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XBox (Games) Microsoft Games

Xbox All Access Seems Like One of the Best Deals In Gaming (arstechnica.com) 141

Posted by BeauHD from the your-move-Sony dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Today, Microsoft revealed prices for its next-gen consoles: $299 or $499 for an Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X, respectively, starting November 10. But Microsoft is also talking up a smartphone-style program that lets players get either system for no money upfront as part of a subscription plan called Xbox All Access. With Xbox All Access, you make a two-year commitment to pay $24.99/month (for the Xbox Series S) or $34.99/month (for the Xbox Series X). In exchange for that commitment, you get the relevant hardware upfront, to keep, as well as a two-year subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Game Pass Ultimate usually costs $14.99/month, so your All Access monthly payments end up a bit higher to make up for that "free" upfront hardware. But in addition to not having to spend hundreds of dollars in one lump sum, All Access subscribers can actually come out ahead at the end of two years.

For the Xbox Series S:
- With All Access: $0 upfront + $24.99/month * 24 months = $599.67
- Without All Access: $299 upfront + $14.99/month * 24 months = $658.76
- All Access savings: $59.09

For the Xbox Series X:
- With All Access: $0 upfront + $34.99/month * 24 months = $839.76
- Without All Access: $499 upfront + $14.99 * 24 months = $858.76
- All Access savings: $19.00

So All Access subscribers save a lot of money upfront and a little money in the long run over players who buy their console and Game Pass separately. Not a bad deal, all things considered. Some things to note: you should be interested in Microsoft's Game Pass Ultimate subscription in the first place and know that it locks you in to that subscription for a full two years. It's also subject to a credit check and approval of a line of credit from Citizens One bank, which is partnering with Microsoft for the program.
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Xbox All Access Seems Like One of the Best Deals In Gaming More

Xbox All Access Seems Like One of the Best Deals In Gaming

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  • line of credit is the price locked in and hidden fees?
    hidden APR?

  • Not a bad deal indeed.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BlacKSacrificE ( 1089327 ) on Wednesday September 09, 2020 @11:48PM (#60490980)

    > Not a bad deal, all things considered.
    Wait. Having to open a line of credit for the privilege of maneuvering pixels around is "Not a bad deal"? Is the original author so used to corporate cock in his orifices that he doesn't notice them anymore?

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Ummmm, this is a thinly-veiled advertisement. I wouldn't bother offering any insight beyond that in this thread.

    • Yeah, renting video games is such a huge scam. Still listen to most PC fanbois and they'll tell you steam is better somehow

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Shaitan ( 22585 )

        Steam is better or PC is better? PC is innately better (spare no expense) with drastically superior hardware all around, especially further from console release, better display options, VR options, overall drastically superior input options including all the console options and of course the ability to host your own multiplayer without paying subscription fees. Oh and your PC can play the console versions of all the older games if they don't have a pc version for some reason (which usually has more flexibl

        • Steam is *way* more than DRM:

          - cloud saves
          - achievements
          - forums
          - matchmaking
          - cheat detection system (for some games)
          - review system more trustworthy than Metacritic (imho)
          - community guides
          - freely hosted patches and mods
          - online store with huge selection and frequent heavy discounts

          • Comment removed based on user account deletion

            • Found Tim Sweeney's Slashdot account.

              Mr Sweeney people actually like and use those features. I know adding things like a shopping cart is super difficult.

              When you are missing basic features every other competitor has had for a decade, don't blow it off when people ask for them.

              But thanks for all those free games you keep giving me every week. Not that I play any of them.

        • Also, the fact that there's a $299 console option makes the console that much more appealing. I still only have a 1080p TV and I really don't plan on upgrading until my TV is dead, and I can't repair it for a reasonable price (which I have done before). $299 to play the newest games seems like a very good deal. That's the same price as a Nintendo Switch for much more powerful hardware, and the Switch was released 3 years ago.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

            > I still only have a 1080p TV and I really don't plan on upgrading until my TV is dead, and I can't repair it

            Ah yes. I remember rear screen projection TVs. So large you'd have to pay someone to haul it away, so it's best to just keep using it.

            • I still have my old 27 inch CRT TV and I'll be keeping that until it dies too. Not because I can't get someone to haul it away, but because it's a good TV and it's great for Retro Gaming.

        • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

          by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
          Comment removed based on user account deletion

          • Re: (Score:3)

            by Junta ( 36770 )

            The DRM is not great (is it ever?) but it's there as a side effect of the features it implements, it's not a plot to make you use DRM.

