Good news! We've got a new Xbox Series S Starter Bundle coming to market (worldwide!) later this month. It's perhaps not as thrilling as it sounds though, as it's basically just a Series S with 3 free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
The Starter bundle includes the 512GB version of the Xbox Series S, which already retails for £249.99 / $299.99. It then adds three months of Game Pass Ultimate at no extra cost. Here's how Microsoft describes it:
"Easily jump into the world of gaming on Xbox with the Xbox Series S Starter Bundle. Whether you are embarking on your first gaming journey, looking for the perfect gift, or upgrading to a next-gen console, we’ve got you covered. This bundle includes everything you need to play right out of the box with the next-gen speed and performance of Xbox Series S and access to hundreds of games with 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a $50 value."
While it might not be the most exciting of bundles that Xbox could have put together, it's always nice to get a bit of extra value out of your purchase, and three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is nothing to grumble at!
The Xbox Series S Starter Bundle is available to pre-order at some retailers beginning today, and it'll be launching for everyone on October 31st. It'll also be on the Microsoft Store if you want to spend some Microsoft Rewards points on it.
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Interested in this new Starter Bundle for the Xbox Series S? Tell us down in the comments below.
Comments 12
Amazed they didn't offer 3 months Game Pass with EVERY Xbox console this gen. It's like giving candy to babies, most will be back for more.
About time they did this. Crazy that they haven’t upto now.
Finally they woke up as it’s nearly November, but as you know I do say with Microsoft and their yearly promotions.
An Xbox is not just to be advertised for Christmas.
@themightyant Your analogy to get infants addicted to sugar early so they're lifelong customers is hilariously evil and something I could see a company like Nestle trying at least once.
Never understood why they didn't do this sooner - but then I guess they did have their 'All Access' way of buying - a small monthly fee for a few years and you got Game Pass Ultimate and a Console over 2yrs. For £22 a month, you had a Series S and Game Pass Ultimate but were 'committed' to 2yrs of payments.
This I guess is a one-off payment option but I still think they should come with at least 1-2months of Game Pass as Standard. That does keep the initial outlay down for Customers as they don't have to purchase games for a while just to have something to play on their 'new' hardware or be stuck with just 1 or 2 games because the can't afford or justify buying more after spending £250 on hardware.
@EvenStephen7 I was going to use the free samples of drugs from dealers analogy but wasn't sure that would pass moderation, but it's the same strategy. Old as time.
So pretty much the same thing when I got my Series S in Dec 2020 (X was impossible to come by then), which included 3 months of GPU for $1.
When I first saw this ‘new’ configuration at same $299 US price, thought maybe all Series S models (now available in a choice of black or white) would feature a 1TB SSS.
Essentially a (perhaps permanent) ‘price cut’ for the upcoming holidays.
@Moonglow ABK being owned by MS has only been a relatively 'new' idea but Game Pass has been around for many years. I don't see why they couldn't have had a Code in a box for EVERY Console sold. They could have done that from Day 1 of the Series consoles for example - before even acquiring Bethesda and long before ABK deal was announced.
It's not that different to getting a code for 1-3months of Gold back in the day. I bet no-one expected 'Streaming' of games to be an issue - something that hasn't exactly taken off and certainly not the 'best' way to play. The Infrastructure isn't that great globally so I doubt that MS anticipated the CMA to 'block' on streaming grounds as they did.
As long as 'Sony' can still sell games like CoD on their platform, then who misses out? Every Consumer can still access CoD on whatever Platform they 'prefer' to play on as 'MS' will have a way to play - either by Publishing the game for sale on that hardware or providing you a sub service to stream if your hardware can't run it.
Surprised this hasn't been the norm.
Give people a taste and once they get used to it, they will re-up their subscription
As others have mentioned, should've been doing this, for all Xbox consoles, for a while now. Game Pass is an excellent deal no matter which version of the Series line you get. I tend to buy games outright if it's one I know I'm going to like but for ones I'm the fence about, GP is a great risk-free investment.
This is crazy value when you realize Sony is dropping their “slim” all digital for $450 with a stand sold separately. I already have an X and S since launch so hopefully others enjoy it!
Yippie! Game Pass. Yippie. Only 3 months at that. Yippie! At least the Series S can handle the processing demands of games on Indie Pass....i man Game Pass
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