless their rival, Sony responds in kind. I spoke with a member of our community who is a PlayStation fan, asking: “What if I came to you with a PS5 and an Xbox Scarlett, and I told you that for hundreds of dollars up front you can get a PS5 (which we know little about). For the Xbox, we imagine there will be a couple games, possibly even a hit launch title to be revealed later in the year. You can pay $30 a month for 24 months to have an Xbox Scarlett which comes with Game Pass Ultimate, and it’s launching with Halo Infinite; wouldn’t you take the Scarlett?”
His response was a very enthusiastic, “Hell yeah!”
It is our opinion here at GamerFuel Studios Network: The ease of access this program provides could pull many people away from PlayStation and into the Xbox family ecosystem. In The States, the appeal only grows as our economy continues to worsen and gaming in general becomes more expensive. People who still want to buy a PS5 can look at this with the rationalization, that they can afford $20-30 a month, (giving you the ability to afford to play in both camps), although it might force them to stretch the coin purse a little bit.
This isn’t to say Microsoft is going to score an easy win on this move alone, they’ll need to make up some serious ground in software. We know Halo Infinite will launch with the Xbox Scarlett; not to mention the long-standing rumors of a new Fable game by Playground Games, which we know won’t be a spin off. It will either be a direct sequel or a complete reboot of the franchise. We could also see what Microsoft’s new studio acquisitions are up to at E3 2020 (not to mention Project Xcloud). All-in-all, I’d say Microsoft has a bright future ahead, if they keep making the right moves. Success for them means great things for us, the gamers.
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