It has been no secret that Xbox as a whole has been pushing for inclusiveness in gaming this generation. With the Xbox Adaptive controller pushing gaming to a whole new level for people with disabilities and the big push for cross-play with other platforms. This is what makes this rumor about Xbox All Access, a potential contract service that could get consumers, a brand new Xbox, and 2 years of Xbox Live + Gamepass very believable. How could this work you might ask? But thanks to Jez Corden over at Windows Central, we have a good idea.
How this service is going to work is very similar to how a cellphone contract works. You make monthly payments, $22 a month gets you an Xbox One S with Gamepass and Xbox Live over 2 years, and $35 a month gets you an Xbox One X with the same features. After the 2 year period, you will own your console in a very similar fashion to how many of us are used to acquiring our cell phones. Like many people, I scratched my head on why such a service was not announced at Gamescom. Turns out there is a very obvious answer to this question, as many people know Gamescom is hosted in Germany. When Xbox All Access launches it will most likely be the USA only, at least to start. It is believed that this service will be unveiled later this month, as major gaming companies begin to do their marketing push for the holidays. All of this fits with Microsoft’s goal of attracting more developers to Gamepass by growing the service and providing a large player pool in the service.
It should be very interesting to see how consumers view this option, versus dropping $300+ on a new console this Christmas. This service also further pushes the Xbox goal of making gaming accessible to everyone, whether you are disabled or not in a financially stable situation Xbox is giving gamers options. Removing the upfront paywall on the console could be a gamechanger for some families this holiday. We can only wait and see.
What do you think of Xbox All Access? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check back for the latest gaming news and information.
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