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Xbox 'All Access' is coming to Verizon, $0 upfront.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/x...BF-11ED-B39D-36D796E8478F&ServiceType=twitter

Phone and internet giant Verizon will soon begin offering Xbox All Access, allowing users to grab a new Xbox Series X|S for $0 upfront and then pay it off over time like a smartphone plan.

Beginning Thursday, July 28, anyone can get an Xbox Series S with a two-year membership to Game Pass Ultimate for $25/month or an Xbox Series X with two years of Game Pass Ultimate for $35/month. Payments are spread over 24 months at 0% APR (provided you qualify during the credit check).

At $25 a month over two years for the Xbox Series S, you'll pay $600 total. Normally, the console costs $299 and two years of Game Pass Ultimate costs $360--that's a $59 savings. For the Xbox Series X, you'll pay $35 a month over two years--that's $840 total. The Series X costs $499, and if you add on the $360 Game Pass Ultimate cost, you're still saving $19.

Additionally, anyone who signs up for Xbox All Access can get 50% off an Xbox Elite controller. Outside of that, Verizon shoppers who buy a regular wireless controller can save $40 on the Xbox Stereo headset and save 25% on the Razer Xbox Wolverine V2 controller and Kaira headset bundle.

Xbox All Access is a subsidized payment program that may be familiar to anyone who has bought an expensive new smartphone and paid it off in monthly increments. Microsoft tested the subsidized program back in the Xbox 360 days, and now it's more widely available.



https://www.verizon.com/gaming/xbox-all-access/?linkId=174872483

A few days old but it seems to have flown under radar here.

This is what I believe will be just as if not more of a big deal than Gamepass. Microsoft said long ago they were in talks with multiple companies for the All Access program which will allow people who don't want to drop $500 or who are low income to get a console cheap, as well as two years worth of free gamepass to go with that two year installment plan. 50% off the Elite controller is also additional value even though it targets a niche buyer group.

Once more companies participate, each likely offering their own exclusive deals like smartphones do across carriers, it may completely change how the industry operates. On a Subscription plan we can have in the future super powerful $800 consoles that can be brought at $0 upfront, then after two years you can upgrade to a revision or a "pro" model. It's very clear that gaming is going the way of the phone, only difference is you have to wait 2 years or more to upgrade to another device since consoles can't come out every year. We have also seen a resurgence of netbooks at internet and phone companies, or companies that handle both. But this time the Netbooks aren't dysfunctional pieces of garbage you throw away, they're actually decent now for basic productivity, web surfing, and low settings PC gameplay.

When everyone who can't afford phones are locked into payment plans, they end up tied to their carriers ecosystem. Microsoft jumping on this ahead of time is good, because in a few years this program may become popular enough to where you have millions of buyers worldwide locked to their ecosystem on contracts just like phone carriers. Then Sony and Nintendo will have no choice but to negotiate with companies and provide their own payment services for their consoles, and for the unwary customer, to them it seems like they are actually saving money since they aren't spending money on hardware upfront and games monthly (even though they aren't actually saving money) at $70 a pop.

What's more important about this strategy is when it takes off, not if, it will open the door to new companies to finally enter this expensive gaming industry because they will no longer have to worry about taking a loss on hardware and no longer have to worry about trying to convince consumers to spend hundreds on a console because all the money will be made from millions of people who are locked into installment plans, so the customer will believe they get each new console for free, one customer may even have 3 or 4 different payment plans to own 4 different systems, opening the door to multi hardware adoption which fosters competition!

Gaming will be for the better, Even Sega and Philips can come back to the console industry with their own games and machines and only have to worry about selling games, services, and locking customers to a program. They won't have to make compromises on hardware for a lower price, or have to cheapen out on development because games costs a ton to make, they now have infinite recurring revenue, and all the customers will buy hardware upfront at $0, and in the end they always end up paying more money than the retail price when it's time to upgrade, some may even continue paying until the own the console outright paying up to $300 more than what the machine actually costs. It brings in more money to gaming companies than ever before, but customers no longer have to pay upfront costs as well, it's the first time where both sides will see only benefits in the long haul.

