Microsoft Reportedly Planning To Launch New ‘Xbox All Access’ Subscription Service

A new report claims Microsoft is planning to launch a new “Xbox All Access” subscription service. The service will allegedly bundle an Xbox One console with a subscription for Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass.

Information about this new “Xbox All Access” service was recently revealed by Windows Central. The site claims that Microsoft chose not to announce the new service during Gamescom 2018 in Germany, because it might only be available in the United States. The new service is reportedly planned to launch later this month, but Microsoft could still change its mind.

The new “Xbox All Access” service will allow customers to pay around $22 a month and they will get an Xbox One S console and a two-year subscription to Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass. There’s also another subscription plan for an Xbox One X console that will cost $35 a month for two years. Once a customer’s contract is up, they will own the Xbox console. The service, if it does launch, would provide gamers the most affordable way to own an Xbox One console and take advantage of Microsoft’s online gaming services.

A standalone Xbox One S currents sells for around $230, while the Xbox One X console, which is capable of 4K gaming, sells for $449.99. Meanwhile, a subscription for Xbox Live cost $59.99 a year from the Microsoft Store and an Xbox Game Pass costs $9.99 a month. If the customer will go for an Xbox One S All Access subscription for two years, the customer will only be paying around a total of $528 for the console and two-year access to Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass.

This new “Xbox All Access” subscription service was first teased by The Verge’s Tom Warren a few weeks ago. In a separate report, The Verge’s source claimed that Microsoft is planning to start offering the new service directly from its retail stores. Microsoft is also allegedly working alongside PC makers to offer the new service elsewhere, possibly in other retail stores. The service is codenamed Project Largo.

Although the new “Xbox All Access” service will only be available in the U.S. initially, it may reach other regions in the future. However, this would greatly depend on the service’s success stateside. An all-in-one subscription could help boost Xbox One sales for Microsoft and help guarantee long-term Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, which should encourage more game developers to bring their titles to the service.