After a very long wait, we finally got the unveiling of the Xbox Series S, as well as the price and launch date for the Xbox Series X. Now players have everything they need on the Microsoft side about what they want to do. You have lots of potential options, and now more people than ever will have the ability to utilize Microsoft’s Xbox All Access plan.

If you aren’t familiar, All Access is a financing plan that will allow you to pick up a console plus Game Pass Ultimate for monthly installments. The plan has been pretty limited in the past, only being available in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. But for the Series S/X, it will be expanding to eight more countries, including South Korea, Canada, France, and more. You can see the full list of countries and the stores that will utilize All Access below, or you can see them alongside full details and links to sign up through here.

Both the Xbox Series S and X will launch on November 10th with preorders beginning September 22nd. Xbox All Access prices will begin at $24.99 USD monthly.

Australia at Telstra
Canada at EB Games
Denmark at Elgiganten
Finland at Gigantti
France at FNAC
New Zealand at Spark
Norway at Elkjøp
Poland at Media Expert
South Korea at SK Telecom
Sweden at Elgiganten
UK at GAME and Smyths Toys
United States at Best Buy, GameStop, Target, Microsoft Store, and Walmart

With the economic upheaval that the whole world is facing right now thanks in large part to COVID-19, questions about prices with the upcoming console launches are more relevant than ever, but it’s a question the Microsoft seem to be paying a lot of mind to. They have talked about wanting to focus on their Xbox All Access program with the Xbox Series X, and about how that in conjunction with their subscription services and their continued support for Xbox One should be a viable alternative to purchasing their new console, and based on Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s recent words, it really does seem like that’s going to be Microsoft’s approach to next-gen.

Speaking at the recent Gamelab Live conference (transcribed by VGC), Spencer spoke about these things again, emphasizing the Xbox All Access program and how its model could attract buyers while keeping the current economic condition around the world in mind.

“Xbox All Access is going to be critical to both our launch for Xbox Series X as well as just the overall kind of generation,” Spencer said. “We want to bring our whole customer base along and we want to offer options and opportunities wherever we can.

“The response that we’ve seen where we’ve tested Xbox All Access has been great but it’s been limited in terms of the market, so you’re going to see a much broader market and retailer support for Xbox All Access. It matches a model that customers use for many other devices that they buy and as you have services that are attached to those devices that people love it just becomes an easier way to bring a great product to customers.

“And we should also just understand the global economic situation that we’re going to see this year, we’re seeing it today, and I think having more pricing options for consumers is frankly just a thoughtful thing for us as an industry to think about.”

He added: “Whether it’s Game Pass and me getting access to hundreds of games for a lower amount each month or things like Xbox All Access that let me get into a new hardware generation without the big upfront cost, I think those are going to be important things with the economic situation that we see outside.”

As far as what the Xbox Series X might be priced at when it launches, there has been no word on that front up until now, though Spencer has noted on a few occasions that the console’s pricing is something Microsoft are going to remain “agile” on.

On the Sony front, there has similarly been no word on thee PS5’s pricing, but PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has suggested a few times that Sony will go with a price point that might not be the lowest, but will provide the “best possible value proposition.”

Analysts have said that both consoles could end up costing between $450-$500.

Remember Xbox All Access, Microsoft’s monthly subscription that provided access to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass along with an Xbox one console? It’s coming back on October 29th at Telstra in Australia, November 5th at GAME and Smyths Toys in the UK and on November 18th via Amazon in the United States. Furthermore, the deal now allows for upgrading to Project Scarlett down the line.

You need to pay $19.99 per month for 24 months with the following options available:

• Xbox One console: Players in the U.S. and U.K. can choose between Xbox One X, Xbox One S, or Xbox One S All-Digital Edition bundles. Players in Australia can select the Xbox One X Forza Horizon 4 bundle or the Xbox One S Forza Horizon 4 bundle. One Xbox Wireless Controller included with each bundle
• 24-month membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Xbox Pass Ultimate includes all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, including online multiplayer, and access to over 100 great games on console and PC.
• Option to upgrade to Project Scarlett once its available in Holiday 2020

You need to visit a participating retailer and select the console of choice along with being in good standing with the relevant financing partner. After signing up, the bundle is yours. Though it’s not the same as owning a console or building a library of games, Xbox All Access does allow more players to gain entry to Project Scarlett at launch.

Of course, some terms and conditions apply like an upgrade when going from the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition to Project Scarlett. The real question is: Will this drive more people to pick up Project Scarlett in the long-term? Time will tell so stay tuned for more details.

This time, it feels a bit different, though, especially given the confluence of circumstances from the last few years. It lines up with Microsoft’s own focus on services and trying to get subscribers for them- for the company, their hardware has just become a way to try and get more people subscribed to their services. Microsoft would, in that case, be all too happy to take a short term loss on their hardware to make it up over the long term with assured subscribers.

Here’s the other interesting thing, though- after the original Xbox One was weaker than the competition, Microsoft seems to have woken up to the fact that power has always been perceived to be a core part of the Xbox brand’s DNA, and that that is an advantage over Sony they can’t afford to relinquish again. This was most evident in terms of the Xbox One X, where they were willing to go all out to making it the most powerful console ever made- and now, the same team that worked on the One X is working on the next generation Xbox, reportedly codenamed Scarlett.

"A powerful and loaded to the gills next generation Xbox would be very expensive- the Xbox One X alone is $500, and even accounting for price drops, it means that a proper next gen system will be at least that much, a price that is prohibitively high for the mass market. "

A powerful and loaded to the gills next generation Xbox would be very expensive- the Xbox One X alone is $500, and even accounting for price drops, it means that a proper next gen system will be at least that much, a price that is prohibitively high for the mass market.

