According to several websites, Microsoft has confirmed that it will offer a service that allows American users to purchase an Xbox One console for a monthly fee. The blog in which Microsoft confirmed the information has since been removed.
According to VentureBeat and Thurrott, among others, who quote from the deleted blog post, the service is called Xbox All Access. As a previous rumor pointed out, users who purchase this service will receive an Xbox One S or X, access to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass. This makes it possible to play multiplayer games and customers have access to more than a hundred games.
There is no purchase amount to be paid, just a monthly amount. For the Xbox One S, this amount is $22 per month, while the more powerful Xbox One X console has a monthly fee of $35.
The service runs for 24 months and if canceled earlier, the user must pay the remaining amount of the hardware. After this term, the customer becomes the owner of the hardware and can choose to continue the Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass services.
With the choice for Xbox All Access, according to Microsoft, a total of 130 dollars can be saved with the Xbox One S. This includes the cost of purchasing the console and subscription fees for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass. For the Xbox One X, that savings would eventually come to $20.
With the step, the manufacturer wants to make its Game Pass more attractive, among other things. According to Microsoft, people with a Game Pass usually also spend extra money for the purchase of new games. As far as we know, Xbox All Access is not coming to Europe.
Update, 8/28: Microsoft’s blog post is now back online.