Summary
Microsoft has unveiled theXboxStarter Bundle, which includes an Xbox Series S and a subscription to Game Pass Ultimate. Last month, nearly three years after the launch of the Series X and S console generation,Xboxreleased a refreshed black Xbox Series S containing one terabyte of storage space, addressing the main drawback of the original Series S.
This year has seen Xbox strengthen its Game Pass offerings even further with big third-party games that have launched into the service on day one likeAtomic Heart,Wo-Long: Fallen Dynasty,and theBloodborne-inspired Pinocchio SoulslikeLies of P. Additionally, on the first-party front, Xbox has been putting out some great titles from its internal studios. Tango Gameworks’Hi-Fi RushandGhostwire: Tokyohit the service earlier this year, as well as Bethesda Game Studios' massive 1,000-planet space exploration RPGStarfield. Most recently, the newest iteration of Xbox’s racing simForza Motorsporthas just launched to great reception.
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Now, as the holiday season approaches, Xbox is bundling its incredible Game Pass offering with the Series S in the Xbox Starter Bundle. The bundle, which is launching on October 31, will include the original 512GB Xbox Series S, a wireless Xbox controller, and athree-month Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Priced at $299, which is currently the base price of the 512GB Xbox Series S alone, Xbox is essentially offering three months of Game Pass Ultimate for free as part of this starter bundle.
Prices of game consoles have historically decreased over time in the years following their original launches. However, this has yet to happen with the Xbox Series X or S nearly three years after the release of both consoles. It’s possible that this Series S starter bundle is somewhat of an invisible price drop, with the $50 being made up with the three-monthGame Pass Ultimate subscriptionroped in. Regardless, it’s still puzzling as to why Xbox didn’t use its newer 1TB Series S for the bundle instead. Though, considering its $349 price tag, Xbox is likely trying to provide the cheapest entry point possible by going with the original model.
