Microsoft today unveiled a new Xbox subscription plan that lets gamers pay for a console and play games for a monthly price.
Called Xbox All Access, the two-year contract starts at $21.99 per month for a new Xbox One S, an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and an Xbox Game Pass. The monthly fee goes up to $34.99 per month for an Xbox One X. Customers can keep the hardware after the contract expires.
The announcement confirms earlier reports about Xbox All Access, which is only available at Microsoft Stores in the U.S. for a limited time.
Microsoft said gamers can save more than $130 by signing up for the Xbox One S All Access plan, versus buying the console outright with the attached subscriptions.
“This is one of the most value-driven ways to join the Xbox family we’ve ever offered,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post Monday.
Offering an All Access-style subscription is a “potentially seismic disruption to the typical video game console’s sales model,” wrote GeekWire contributor Thomas Wilde last week.
“In a lot of ways, this is the natural evolution of the ‘games as service’ model that’s been driving a lot of the industry’s digital offerings for the last few years, and Microsoft has been transparent about its desire to focus on its services,” Wilde wrote.
All Access also gives gamers a chance to play Xbox without needing to drop hundreds of dollars at once on a console.
In June, Microsoft announced that it is building a “game streaming network to unlock console-quality gaming on any device.” The company is also reportedly working on two new Xbox consoles, including a lower-cost option powered by Microsoft’s cloud streaming service.