            Your points about 'more than just DRM' are valid, but the DRM is not a side effect, it absolutely is intended. A great deal of my steam library will refuse to start if I get hit with an outage (there should be an offline mode, but for some reason it refused to actually do that my last outage). Some games opt out of the DRM and could be started outside the launcher, some games opt into the DRM.

            It's not just that 'oh, I can't download a game or update or blocked from online play because I can't connect', it i

            • Yeah it would probably suck if you're still on cable, especially if it's crappy cable like Cox.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Shaitan ( 22585 )

              Yup, Valve is a game publisher, they released Steam because they were tilting piracy windmills like most publishers at the time who thought of pirated copies as lost sales. Most of those other features didn't exist when Steam was released, only the 'scratched cd' feature. GoG was an answer to Steam as more and more publishers were locking up their content.

              As a positive many game publishers were implementing ad-hoc phone home DRM solutions and at least Steam centralized it.

              • Comment removed based on user account deletion

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by Shaitan ( 22585 )

                  That is an interesting take on the issue. Certainly everything you said about DRM is true. The take that even the publishers never really bought the piracy BS is new, I've just always taken it as hating the idea of someone getting some benefit without them cashing in on it as the general point including piracy AND making you replace valid copies, not loan to friends, etc. I think maybe it is a mixed bag, at some point they thought the DRM would stop the pirates and figured out they still made more money by

          • Re: (Score:3)

            by Shaitan ( 22585 )

            Thank you for the recap on what steam is. I remember the release of the platform where most of the things you've listed weren't present and therefore they are not "what steam is."

            "The DRM is not great (is it ever?) but it's there as a side effect of the features it implements, it's not a plot to make you use DRM."

            Steam was built as a DRM Platform produced for Valve's games and for game publishers as optical media and codes became less relevant. GoG or Good old games is a DRM-Free platform released in respon

          • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Rakhar ( 2731433 )

        Digital games are worth far less than physical copies to me. Between the occasional ridiculously good sale and Humble Bundle I can pick up a lot of decent content for a few bucks. My Steam account is also 15 years old and I've never had to repurchase a game because I got a new PC. I've never had my account threatened to be locked because someone didn't like something I said. I've never had to pay a fee to use online functionality in my games.

        On paper I understand that Steam looks very similar. In practice

        • Comment removed based on user account deletion
          • Clarification already given. Rahkar made it completely clear by immediately comparing digital to "physical copies" in the very next sentence fragment. But you knew that. You just wanted to go on some off-topic rant that no one cares about because why? It is incredibly obvious that the comment in question can be summarized as: "Digital games are worth far less than physical copies to me, except maybe when it comes to Steam. They add value that other forms of digital do not."
          • Comment removed based on user account deletion

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Rakhar ( 2731433 )

            I was comparing downloaded and physical copies as pertains to consoles (there are no drm free options there) and Steam, which the post I replied to was comparing.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Rakhar ( 2731433 )

        Wait...did you compare renting games and losing them the instant you stop paying to buying them on a platform where I still have access to games I bought 15 years ago that's never charged me fee outside of game purchases?

        I'm sorry, it's too early for polite discourse on the internet. Disregard my other post, there's no point feeding such an obvious troll.

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Dunno about anybody else but I don't open new lines of credit unless the deal is very strongly in my favor. Saving between $20 and $60 over the span of two years isn't really worth it. Personally I'd also get annoyed to have yet another bill to pay every month.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Depends (Score:5, Insightful)

    by stikves ( 127823 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @12:01AM (#60490992) Homepage

    If you have existing Live or other subscriptions, the "Ultimate" actually costs much less than $15/mo. They offer $1 conversion, and you can also use your digital cards at face value (no additional benefit)
    https://answers.microsoft.com/... [microsoft.com]

    So, the promo is nice if you don't mind the credit check, and new to the ecosystem.

    But does not provide savings if you are an existing Live gamer.

    Scenario for Series X:
    Existing account with 24+ months in Live banked
    Live cost (previously paid): $60*2 = $120
    Conversion: $1
    Xbox Series X: $499
    Total: $620
    Savings: $839.76 - $620 = ~$220

    • Depending on how they structure it there maybe the possibility that you could bank those months for when the 24 months is done. 4 years of game pass, 2 year console paydown

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by stikves ( 127823 )

        There is a 36 months limit, but you don't need to redeem the 24 month code immediately. So you can still bank it, but just remember not to lose the code for a year.

    • Wait! There's more! Order today, and we'll throw in a knife that can cut a penny in half!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I'm surprised how hard Microsoft are pushing down the price of this generation. The basic console for $299 is pretty aggressive.

