And the next generation of the console wars has officially begun! Following the announcement of the smaller, digital-only Xbox Series S earlier this week, overnight, Microsoft unveiled that their next generation Xbox Series X console will launch at an estimated retail price of $499 USD. Furthermore, both Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles will be available for pre-order from 22 September 2020 via video game retailers.
With this announcement, also comes a new opportunity. In a post made by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, it was confirmed that the Xbox All Access subscription service will be expanded to 12 countries. Running over 24 months, players will get access to an Xbox Series S ($24.99 per month) or X ($34.99 per month) console and 24 months of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription services. This means you can access a lot of what the console has to offer at a lower monthly rate, rather than buying outright. The service will be available in the following countries this holiday season:
- Australia at Telstra
- Canada at EB Games
- Denmark at Elgiganten
- Finland at Gigantti
- France at FNAC
- New Zealand at Spark
- Norway at Elkjøp
- Poland at Media Expert
- South Korea at SK Telecom
- Sweden at Elgiganten
- UK at GAME and Smyths Toys
- United States at Best Buy, GameStop, Target, Microsoft Store, and Walmart
The Xbox Game Pass will also be expanded, granting access to a complementary EA Play Membership. This membership will enable subscribers access to more than 60 titles from Electronic Arts on both the Xbox One and Windows PC.
Pre-orders for the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X will commence on 22 September 2020.
