Opinion: Xbox Now Has the Best Deal for Next-Gen

It’s crazy how much can change in a matter of days. Just last week, things weren’t looking all that good for Microsoft and the team at Xbox in regards to their next generation consoles. But now that they’ve shown their hand, it’s hard to say that they aren’t offering the best deal for next-gen gaming this holiday season. Let’s rewind the clock a bit first.

Microsoft was the first to reveal their new console, the Xbox Series X, which garnered a lot of attention across the industry. It was touted as being their “fastest, most powerful console ever” and we got proof of this once they released the system specs back in March. Halo Infinite, the company’s tentpole franchise, was going to be launching alongside the Series X as well, something that hasn’t happened since the release of both the original Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved back in 2001. A beast of a console and one of the most revered shooters in gaming history launching together was the perfect way for Microsoft to kick off a new console generation.

But the one thing people were still concerned about were the other games that Microsoft would have, especially since the company stated that they would release their first-party titles across both current and next-gen for a few years. And while the two game showcases that the company held over the summer had some cool games, there wasn’t anything in the near future that screamed “must buy”, with the bigger titles being at least a year or two away. This left Microsoft with Halo Infinite as the sole title to pump up their launch, which makes it all the more sad that the game was delayed to next year following poor reception to the game’s campaign debut.

Without Halo, things were looking dire for Microsoft and they were forced to instead pivot their marketing towards Game Pass, backwards compatibility, and Series X enhanced titles. The conversation became “what reason is there to buy a Series X at launch?” Now Microsoft has shifted the conversation and given everyone a huge reason to buy into next-gen with them at launch, even without their own killer app.

It all starts with their newly announced Xbox Series S. At $299, the console is a cheap way to get your foot in the door for next-gen without all the power of the more expensive Xbox Series X, priced at $499. It will be able to play all the same games that the Series X can, just at a lower resolution. This is crucial for the people in the world that may not have a 4K display because they can’t afford one or because they just aren’t interested in getting one. These are the kinds of the people that would most likely just care about being able to play the newest games on a machine that’s capable of running them at the cheapest price point possible.

The real ace up Microsoft’s sleeve here though is Xbox All Access. This is a program that Microsoft has had running since 2018 that allows you to get an Xbox on a monthly payment plan (similar to how many phone carriers have payment plans), but the program is often forgotten about. When the Series S and Series X launch on November 10th, you’ll be able to buy the consoles through Xbox All Access, paying only $24.99/month for the Series S and $34.99/month for the Series X. In addition to getting a console, you’re also given two fulls years of Game Pass Ultimate (which now includes EA Play).

All together, this is an insane deal for an incredibly low price! In a year where the world is suffering from a pandemic and people will have to be more frugal with how they spend their money, this is an offer that simply can’t be ignored. It allows those who may not necessarily be able to afford dropping hundreds of dollars on a console and multiple games at once to pay a small monthly fee and get a console plus hundreds of games on day one. I wouldn’t be surprised if this entices more people to choose an Xbox this holiday season simply because they’re strapped for cash and want something fresh and new. It’s simply the best deal for next-gen, and one that I, a Playstation gamer, even considered. If it had me considering getting an Xbox, I can only imagine how many other Playstation users it’s completely won over.

As of writing this post, Sony doesn’t have similar plan to Xbox All Access for the Playstation 5, meaning that consumers are going to have to fork over the full price of the console if they want to get into next-gen (although, Gamestop is reportedly considering installment plans of their own for next-gen consoles). And while they haven’t announced the prices of their two consoles yet (hopefully they will next week), I’m expecting them to fall anywhere from $399-$499. Not having a payment plan method could cause them to lose some customers and very crucial ground to Microsoft at the start of this next generation, and that’s something they don’t want to have happen.

Now of course, even though Microsoft dropped a lot of great news this week regarding their pricing, this doesn’t mean that they’ve already won the war. The company still has the issue of their Xbox first-party titles not being on the same level as Sony’s, and many of their exclusive games are far out. Having great prices for your consoles is all for naught if the games aren’t there to support them. And then there’s also the fact that Sony has such a strong hold on the gaming market right now, with a lifetime sales total of 112.3 million consoles. By comparison, the Xbox One has sold less than half the amount the PS4 has over the course of its life. There’s also a poll IGN did back in July asking their viewers which next-gen console they were planning to get, with 54.1% of the 51,509 voters choosing the PS5. Sony’s garnered a lot of goodwill this generation, so it’s clear that unless they completely bungle their pricing, the company will be more than fine this holiday season no matter what Microsoft does.

Microsoft and the team over at Xbox have had quite the uphill battle these past few weeks, but they’ve managed to turn things around in just a few days. I applaud them for the decisions that they’ve made and want to see them succeed. They have the best way to get into next-gen right now. All they have to do is get the word out there as best as possible so that people know that Xbox is the place to be if you want to jump in this holiday season.