Xbox All Access: Gaming as a Subscription, Console Included

UPDATE: Xbox All Access has been officially confirmed.

Hosted By: Ashley Jenkins and Brian Gaar
Edited By: Kdin Jenzen

SOURCES

[accuria]

Apparently it wasn't clear in this video. You are NOT renting a console. You are BUYING a console. Microsoft is experimenting with the Phone model. You buy an Xbox One X for $500, but you pay for it over a period of 2 years. After the two years, the console is YOURS. You do NOT have to RETURN it. This new subscription service is for people who cannot afford to pay $500 up front for a console.

They are bundling Xbox Game Pass with Xbox Live, and a console of your choice. Microsoft has the money to take the up front cost of allowing it's customers to make payments, and they want to get more consoles into people's homes.

[aiodensghost]

I'm hoping Microsoft doesn't go all streaming. My internet connection is finicky as all get out and the last thing I want to do is stream a singleplayer game only for my connection to drop and a controller to fly across the room

[shokkdog]

Pitcher plant is what you are looking for - they have downward facing hairs and slippery surfaces.

[FanthonEntity]

Gaming it’s such a expensive hobby. I’m struggling here!

[ReplayStation]

$25 a month for 2 years for a console, Live, and access to games and you get to keep the console at the end is actually pretty tempting... as a game collector that wants to preserve these gaming experiences, the move towards games as a service is unfortunate. There's many games that are digital only that as soon as they're gone from their marketplace, they're gone forever and that sucks for people that are fans of those games. The ability to go to my shelf and grab a game and just play it is a dying activity.

[themagnus]

You can kiss "game ownership" goodbye...

[captainfuture]

30 bucks a month is still a lot for me...not gonna break my bank but still a considerable amount to fork out monthly...
I'd rather save a year and then buy a console and not worry about meeting monthly payments...but that's just me.

[gilaverde]

There’s many family’s that need this. Many people still use layaway to buy clothes or supplies. This would help the lower income family that cannot afford the $300-$500 up front price.

[TheMorningstar]

when did the news become a podcast, this does not feel like The Know that i like to watch for my game news

[dynasty]

xbox need to calm down with all these subscription services, there's way too many

[idkdude]

A subscription service with a console thrown in(probably if you pre subscribe for a certain amount of time), tons of backwards compatibility, game pass, cross play, and most importantly, being able to play every game on pc. That’s a positive direction imo if they do it.

[InugamiTheHound]

this is a great idea for other countries like India, China, Thailand etc.. also gamers in Africa and Mexico and Western Balkans who can't afford the console and gold and game pass. So this makes the xb1 more attractive offer to play all these games and to play xbox live with your friends.

[jpsuper]

Biggest reason for physical copies is resale-ability of the console.
With digital it is just a plastic brick in the second hand market which will mean less re-sale... which means more junk instead of re-use.

GAAS (Games As A Service) will mean that at it’s current setup I’ll have maybe two to 2.5 years at 30$/month to reach the max I spent on games and consoles, as one would need to buy certain games that do not fall into this category (e.g. GTA or RDR or AC or CoD).
In the end it will be more expensive than buying a game and a console. See phone plans that’ll get you an Galaxy or iPhone too. Usually way more expensive than buying a phone and getting a subscription.
It works for movies and music as you can consume those on-the-go. Watch/Listen while travelling (anywhere), b/c it costs less time to consume it too.
Spotify basically is expensive too, who buys 240 or so songs a year? But it is easy, especially when you are not at home. Playing games requires extra hardware (tv and console) that you are not already carrying with you.

[deji]

I absolutely think this is the way to go. It's the most feasible way to iterate on consoles. The hardware gains at the price point are relatively minimal. To support gamers with slower internet connections there should be some sort of loyalty program like discounts off of physical copies of games purchased at or through the Microsoft Store.

[jamesyeager]

Wake up people. This is just another step toward AAA gaming ugliness. Like lootboxes or unfinished games with a DLC paywall, this can only go bad in a multitude of ways. Soon they'll be asking for more fees, after having got their foot in the door. And digital copies suck. Multiple times I've had to re-install my DLCs because Xbox refused to let me use them offline, and even worse;

*They had me purchasing full-digital games, that suddenly didn't work after a time.* Screw this AAA ploy, it can go to hell, and so can the people who support it. I can't wait, in a few years all the salt about missing digital copies, and additional hidden fees, and connectivity problems preventing even offline
play, it will be delicious.

[marky]

I would have jumped at this deal if I didn't already buy a One X a few months ago lol

[AndyDillbeck]

I didn't get a new console this generation, partly because I didn't feel that I had the time or money to spare, and mostly because I have a PC with so many games I still need to play.
That being said, this does seem attractive to me.
Pros: $20-30 a month is somewhat easier than $400-500 up front, and this includes a big game library that I wouldn't also have to pay for.
Cons: I don't like long term contracts if I don't have the financial ability to buy myself out of it. You never really know what the future will hold, and if something came up where I couldn't afford it anymore that would be hard.

[GilgameshC]

People with better internet access benefits from digital content more

[BrianMcCorkle]

as someone who is on a VERY fixed income and is okay with the whole concept of Digital Content, I'm all for this. If they announce it, I'm in. The price for the S is actually a discount on the console itself after including the cost of Live and Game Pass. Totally worth it, imo

[punk_cinema]

Went to my local Mircrosoft store to check this out. You apply for a Dell Preferred Credit account and upon approval you get a console and then cards with the codes for live and game pass. you’re buying a console with a credit card that’s it.