Xbox All Access

[CreepinDeth]

For those of you who haven't heard of this, Microsoft is financing Xbox One consoles for two years and includes two years Xbox Live Gold and two years Xbox Game Pass. This is very similar to purchasing a phone these days where you buy it now but spread the cost of the phone for 2 years.

I'll be honest, I'm very tempted by this. To be clear, you won't be saving a ton of money (it depends on which console you end up getting, the S has more savings than the X) but if you want a console now, you can walk out with a console for as little as $22 a month. I'm looking at getting the X for $35 a month. The fact that you get Game Pass as well, which includes tons of games, makes this seem sensible even though it's all at just slightly lower than MSRP prices.

[Xbox All Access]

This is only available in the US and at Microsoft Stores.

[targetrasp]

If this takes off it'll make it where xbox, sony, Nintendo, etc. can put their systems out at a much higher price without turning their customers off. I don't think cell phones could have pushed their current price point (nearly $1000) without the leasing strategy.


PS3 came out high and xbox 360 ruled. Xbox One came out high and PS4 Ruled.. The ceiling seems to be raising slower than inflation and this lease idea looks to be the way around it.

[BLUEVOODU]

Hold on though... so the interesting thing with the Cell Phone deals - it changes who actually owns them.  I don't have a lot of proof to this... but technically you are renting and they own.  If you can find information to refute this... I would GREATLY appreciate it because I cannot.  So... they own the device, and this makes it easier for companies to snoop and do what they want.  It's not like they couldn't do it anyway... but it is similar to a  Land lord.  Maybe that's a bad analogy. 

So they are offering this now with Consoles @CreepinDeth ?  This is the 1st I've heard of this.  Very interesting...

@targetrasp This is correct... they definitely will push up the price.  IMO it's a bad precedent to set.  At the end... the customer doesn't care because it's "cheaper" in some respects... but it's technically not cheaper and may come with more restrictions than gamers would like.

IDK... I could be wrong... My mindset is more on ownership.  Leasing isn't a wrong way... but it's definitely pushed too much these days. 

[CreepinDeth]

Hold on though... so the interesting thing with the Cell Phone deals - it changes who actually owns them.  I don't have a lot of proof to this... but technically you are renting and they own.  If you can find information to refute this... I would GREATLY appreciate it because I cannot.  So... they own the device, and this makes it easier for companies to snoop and do what they want.  It's not like they couldn't do it anyway... but it is similar to a  Land lord.  Maybe that's a bad analogy. 

Cell Phone companies don't really operate like that anymore. What they do now is they finance the phone. Some companies actually charge you separately between your actual service and what you owe on the phone.

Currently, I finance my Google Pixel. It's paid separately from my service which is Google's Project Fi. Once I'm done paying it off, it's mine. Well, technically it's mine now, it's just that I owe money on it. Same when I was with T-Mobile and bought my Nexus 6 through them. I could actually pay off my phone whenever I wanted and it wasn't tied to the service.

That's what's happening here. Dell is is the entity providing the financing actually (plus whatever bank they use.) If you stop paying the bill, your credit takes a hit and probably get sent to collections, but the Xbox One is yours to keep.

@targetrasp This is correct... they definitely will push up the price.  IMO it's a bad precedent to set.  At the end... the customer doesn't care because it's "cheaper" in some respects... but it's technically not cheaper and may come with more restrictions than gamers would like.

IDK... I could be wrong... My mindset is more on ownership.  Leasing isn't a wrong way... but it's definitely pushed too much these days. 

I don't necessarily think the price is going to go up (although, it will probably go up somewhat. If they start costing as much as high end PCs then they lost some of what makes consoles attractive. I don't think Sony or MS would let that happen.) The precedent it could set is console revisions would be coming out every two years rather than 6-8 years as they are now.

[BLUEVOODU]

@CreepinDeth I thought the cell companies went to a "leasing" platform.  I use quotes because it's not exactly a leasing platform... but you can turn your cell phone in and get a new one after 1-2 years (depending on terms)... and therefore it changed who technically "owns" the phone.   I'm still looking into this... because it appears "lock status" of a phone is still the same. You can still buy unlocked phones outright... but without the 2 year contract, you technically do not "own the phone" and therefore the rights of the phone itself have changed - Not so much in your day-to-day use... but more on the data side.

I'm still researching this.. it struck interest in me after cell companies left the contract style agreement.  Maybe the above isn't correct, but from what I initially read... it appeared cell companies had more control over certain aspects since they are technically "leased and turned in" after the user is odne with them.

[targetrasp]

Throwing some conspiracy theory in for good measure...

Business have learned that they can not outright infringe upon or rights or privacy or things like the national do not call lists pops up. BUT when they allow us to give them away freely (social media, free info-collecting-constantly-spamming-apps, etc) we'll leave the doors unlocked, go in blindfolded, and rubber stamp on the signature line.

Leasing personal electronics is step one.

[CreepinDeth]

This isn't a lease though. It's through a credit account.

@CreepinDeth
I'm still researching this.. it struck interest in me after cell companies left the contract style agreement.  Maybe the above isn't correct, but from what I initially read... it appeared cell companies had more control over certain aspects since they are technically "leased and turned in" after the user is odne with them.

Once you're done paying off a phone, cell companies are required by law to unlock the phones and you're free to take it to another service that the phone is compatible with. It's how I took my Nexus 6 from T-Mobile and then set it up on Project Fi.

You can turn in your phone towards a new phone. Cell companies are more like gamestop in that regard. They buy the phone back and apply that credit towards a new phone. You don't have to do this though. You can keep the phone.