This means we can have hardware innovation again because this trend would allow companies to make powerful $1000-$1500 game consoles which can be gotten for free at no additional cost to you the consumer. Even a 5th place console who only has 4 or 5 million players, knows that those players are locked in bringing in millions in cash on monthly payments, games, microtransactions, and accessories. So there's less possibility to fail, so a loser can try again in the next round and end up becoming number one!

Isn't this great and will change gaming for the better?

Or am I completely crazy and this scenario is actually dystopian?
 

Beechos

Member
I can definately see this taking off. Will be sad of course for those who get into these things and cant afford it ruining their credit.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Jake Gyllenhaal No GIF


It's just a financing option. And it has been around a while.
 
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Soapbox Killer

Grand Nagus
I'm on that. It was the only way I could secure the damned Series X. $35 bucks a month or so. I had the cash but for whatever reason, Best Buy only had this option earlier this year.
 
I’ve almost done the all access multiple times, and I believe it’s always been 0 down.
Oh that's from the article title.

But question, did you have to pay taxes on the hardware (like with phones) or was it actually $0 down?

It's just a financing option. And it has been around a while.

Poorly marketed, with limited distribution, which is supposed to change within the next couple years. There was even a prototype payment plan for the 360 but none of that is comparable for what they are trying to do now. It's also still only Microsoft doing it, the key here is what happens when they finally get enough companies and customers on board? That's the stage we are in now.

it could still fail, but if it doesn't it opens up the console industry to new participants.
 
It is available at Best Buy, GameStop, Target, Walmart, and the Microsoft Store. That doesn't sound limited to me, but ok.....

Mostly online, badly marketed only recently improving, and starting to show up at more retail stores.

You need to get into gear or the future will leave you blind.

I paid $0 upfront when I got mine. (And my credit isn't perfect either after buying a house). I just walked into best buy with my ID and walked out with the console.

Damn, so it's even better than the phone Ccrriers that make you pay the tax, you don't have to pay anything.
 
That's how i got my Xbox Series X. 0% interest and no down payment. Credit score went up too. It's a waaaay better option than using a store credit card with high interest or Rent a Center where it costs almost twice as much.
 

Topher

Gold Member
0% financing. That is almost unheard of and deserves attention.

Amazon and Best Buy have 0% financing options as well. $0 upfront. Doesn't require you to buy Game Pass either.

Mostly online, badly marketed only recently improving, and starting to show up at more retail stores.

You need to get into gear or the future will leave you blind.

Get into gear? By taking out a loan?

Vine Ok GIF
 
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CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
It's a good deal and a great way to get an awesome console and hundreds of games to play for a small monthly payment. Right now, it seems like there isn't a lot of advertising for this plan, but if they start advertising, offering it more places and if people become more aware of this deal, how are they going to fill the orders especially for the Series X?
 

Kilau

Gold Member
I didn’t think OP was crazy until I got to the Sega and Philips reentering the console market part.
 

Jennings

Member
two years worth of free gamepass to go with that two year installment plan
It should be noted here, GAMEPASS ULTIMATE IS NOT FREE with All Access.

It never has been.

Gamepass Ultimate is FULL PRICE and is merely bundled to the console so that you can not buy the console without the service while utilizing the All Access financing (which has always been widely been available for these products through major retailers).

If you want to finance a Series X through All Access it will cost you (34.99/mo * 24mo) $839.76. This is because you're forced to buy two separate products bundled as one ($500 console + mandatory $339.76 Gamepass).

Literally the only news here is Verizon is becoming another Xbox retailer.
 
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Soapbox Killer

Grand Nagus
Damn, so it's even better than the phone Ccrriers that make you pay the tax, you don't have to pay anything.



I just looked at my statement since I just paid it yesterday and I found something curious.


QtUJ22Z.png



Why did they give me $2500 in credit? This didn't come with a card or any other place for me to spend this money and if you do the math, I'm paying $540 for a Series X and about $12/m for GPU so there is no extra fees or interest
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
It should be noted here, GAMEPASS ULTIMATE IS NOT FREE with All Access.

It never has been.

Gamepass Ultimate is FULL PRICE and is merely bundled to the console so that you can not buy the console without the service while utilizing the All Access financing (which has always been widely been available for these products through major retailers).

