Microsoft has announced a new special offer for their reintroduction of Xbox All Access to allow players to upgrade to Project Scarlett when it launches Holiday 2020.
The Xbox All Access program will begin by being offered in the U.S., U.K., and Australia only. The program is meant to be an all-inclusive service that gives players all they'll need to start gaming on Xbox in one package. There are three options for which console you want to go along with your package: Xbox One X, Xbox One S, and Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. The U.S. pricing for the three options ends up being $30.99 a month for 24 months for the Xbox One X, $22.99 a month for 24 months for the Xbox One S, and $19.99 a month for 24 months for the Xbox One S All-Digital. Each package comes with the console you choose, one controller, 24-month membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and the option to upgrade to Project Scarlett when it comes out Holiday 2020. You won't be able to stack other discounts or promotions with the Xbox All Access package, but Microsoft states that if players go with the Xbox One S or Xbox One S All-Digital they'll save over $100 compared to buying all the included items separately.
Xbox All Access will become available Australia on October 29, in the U.K. on November 5, and in the U.S. on November 18. Players will need to go through select partners in each region for Xbox All Access such as Telstra in Australia, GAME or Smyths Toys in the U.K., and Amazon in the U.S. Microsoft outlines the steps for Xbox All Access as follows:
- In order to join the program, simply visit a participating retailer.
- Select the console you would like to purchase with no upfront cost.^
- Qualify with our financing partner (Citizens Bank in the U.S.; Klarna in the U.K.; Telstra in Australia). Once approved, complete your purchase with the retailer.
- Once you’ve signed up and brought your console home, it’s time to power up and game on.
It should also be noted that the Project Scarlett upgrade qualification works slightly differently depending on which region Xbox All Access is bought in. For the U.S. and the U.K. players will be eligable to upgrade to Project Scarlett when it's available after they've made 18 payments on the Xbox All Access plan. In Australia players will be able to buyout their console at any time and upgrade to Project Scarlett when it launches. It's unclear at this point if this pathway to upgrading will be expanded to the U.S. or U.K. markets. Microsoft also sheds some light on how exactly the upgrade to Project Scarlett will work:
In order to participate in the upgrade program when Project Scarlett launches in Holiday 2020, players in the U.S. and U.K. will need to be in good standing with the respective financing partner in their market, purchase Project Scarlett with a new Xbox All Access purchase from the same retail partner where they joined the program, and trade-in the console originally purchased with Xbox All Access. Terms and conditions apply, including an upgrade fee for players upgrading from the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition to Project Scarlett.
We'll probably need to wait until E3 2020 until we get more concrete details on the next generation of consoles, but this new Xbox All Access offering could give Project Scarlett a solid edge over the PlayStation 5 by allowing for an easy way to upgrade to the next gen while also having the benefits of the Xbox Games Pass Ultimate.
How do you feel about the Xbox All Access offering? What else would you want to see be included in the program to make it worth your money?
