Netflix launched a cheaper subscription plan with ads in November, and Disney+ launched with a similar subscription a month later. Members of both streaming platforms can save money by opting to watch blocks of ads shown every hour.
Apparently, Microsoft want to use a similar idea, who is sending out a survey to some Xbox users asking about an additional level of Xbox Games PassXbox Game Pass. It would cost less, though subscribers would have to watch ads and accept some restrictions.
Windows Central reports that the new tier in question would cost as little as $3 per month and offer access to almost all the games and features that are available in the service’s existing subscription plans.
subscribers would not be able to run games in the cloud, and they would have to watch commercials before playing. The details of the duration of the ad block are not known, or what spots would be shown to users.
Among the biggest limitations of the cheapest Xbox Game Pass plan would be that users would not have access to premier games for the first six months.
It would only be after six months that subscribers would be given the opportunity to play new titles. It is not clear whether this would apply only to games produced by Microsoft’s third-party studios, or all premier releases that debut on the service.
The new plan would also include online gameplay without the need to buy an Xbox Live Gold subscription, the survey said. Subscribers would not, however, get the Games with Gold games made available each month.
And Microsoft recently filed a patent covering technology that predicts when in-game interactivity is reduced, such as resulting from a loading screen. At such times, Xbox would show advertising based on users’ privacy settings and interests.