If you want to finance a Series X through All Access it will cost you $859.76. This is because you're forced to buy two separate products bundled as one ($500 console + mandatory $359.76 Gamepass).

Literally the only news here is Verizon is becoming another Xbox retailer.
Awful deal.
 

Topher

Gold Member
I just looked at my statement since I just paid it yesterday and I found something curious.


QtUJ22Z.png



Why did they give me $2500 in credit?

Because it is a line of credit just like any other. You have an account with Citizens Bank who is loaning you the money. Interest on this loan is accruing and as long as you pay it off in time and don't miss payments then you won't be charged interest or fees.

And now it'll be marketed and advertised to verizon customers and subscribers.

More outreach.


Yeah, that is fine. I just think the rest of the OP is bit over the top.
 
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Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Amazon and Best Buy have 0% financing options as well. $0 upfront. Doesn't require you to buy Game Pass either.



Get into gear? By taking out a loan?

Vine Ok GIF
Both your example require getting a credit card and have to be paid in a shorter period of time or else you will incur interest charges. Not equivalent.
 
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reinking

Gold Member
I just looked at my statement since I just paid it yesterday and I found something curious.


QtUJ22Z.png



Why did they give me $2500 in credit? This didn't come with a card or any other place for me to spend this money and if you do the math, I'm paying $540 for a Series X and about $12/m for GPU so there is no extra fees or interest

$540 + $12 x 24 ($288) = $828.00

$37.09 x 24 = $890.16

Is your payment always $37.09 per month?

Either you are paying more than $12 per month for GPU or they have some hidden fees.
 
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Soapbox Killer

Grand Nagus
$540 + $12 x 24 ($288) = $828.00

$37.09 x 24 = $890.16

Is your payment always $37.09 per month?

Either you are paying more than $12 per month for GPU or they have some hidden fees.


How much is GPU normally? Maybe they didn't charge me sales tax when I got the xbox, I just assumed 540 which included the local 8% tax in Philly
 

Topher

Gold Member
Both your example require getting a credit card and have to be paid in a shorter period of time or else you will incur interest charges. Not equivalent.

It is a line of credit in either case. Yes, shorter period of time but less money borrowed since you don’t have to finance two years of game pass whether you like it or not. Regardless, your claim that 0% is unheard of is just not true.
 

reinking

Gold Member
How much is GPU normally? Maybe they didn't charge me sales tax when I got the xbox, I just assumed 540 which included the local 8% tax in Philly
My best guess is they charged you sales tax on the console and you pay a little less than $15 for GPU ($15 normal price). That makes the most sense. That should be pretty standard practice. I'm guessing Verizon will also charge sales tax. The article does their own math without it but I can't imagine Verizon is going to eat that cost.
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
It is a line of credit in either case. Yes, shorter period of time but less money borrowed since you don’t have to finance two years of game pass whether you like it or not. Regardless, your claim that 0% is unheard of is just not true.
Sure, it's a line of credit, but one where you can save money.
 

reinking

Gold Member
Sure, it's a line of credit, but one where you can save money.
All Access has some cons in that regard too. One, you are locked into a subscription service and the discount doesn't come close to matching the "$1" upgrade deal. They also lock you into the highest tier of the service when many might only want/need the console version of Game Pass. Great service but MS did not reinvent financing/bundling when they created it.
 

BlackTron

Member
This is how I got my Series X. Given the option, I would have preferred to just buy one for $500, but it was the only opportunity I spotted to actually get one. At the time the systems were even more rare than they are now and were worth more money than the console and two years of Gamepass combined.

They finance you a $500 game system with no interest, and in exchange you sign up for two years of Gamepass. You're not getting an AMAZING deal, but it's a fair business proposition, and you still go home with a console ready with hundreds of games without spending anything upfront. Smart move to ensnare people frustrated by PS5 stock issues, make it REALLY easy to impulse buy it.
 

Topher

Gold Member
All Access has some cons in that regard too. One, you are locked into a subscription service and the discount doesn't come close to matching the "$1" upgrade deal. They also lock you into the highest tier of the service when many might only want/need the console version of Game Pass. Great service but MS did not reinvent financing/bundling when they created it.