      Makes me wonder if the new XBOX line will be significantly weaker than the PS5, or if they are worried about some of the PS5's exclusive games.

      • They are driving down the barriers to entry to get as many people locked into their service as possible. They are afraid of how accessible gaming on smartphones is since the hardware is already in the hands of so many people. I realize mobile gaming wasnâ(TM)t the big deal everyone made it out to be years ago but the industry is shifting to a friendlier atmosphere for mobile with gains in hardware, better gaming subscriptions, etc. I think they are gearing up for the fight ahead thatâ(TM)s beyond

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

          > how accessible gaming on smartphones is since the hardware is already in the hands of so many people.

          You missed a perfect opportunity for a Diablo joke. 0/10

  • Shrug. (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Powercntrl ( 458442 )

    I'm pretty happy with my library of emulated retro games, pre-Steam era PC games and various free mobile distractions, that I don't really see the value in spending $179.88/year. I suppose if you don't mind the ephemeral nature of cloud gaming and never get the itch to replay an old classic that you bought a few years ago, it's a reasonable deal.

  • Game Pass is Not a Good Deal (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Luthair ( 847766 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @12:26AM (#60491022)
    Sorry, but the hype around Game Pass is not justified unless you were able to take advantage of the $1 a month deal for several years (in which case this 'deal' wouldn't be interesting). Microsoft doesn't (nor does Sony) have enough first party games to justify a years worth of service, and the rest of the games which make their way onto the list are games which are otherwise commercially dead i.e. games that no longer sell in meaningful numbers. Commercially dead games are readily available as part of Humble Bundles where you can choose to spend buy particular bundles or not, and you don't need to continually pay to access them. Heck, these games are also often free on services like Epic, GoG, etc.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Commercially dead games are readily available as part of Humble Bundles where you can choose to spend buy particular bundles or not, and you don't need to continually pay to access them. Heck, these games are also often free on services like Epic, GoG, etc.

      On PC though. Some people want the console version, either because they don't have a gaming PC or because they prefer the console experience (especially for multiplayer due to it being harder to cheat).

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Luthair ( 847766 )
        Sure thats true, but the games that don't normally sell anymore are also the ones sold at a high discount regularly.

  • I assume that includes a game console?

  • I wanted to pay cash up front for an extremely expensive piece of equipment, and then they told me if I did a zero interest finance (which required a credit check), they'd give me a better price. I tried as best I could to get them to agree to give me the same price for all cash but they wouldn't relent.

    • ... then they had plans for your credit information...

    • I wanted to pay cash up front for an extremely expensive piece of equipment, and then they told me if I did a zero interest finance (which required a credit check), they'd give me a better price. I tried as best I could to get them to agree to give me the same price for all cash but they wouldn't relent.

      I had the same experience. The extremely expensive piece of equipment was a new Nissan Leaf: essentially a computer on wheels.

  • "Strange game. (Score:3)

    by oldgraybeard ( 2939809 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @12:40AM (#60491048)
    The only way to win is not to play."

    WarGames (1983)

  • Capitalism at work (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Vranitzky ( 5222955 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @01:22AM (#60491102)
    I sincerely don't understand why one would subscribe to all this crap. If you don't have the money to buy it directly, then you can wait until you've saved enough. Don't people understand that subscriptions are yet another form of modern slavery? Satisfy your immediate urge in exchange for a life as an indentured serf. Sweet. At least in medieval times it was clear who were the masters and who the slaves. Nowadays it seems that people are so "free" that they can freely choose which form of slavery to submit to. No thank you. If I cannot afford something like this, I'll read a book instead and you can keep your subscriptions, thank you very much.
    • You're free to make your choice. They're free to make theirs.
      What's not to like?

      • Because it is scamming people, I don't like people being taken advantage of. There are plenty of people that can afford to make payments and then something unexpected comes along, a medical bill, job loss, car repair, whatever and suddenly you can't meet your repayments, you go to predatory lenders and now are spending years if not the rest of your life simply working to pay of lenders. A games console is not a necessity if you can't afford to by it cash you shouldn't buy it at all, and Microsoft should not

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      The total cost of the subscription is less than buying the hardware and service without it. So if you simply set the total cost aside at the start you are getting the entertainment at a discounted rate.

      Many people do this kind of thing to save money. For example getting a car on finance because the dealer then factors the profit from the loan into the price, but then they immediately pay off the entire amount so pay no interest.

    • Don't people understand that subscriptions are yet another form of modern slavery?

