Xbox Series X/S | Price Increases for Series X and Game Pass

[Moonface]

Xbox Series X Gameplay Showcase on May 7
Microsoft has announced that they'll be showcasing gameplay footage from Xbox Series X for the first time on May 7 at 8am PT, featuring games from third party developers and partners. Keep in mind that it is unlikely any first party content will be shown, judging by the choice of words Microsoft used.

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I'm interested in this, not even for how Series X is but just to get an idea of what developers are going to do with the new consoles as a whole. Load times are going to be something I really want to see, because so far all we've had is comparisons for games on existing hardware. I want to see how fast games designed solely for the new consoles can load.

[Moonface]

So in the wake of today's Xbox Series X Gameplay Showcase, the first box art seems to be out that gives an idea of how Xbox is going to be branding their games for next-gen:



I forgot that they were trying to distance themselves from the idea of distinct generations, which is what they're going for here with just the Xbox logo at the top and then the compatible systems underneath it. My only gripe is the Optimised for Series X badge; it's far too big. Hopefully that's just because the actual box art isn't done and so they just made it large to fill some space for now.

[Moonface]

So we'll finally see what the first party studios under Microsoft will have to offer in just a few weeks:

[Moonface]

So this just got leaked by someone who is apparently decently reputable for this to not be fake, at least for the design. $300 for it is going to be very enticing to people who want a cheap ticket into next gen consoles, but if this is the design it really should've been black so that the fan vent doesn't stand out so much. It makes the thing look like a giant speaker because it's the main thing your eye is attracted to.

[Moonface]

Xbox Series S Officially Revealed
After last nights leak, Microsoft has officially revealed the Xbox Series S, which will sell for $299 when it releases alongside the Series X system on November 10.



As the video indicates, the Series S is 60% smaller than the Series X, and it includes a high-speed 512GB  NVMe SSD, with performance offering up to 1440p resolution at 120FPS, along with 4K upscaling. It’ll also support DirectX ray tracing. Due to the small size of the system, it does not have a disc drive and therefore is a 100% digital system.

[WR91]

I'm impressed. The X and S are truly next gen consoles and when possible I plan on picking up a Series S because of GamePass and the 24 month $25 dollars a month plan they have going.

[Moonface]

I've been seeing a lot of hands on opinions of the X today since the embargo for it in regards to some features was lifted. It seems to be doing a very good job with backwards compatibility by making games look better even if they're not optimised for the system yet, which makes me disappointed that Sony isn't offering that feature to the same extent with PS5. Even if all the games ran the same I'm still just envious of BC being for all systems on the XSX.

[Eric]

I've seen a lot of talk that the reviewers were limited to 1000 games to review performance and excluded among them was GTA V. So in lieu of that, many reviewers decided to look at GTA IV and noticed a massive upgrade compared to its original 30 fps lock to 60 fps on the XSX. This is super exciting and when they finally get to test for GTA V and if it reaches the same, it might inspire me to actually finish the game. I remember the original release on the PS3 giving me massive headaches from the awful framerate since I doubt it was able to run it as well.

[Moonface]

This was announced a few days ago, but if you didn't hear, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will have the ability to cloud-stream games on both Xbox Series X and Xbox One consoles this holiday season. The announcement is more notable for Xbox One owners, because "the expansion will mean Xbox One owners can play Xbox Series X games on their console, provided the title is among Game Pass’ streamable library of more than 100 games." If like myself you forgot that this service is already offered on PC, Android, and iOS devices, those are the existing platforms that this service is expanding from.

It's crazy to think that Series X games will be playable on Xbox One at presumably the same quality as if you were playing them on a Series X itself, but it really goes to show that Microsoft is focusing on their ecosystem and not the hardware itself. I also think Microsoft are one of the few companies that will make cloud gaming work, because they aren't doing the mistake that Stadia did of making it the forefront of their service; it's an option alongside Game Pass and buying the games outright that is there for those who can use it, but the other options are perfectly viable and not a lesser or more expensive choice (well, buying outright is but that can't be helped). If I could also use this to cloud stream games to my PC that it wouldn't be able to run but I'd like to play, that would be really neat. Game Pass itself is already good, but knowing I can also experience games at better quality than my hardware can provide (or even run) means I can't really miss out on anything.

[Moonface]

Price Increases Coming for Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass
Almost a year after Sony announced price increases for the PlayStation 5 in select markets, Microsoft have announced that the Xbox Series X will be receiving a price increase in the UK, Canada, Australia, and most of Europe. The new prices are as follows, along with the original prices to show the increase amounts:

• £449.99 > £479.99 in the UK
  
• €499.99 > €549.99 most of Europe
  
• $599.99 > $649.99 in Canada
  
• $749.99 > $799.99 in Australia
  

Back when Sony announced their price increases for PlayStation 5 systems, Phil Spencer stated that Microsoft had no plans to follow suit at the time with a price increase for the Xbox Series X. On the bright side, there has not been a price increase announced for the Xbox Series S.

Microsoft has also announced that there will be a price increase for Xbox Game Pass worldwide. Due to the large number of regions that this price increase covers I will only list the most notable markets, but a full list can be found in this Verge article that reports on this story.

• North America
  Ultimate: $14.99 > $16.99
  Base: $9.99 > $10.99
  
  
• Canada
  Ultimate: $14.99 > $16.99
  Base: $11.99 > $12.99
  
  
• Europe
  Ultimate: €12.99 > €14.99
  Base: €9.99 > €10.99
  
  
• Australia
  Ultimate: $15.95 > $18.95
  Base: $10.95 > $11.95
  
  
• United Kingdom
  Ultimate: £10.99 > £12.99
  Base: £7.99 > £8.99
  

The price increase for Xbox Game Pass will come into effect on July 6. Subscribers to the PC version of the service will be in luck though as Game Pass for PC will not be getting a price increase on that platform.

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I wanted to share this as I just found it interesting to see Microsoft finally increasing their pricing, which wasn't a current plan of theirs back in August of last year but was then on the table in another interview in October. I wonder if they may have been trying to hold off for as long as they could in the hopes inflation wouldn't continue to be an issue within the worldwide market but no longer have the luxury of waiting the market out. Almost every price increase for the Series X is the same as what Sony increased prices for the PlayStation 5 so I guess that could be showing how the market hasn't really changed at all since last August.