We have already heard how Microsoft plans to sidestep this to a degree- rumors regarding the Xbox Scarlet mention multiple SKUs, including a cheaper one which will primarily be for streaming games only, eschewing most local hardware. However, even for people who don’t want a gutted Xbox for themselves like that, and want the full experience, something like Xbox All Access could help.

Essentially, Xbox All Access allows Microsoft to sell a very powerful system for a reasonable upfront price, without taking much of a financial hit. Consider a supremely powerful next generation Xbox, for example, which costs $600 because of how powerful and loaded it is. That would ordinarily be the kiss of death- but an All Access style plan allows Microsoft to sell it for $200 upfront, with the other $400 covered for over two years via guaranteed subscriptions to Xbox Live and Game Pass.

Over the long term, of course, the amount paid to Microsoft will come to $600 or more, depending on the payment plan- but upfront, Microsoft can advertise “the most powerful system made” for $200. Assuming the next generation PlayStation is more powerful than Scarlett, Microsoft can still contain the damage by advertising their system for $200. North America, especially, is a market that is already used to using credit to buy things, and to long term payment plans for purchases ranging from homes, cars, to yes, smartphones. This is something the market could easily come to terms with, at least there.

"North America, especially, is a market that is already used to using credit to buy things, and to long term payment plans for purchases ranging from homes, cars, to yes, smartphones. This is something the market could easily come to terms with, at least there."

And therein lies the advantage Microsoft has potentially created for itself with the rollout of Xbox All Access: by introducing this plan now, getting early feedback, gauging market reactions, and making course corrections accordingly, not to mention normalizing the idea of a console paid for in this way now, they could roll out a far more palatable and ambitious plan with Xbox Scarlet at launch- allowing them to have their cake and eat it too. Basically: have a powerful console that does not compromise on anything; sell it for a mass market friendly price; don’t take a financial loss on it. That’s literally the dream scenario for any console vendor, but it is one that only Microsoft is positioned to pull off, especially since neither Sony nor Nintendo share the same extent of focus on services that Microsoft does.

Of course, we could see Sony attempt something like this too- they have PS Plus, PS Vue, and PS Now. That’s enough services to try and push something like this. But where Sony has missed the beat is in not getting ahead of the game on that front now. If this is something they want to do, they need to start doing it now, and normalize it, iron out the kinks with a relatively low stakes rollout for their current generation machines. They could leave it for next generation- and it may not go all that well, and they wouldn’t have the time to respond to it, since they would be doing things on the fly, unlike Microsoft, who would have had the chance to address whatever feedback they receive on it ahead of time.

Which brings me to the thesis- Microsoft’s potential genius here is in positioning themselves to delivering something that is palatable and beneficial to all parties involved, including especially their customers, but also themselves. Having a dedicated pool of subscribers for Game Pass would also, for instance, allow them to negotiate better with third parties regarding getting their games on the service. This is in addition to potentially being able to sell a powerful console for cheap- it’s an all around win.

Of course, this is all a hypothetical- Xbox All Access could go nowhere, and put a stop to this fantasy upfront. But for now, I am very curious to see how things play out.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

We had reported some time ago on a rumor that Xbox All Access might be a contract payment plan for the Xbox One consoles, and it turns out that information was accurate. Microsoft has now officially announced Xbox All Access, and it is a financing plan where users can pay monthly installments for a total of 24 months to get either an Xbox One S or Xbox One X.

The payment plan also comes with Xbox services such as the Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass, and the total cost comes up to less than if you were to buy each of these separately. To get the Xbox One S, you will have to make payments of $22 per month, and for the Xbox One X you will have to pay $34 per month. It certainly is a great deal for anyone wanting to pick up either of these consoles right now.

Microsoft also mentions that this is a “limited time” offer only, exclusive to the US, which means it’s going to last as long as stocks last, and only available at Microsoft stores. They also mention that it is only available to “qualified” customers, and a quick glance of the Xbox All Access page on the Microsoft store tells us what that means. Essentially, you have to apply for DPA financing to WebBank, and only if you qualify based on your credit rating will you be able to avail this deal.

We’ll have to wait and see just how  successful this plan turns out to be, and if it ends up impacting future plans in any major way. It’s certainly interesting to see Microsoft constantly adopting this unique, extremely consumer-friendly policies though, and hopefully it pays off.

Most people, when they buy smartphones, don’t pay the whole $1000 or whatever for their iPhone upfront- usually, they pay a small amount down, and then commit to staying with their carrier over a period of two years, subscribed to a certain data plan, paying the phone off monthly in more palatable installments.

This is a kind of payment plan that Microsoft has already experimented with in the past on the Xbox 360, with limited success. Back in the day, Sega also tried this with the Dreamcast. Now, it looks like Microsoft may be gearing up to try this again. According to Windows Central, Xbox All Access will be a contract based payment plan, where users commit to subscribing to two years of Xbox Live and Game Pass, and get either an Xbox One S or Xbox One X for $22 or $35 a month respectively.

At the end of the two years, you have paid off the Xbox, and you get to keep it. It belongs to you. It’s yours. You can also choose to not subscribe to the services anymore.

It’s an interesting idea, and I can see why Microsoft would want to try this out- with their focus on Game Pass and Xbox Live, they would want to get users subscribed to the service (which would also give them more power in negotiations with third parties about getting games on Game Pass, for example). Meanwhile, users can get an Xbox for cheap, and not have to worry about paying for new games thanks to Game Pass.

I get it- I just wonder if it will actually work. I guess if Microsoft ever actually unveils it officially, and goes through with it, we will know.