      To me this does not really seem like a subscription, in that it's a fixed period of time, after which you keep the hardware... this is really more of a payment plan. The real question should be what kind of interest rate are you paying, and it does not seem extreme when you factor in the games you get as well (though that's kind of an unknown right now as to how many games you'll use from the service for that duratio

    • At 0% APR (or a slight negative APR in this case), why would you wait to buy a new XBox? Or car?

  • One problem with passes (Score:3)

    by johannesg ( 664142 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @01:37AM (#60491130)

    They probably have nice games, but I'd rather choose myself what I play. A game pass will pretty much mean I have enough games that I never buy something else. That will be nice for the publishers included in the pass, but I'm very happy to see a lively ecosystem with a huge variety of titles, and I don't want to go back to having a single shelf with a handful of popular games on it. You know, how it was for a PC gamer before Steam came along.

    Note that this effect is already happening anyway: I have enough games in Steam that I just don't bother with any other platforms. The hassle of signing up, figuring out how they work, disabling their launchers from always flashing in my face, etc. is just not worth the effort, considering I have >300 games I haven't had time to play yet on Steam.

  • Shit Deal (Score:3, Insightful)

    by zenlessyank ( 748553 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @01:57AM (#60491148)

    At the end of the contract you are left with nothing. No cool boxes to show your friends. No replay ability.

    $800 will BUY a nice collection of games that will last a lifetime.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Not nothing, the hardware is yours to keep.

      The subscription games go away if you stop playing but some people are okay with that. Like streaming video. I generally only watch a series once unless it's exceptionally good so there is little point paying for a copy to keep if I can stream it significantly cheaper.

      Actually it's a lot like the old Blockbuster Video when they used to rent games. A few bucks to try before you buy, and most of the time you don't buy.

    • You'd still have the actual hardware. And after a couple of years, if you really loved some games you can probably get them at a GameStop or eBay for a fraction of their original price. I've seen 2-3 year old games often going for $3.

    • I still have a case for MechWarrior and the Ghost Bear expansion, and all the Tex Murphy games.
      They're not cool. They're taking up room in my fucking basement, and they can't be played without mucking about on a PC to make them work with current OSes.
      I need to throw them away, honestly.
      I'm perfectly happy playing a game and then not owning it anymore.
      After all, that's exactly what going to any live event it like. You enjoy it, and it is gone forever. That's not some new thing.

    • You'll have a console. $300 lost on subscription games. However those games are now like 1-2 years old; so you can get used (very cheap) copies or all inclusive collector editions (also cheaper). And you played them on launch day. So if you do want a "large collection", say 10 games and you want to play on launch day, you'll probably spend less total money. Instead of $700 on games and $500 on a console, you spend $800 on a console + subscription and $400 ($40/game). That's the same price. $40 for a

  • uhm no. play chess online for free (Score:3)

    by Don Bright ( 6770394 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @02:03AM (#60491164)

    that is one of the best deals in gaming.

    and when you get sick of chess, try 'go'

  • Sounds like a console gaming ad... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Shaitan ( 22585 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @02:22AM (#60491172)

    Seems offtopic for the site

    • Seems offtopic for the site

      Ads are always on topic now. Ads for nerds, stuff that makes money.

  • At least advertise the right thing (Score:5, Interesting)

    by cfalcon ( 779563 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @02:48AM (#60491204)

    This is one of the most annoying slashdot stories I have ever seen.

    First, obviously, it's an advertisement. It does the whole bit, even the "assuming the sale" piece as it adds up the cost assuming you maintain the special Microsoft subscription for two entire years, and showing you the "savings".

    Of course in the real world, you might well buy a console, buy the subscription, use it heavily for three months, disable the subscription, have time five months later, etc. The entire trick Microsoft is offering you is that this is a VERY SLIGHT discount for buying 24 months of their premium subscription. Similar offerings, such as EA's extremely similar subscription service (the 15/month one, not the 5/month one that offers very little), have the same monthly cost, but offer you a discount for paying for a year. Microsoft doesn't do this, but it's quite possible they will add that a few months in. Like most things, you probably be better off paying as you go, as you might not want the whole thing.

    This also has the effect of reducing the number of players who buy and sell used consoles- probably a nice little perk for Microsoft.

    Secondly though? The actual deal here isn't the stupid few dollars you "save" after spending around 900 dollars over a couple years. The actual deal is that Microsoft's stupid subscription program is actually pretty good, and that they have plenty of top tier games that hit it, such as Sea of Thieves. It's likely that once they get enough people hooked, they'll gradually reduce the value of the program, but for now at least, it's pretty solid.

    Like all these "unlimited game buffet" services (EA's being the other big one, Apple's little thing deserving a bit of a mention), the value goes way up if you play a bunch of games daily, such as if you are a kid. If you play one game a ton of the time, or you don't play many games, buying the few games you do play will definitely win out almost immediately.