I agree. There are better options for Game Pass. Besides........why would you ever finance a monthly subscription? You are already paying.....monthly. So you can either A) pay monthly for the service and even opt out a few months if you choose or B) pre-pay the same amount that you would have paid for full two years and there is no opt-out a month option and you'll pay interest if you don't pay the whole thing off in time.

Confused Hanna Barbera GIF by Warner Archive
 
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Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
End of the


I agree. There are better options for Game Pass. Besides........why would you ever finance a monthly subscription? You are already paying.....monthly. So you can either A) pay monthly for the service and even opt out a few months if you choose or B) pre-pay the same amount that you would have paid for full two years and there is no opt-out a month option and you'll pay interest if you don't pay the whole thing off in time.

Confused Hanna Barbera GIF by Warner Archive
Clearly this is for people that can't outright pay for the console or prepay for two years of Game Pass.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Clearly this is for people that can't outright pay for the console or prepay for two years of Game Pass.

I think they are better off financing the console and not the subscription. People want to point to marketing as why this hasn't taken off. I think most people just know better.

But ok.....for a few people out there, this might be the most feasible way to have a console and get some games. I grant you that. Certainly better than the scalper option as well.

Either way, it certainly isn't some transformative thing that is going to change the face of gaming like the OP is claiming.
 
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Clearly this is for people that can't outright pay for the console or prepay for two years of Game Pass.
Financially, it's a great idea for anyone planning on getting a console in the middle of mass inflation.... You're already saving money on the total price even without taking inflation into account
 
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pasterpl

Member
More “shop windows” your product appear in it is better, simple. We don’t have any stats telling us how many users signed up to this so it is hard to say if it was successful. Even ASDA in the UK offers it and it is the only way you can get series x. But this being adopted so widely suggest that there are at least some decent numbers showing adoption of this.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
Most of the naysayers for this scheme are all about the Gamepass Ultimate component and the fact that you can get the service for cheaper by converting Gold, but the vast majority of Gamepass Ultimate subscribers are unlikely to be doing Gold conversion deals. The bulk of them are paying the $15 monthly fee.

For the regular consumer off the streets, it probably makes a ton of sense to go with this monthly fee vs paying a bulk sum that you might not be able to easily spare.
 

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
You really need to do alot of mental gymnastics to make this a bad deal.

Inflation is tanking hard, and everything gets more expensive, consoles including compared to previous generations.

Microsoft making it possible for people who can't toss a lot of money up front is a unbeaten deal in gaming.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Save $19, lol (or rather nothing if you get some discounted GP here and there like people seem to be doing).
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
You really need to do alot of mental gymnastics to make this a bad deal.

Inflation is tanking hard, and everything gets more expensive, consoles including compared to previous generations.

Microsoft making it possible for people who can't toss a lot of money up front is a unbeaten deal in gaming.

It's also not really a good deal. If you can't afford $600 today, why can you afford it over two years? It's the same money, where is it gonna come from that hasn't existed before (since you haven't been able to save up such a small amount)?
 

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
It's also not really a good deal. If you can't afford $600 today, why can you afford it over two years? It's the same money, where is it gonna come from that hasn't existed before (since you haven't been able to save up such a small amount)?
Why get a loan for a house or a car if you can eventually afford it? Especially with interest.

For some people it's easier to pay 35 euro a month, than putting 35 euro in a piggy bank.

It's not money that haven't existed, but it can be easy to use the money on another stuff instead if you bank it.

But buying houses, apartments and cars with a loan is a bad deal when you can afford it in a lot of years, thanks for the clarification in economy.
 
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RoadHazard

Gold Member
Why get a loan for a house or a car if you can eventually afford it?

For some people it's easier to pay 35 euro a month, than putting 35 euro in a piggy bank.

It's not money that haven't existed, but it can be easy to use the money on another stuff instead if you bank it.

But buying houses, apartments and cars with a loan is a bad deal when you can afford it in a lot of years, thanks for the clarification in economy.

You shouldn't be getting a car you can't afford either IMO. If you don't have a lot of money, get a cheap car, it will still get you where you need to go.

A home is different, because you need to live somewhere. And here we're talking such large amounts that most people could NEVER afford it just by saving, or at least not until very late in life.
 
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