INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
launch of the Xbox One back in 2013.Here was a company riding high on the success of the generation-defeating Xbox 360, looking to extend
From its pricing to its ill-judged focus on acting as a home entertainment hub, Sony quickly gained the lead in the current generation with
Initially, it appeared as if those who had bought a physical copy of a game would not be able to share them with friends or trade them, with
titles locked to an individual console by copy protection
There was an uproar, and Microsoft backtracked.But fast-forward to 2020, and this concern seems not only archaic, but so far removed from
the current gaming landscape that an Xbox Series X All-Digital edition not only seems likely, but attractive.(Image credit: Xbox)Digital
the services Microsoft needed to abate any fears
games-as-a-service, and the blooming of game streaming
now happy to buy a digital title whether we can share it and sell it or not.You can point to a few things that have greased the wheels over
the past decade to make this shift in consumer practices possible
download large games at high speeds and store them in capacious drives without breaking the bank
able to share, swap or even truly own, while the switch-on-and-play convenience of Netflix has shifted attitudes in media towards instant
gratification over long-term ownership of the entertainment we love.Spotting these trends, Microsoft has slowly made its Xbox family a
launch.Xbox Game Pass, for instance, has proved revelatory
your pleasure to your console
in-house developed games (the likes of Gears of War and Halo, some of the biggest franchises on Xbox any way)
on the service for months, giving a player easily enough time to finish a game
If not, Microsoft has a captive audience to offer a digital purchase to, with games featured on Game Pass offered up at a discount for those
looking to purchase them outright
All without a disc in sight, and with the option to extend the subscription to a PC gaming library, too.Today's best Xbox Game Pass
Without the need for installation, and with very little impact on gameplay in the way of lag (providing your internet connection is stable
enough), you can stream AAA titles to low-powered devices such as a phone or budget laptop
of its so-so catalogue, but by its network performance which rarely feels of a standard suited to anything more than casual play
into the next generation better prepared than Sony in terms of its streaming and games-as-a-service propositions.Going digitalOf course,
Microsoft has already dabbled in discless consoles
The Xbox One generation was capped off with the Xbox One S All-Digital, sold without a disc drive and encouraging players to make digital
purchases Subscribe to Game Pass instead
It was a cheap entry point for gamers, while offering Microsoft the all-but-guaranteed monthly drip of subscription fees into its
coffers.(Image credit: Microsoft)And so the next-generation, the Xbox Series console line, seems now certain to have a digital-only variant,
backed up by these robust digital services
resulting in high price tags for the machines), may come as a welcome respite by cash-strapped gamers looking to get onboard in an
affordable manner.Indeed, Microsoft already offers a payment plan for those unable to buy a console outright
Xbox All Access offers a console, a Game Pass subscription and an Xbox Live Gold online play subscription for one monthly fee
Crucially, it also now offers the opportunity to upgrade to an Xbox Series X console once available and once a gamer has fulfilled 18
monthly payments on the Xbox One generation offer
And by our reckoning, gamers will lap it up.atubfRVhhX5EFpJCxS8JSC.jpg?#