    What's interesting though is that we see these subscription services offered by big gaming companies having a ton of value as compared to, say, the typical MMO subscription. Certainly World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14, and similar do offer a ton of minigames and other ways of extending the value of your dollar, but even being several-games-in-one it is surprising to see so much game access for around 15 a month from these new competing game subscription services. It's also surprising to see so many big companies pushing to expand their title access explicitly for this purpose.

    Anyway, I'll probably stick to PC games, maybe some Nintendo. But we are still seeing a moderate shift in how games are paid for these days, which is interesting.

    • You bring up a lot of points I've had on my mind for a while now. The pricing shift in games and platforms has been really weird for me to see over the last 30 years. There are several things that have come about where I just don't understand why people opt in to them at an opportunity cost level:

      Online subscriptions for consoles - Why in the world is this so accepted? I used to own the Sony and Nintendo consoles. The last straw for me was when they started requiring subscriptions for online play for mo

  • By Grabthar's Hammer, what a savings!

    Seriously, financing a game console? Adding in a subscription service to make it look cheaper that way? I guess there are people out there for whom this is a good deal, but I know I'm not one of them. Looks like I need to start turning the hose on those kids who go on my lawn.

  • What? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ledow ( 319597 ) on Thursday September 10, 2020 @03:38AM (#60491272) Homepage

    So, you think that having to get a credit check and pay a regular monthly payment of $24.99 for two years to play 100 random games of varying quality that change regularly is "one of the best deals in gaming", because it saves you $20 over buying the same console upfront and having the same subscription?

    I have never been more glad that I have a gaming PC and an arcade cabinet of my own creation.

    • This deal gives you Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, i.e. the one that includes PC games. It is specifically only a deal if you also PC game. Believe it or not, you are kind of the target market.

      I do PC and Xbox and think Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a super deal by itself. So much so it's making me consider switching from iPad for my portable device to a GPD Win, even though I'm knee deep in Apple's ecosystem. But I also got Game Pass on sale, which a deal like this precludes. This is more for the "I don't have $500

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ledow ( 319597 )

        This isn't a query about the pass. It's about why you'd take out credit that you can't back out of to pay for something just to save $20.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Shaitan ( 22585 )

          Pennies add up to nickels, which make dimes, quarters, dollars, etc.

          Assuming you can actually afford to do so, know you want the service, and therefore you put the entire sum in an interest bearing account why would you pay an extra $20? Lenders who offer 0% APR financing of this sort are actually betting on you not being responsible or having basic math skills but if you actually follow consistent and responsible practices you can profit at the expense of everyone who isn't responsible.

          Subscriptions on the

  • Wow (Score:2)

    by DrXym ( 126579 )
    So Microsoft have rigged their price structure to deliver "value" (i.e. the least worst option) if you commit to a 2 year subscription. Let's hope no other industry thinks of this model.

  • Disclaimer: Xbox user here.

    7 years back I decided to get meself a console, because I wanted to game and I didn't want to fuss about with a gaming PC. And I wanted to be able to couch-play. I got the last version of the Xbox 360 (the 'boxy' one), half a year before they stopped making it. That was a very good decision. Backwards compatible, cheap, matured, kinks and bugs ironed out, ring of death fixed, no overheating best games ever for dirt cheap. Deus Ex Human Revolution, Valve Orange Box and Portal 2 wer

    • You are correct that this offering isnâ(TM)t targeted at existing Xbox users, itâ(TM)s more about growing the user base and attracting more people to Xbox. The very people this is targeting are probably not on slash dot in great numbers if I had to guess.

      The target audience is unable or unwilling to pay for a console up front. Subscriptions services are nice for playing multiplayer with friends because everyone has the same games library. Especially if you are interested in competitive multiplayer

  • Anonymous Coward is astroturfing for Microsoft now?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

      Have you seen the whitepaper on the mechanical efficiency of "Slap Chop" to convert linear motion to multiple cutting surfaces?
      For only $19.99 you get one to test with and they throw in a free control group "Slap Chop" while supplies last.

  • The feeding of development effort and funds from Windows to Xbox almost destroyed Windows. Part of MS Windows appeal has always been the ability to run games.

  • I could be wrong, but as far as I can tell if you are taking advantage of family sharing your xbox live and games then those days are over if you do this. Every digital game I buy my son gets for free, or vice versa.

  • Submit proper stories please
  • Is there any way to do anything useful on Slashdot on mobile? It barely gives the ability to read a story and I cannot filter in any way. Horrible

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