Microsoft loves a subscription service. If we look around the company’s products, most offer some sort of subscription model. Equally, Redmond has become found of bundling services and combining them into a subscription package. The next to get such treatment will be Xbox as Microsoft is reported to be working on an Xbox All Access bundle.
Xbox All Access would package an Xbox One console with Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live for a monthly fee. Microsoft is developing the bundle under the codename Project Largo. Speaking to The Verge, insiders on the project revealed the bundle will allow customers to spread the cost of owning an Xbox One and related services.
Both the Xbox One S and Xbox One X will be available for the Xbox All Access bundle. For the latter, more powerful console, customers will pay $34.99 per month over 24 months. Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass will be part of the deal.
This means over a two-year period the customer will pay $840. That’s a lot of money for sure, so how does that compare if those services are bough separately? Well, the Xbox One X costs $499. Incidentally, for that money you can get the device on its own or in a bundle. Xbox Live Gold membership costs $59.99 per year, which would be just shy of $120 over two years. Finally, Xbox Game Pass costs $9.99 per month, or $240 over two years.
So, in total out of the bundle customers would pay $840 to get all the services. Voila, the subscription service would cost exactly the same but with the added benefit of spreading the cost. While some may not want to be tied down to Microsoft in a financial agreement, it’s obvious the bundle will appeal to many.
At first, Xbox All Access will only be available in Microsoft retail stores, which means it will be limited to United States release. If successful, Microsoft will expand the service to other markets.
Embracing Subscriptions
Microsoft has embraced subscription models for products in recent years. The most noteworthy service hidden behind a subscription paywall is Office 365. Launched in 2011, Office 365 has thrived and become a core part of Microsoft’s push towards the cloud.
While Office in its non-subscription guise is still available, Microsoft’s focus in productivity is certainly with Office 365.
In 2017, Microsoft 365 was launched as a bundle of several core Microsoft services. Available in Enterprise and Business bundles, the service combines Office 365 with Windows 10 and various other products. Back in April, Microsoft decided to make Microsoft 365 a fully integrated product.
