Microsoft is experimenting with a new pricing model for its Xbox 360 console, namely $99 human dollars up front, tied to a $15 per month subscription to Xbox LIVE. The idea is to pass the full cost of the console on to the service, paid a little at a time. It’s a successful model, used in the cellphone world, among other places. The real question is, what if this experiment is a model for the upcoming next-gen Xbox? IGN has the story.
Cynical gnome that I am, I can’t help but see this as another way for Microsoft to paint its console, and the games running on it, as a service rather than a product. Which means all that hardware and those games you bought? Not yours. No modding, no re-sale.
Just a thought.