Daily Archives: May 6, 2012

‘Pay to Play’ Xbox in the Works?

Rumors of a $99 Xbox console with a 2-year monthly subscription contract have been making rounds

Xbox 360

Will Microsoft continue to generate a healthy income from the six year old console through a monthly subscription plan?

Update: Microsoft has confirmed the Xbox 360 Connect plan

The Xbox 360 has been around for quite some time now – with rumors of the next-generation of the consoles floating around, some gamers might not want to shell out the $300 for yesterday’s model.

Microsoft might have come up with a plan to keep sales booming though – through a monthly subscription plan much like a regular cellphone contract.

The pay-to-play Xbox’s are expected to sell for an initial price of $99, with the monthly rates being just $15 for Xbox Live Gold services. Also like a cell plan, contracts will likely be set at a two year timeframe, with a termination fee for those who don’t want to stick to said plan.

This concept might appeal to the gamer on a budget, considering the upfront price of only 99 bucks as well as the low monthly payments, but the final price would come up $150 over current models on the market right now.

Aside from just gamers, this might also serve as a solution to the folks who want a reasonably priced entertainment hub – through its support for Netflix and Hulu, among other streaming services.

This might just be crazy enough to work.


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