PC World - USA (2020-10)

OCTOBER 2020 PCWorld 31

and Microsoft’s offering
the Xbox Series S for $25
per month for 24
months, or the Xbox
Series X for $35 for 24
months.
Paying $35 a month
for what looks to be the
world’s most powerful
console doesn’t feel bad
on the surface, but a little
back-of-napkin math
reveals you’ll wind up
paying far more with
these plans than you would if you buy the
consoles outright. Multiplying the monthly
costs by 24 months brings the Xbox Series S’s
total to $600, and the Xbox Series X’s total
cost to $840. Oof. Then again, $25 or $35 a
month is a lot more doable for a lot of people
than dropping $500 up front, especially in
today’s world.
To sweeten the deal, Microsoft is
throwing in monthly access to both Xbox
Game Pass Ultimate and EA’s rival EA Play
subscription, following Microsoft’s
announcement (go.pcworld.com/2srv) that
the two services are merging at no additional
cost. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives you all
of Xbox Live Gold’s benefits (like free games
and multiplayer support) and unlocks the
deep, excellent Xbox Game Pass library (go.
pcworld.com/xlbr) on both PCs and your
shiny new Xbox. The EA Play subscription

likewise works on both Xbox and Windows 10

PCs and gives you all-you-can-play access to

over 60 EA games, including heavy-hitters like

FIFA 20, Battlefield, Mass Effect, Titanfall 2,

Need for Speed Heat, and more.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play

cost $15 a month, which suddenly makes

those $25 or $35 Xbox All Access payments

for the next-gen consoles look much more

palatable, especially since the dual services

offer well over 160 games that you can play

immediately. Factoring in the subscription

cost of $360 over two years, you’re saving

$60 on the Series S and $20 on the Series X

by opting for the payment plan.

It’s a bold move from Microsoft. With all

the fierce hardware inside the Xbox Series X, I

expected the console to cost closer to $600

or even $700 at launch. Sony has yet to reveal

pricing for its rival PlayStation 5, which will

The best deal in PC gaming just became a sweet deal for Xbox Series X

gamers who don’t want to pay upfront.