Microsoft appears to be taking a page out of the cellular subscription model. For years now companies like Verizon and At&t have been keeping customers by including the hardware in the subscription. Microsoft is thinking of adding the console in the monthly subscription fee. The new subscription service would be called Xbox All Access.
There are two tiers of pricing. There would be a $22 version where you would get an Xbox One S console, access to the Xbox Live multiplayer gaming service and access to Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service offering a broad catalog of games.
For $35 you would get all that and a more powerful gaming system, the Xbox One X.
Windowcentral.com broke it down like this. Paying upfront, an Xbox One S costs around $230 on the Microsoft Store with a free game. Xbox Live currently costs $59.99 on the Microsoft Store for a year, with Xbox Game Pass costing $9.99 per month. You can often get Xbox Live cards cheaper through Amazon, or other associated deals, but at the retail price, Xbox All Access should work out a little cheaper over time than paying for all of these services outright. After the two year contract period has been fully paid, users will own their consoles as expected.
Microsoft’s Xbox has been coming in second for a while now behind the Playstation. With the Nintendo Switch doing so well they have been looking to find ways to draw people back in. Game-industry analyst Michael Pachter said that if this subscription model were true it would be a smart move by Microsoft.
