Microsoft announces Telstra official partner for Australian launch of Xbox All Access

Telstra has announced a surprise move into gaming as a service, and while it might be good value, of course there’s a catch.

Telstra has unveiled a surprising new product plan as it goes into uncharted territory.

The telco will now offer a product and service plan in partnership with Microsoft’s Xbox All-Access subscription gaming package and will be its exclusive Australian partner.

The plan bundles an Xbox One console with a subscription to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass, starting at $27 a month over 24 months for the Xbox One S console.

The plan also gives gamers access to an the more powerful Xbox One X console starting at $38 a month.

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The deal’s inclusion of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also gives access to a rotating catalogue of games to download and play, with around 100 titles on the “Netflix for gaming” service.

These titles are made up of a mix of indie and arcade style games alongside AAA blockbusters.

An Xbox Game Pass subscription gives gamers access to a variety of titles.

The plan also provides two full-game downloads for Forza Horizon 4 and Lego Speed Champions.

All up you pay $648 for 24 months of the Xbox All Access bundle through Telstra and you get to keep the console at the end.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate currently costs $15.95 a month in Australia.

Purchasing a console outright would cost you around $329 at the moment, and with 24 months of Xbox Game Pass, all up you’d be looking at a price tag of a little over $700, so the Telstra deal does provide some decent value.

But of course there’s a catch.

The offer is only available to Telstra customers with an existing plan.

Additionally, the contract length of 24 months and the expected release of a next generation Xbox console in around the next 12 months will have some questioning if they’ll take Telstra up on the offer.

Some of the games on Xbox Game Pass including Bioshock Infinite and Halo 5

Telstra customers will have the option to pay out their console and upgrade to the next generation console when it launches, but it’s not clear if that will also cause their plan price to go up.

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Telstra will be Microsoft’s official Xbox All Access launch partner but the plan is only available to Telstra fixed broadband or postpaid mobile customers as an add-on service, similar to other add-ons like Apple Music or Kayo Sports.

Telstra is currently rolling out its 5G network.

It’s part of the company’s push into the gaming sector as it rolls out the new 5G network, which boasts the faster speeds and lower latency that deliver smoother online gaming experiences.

It will also be important if “cloud-gaming” services such as Google Stadia are to be introduced into Australia.

What do you think of Telstra’s new offering? Let us know in the comments below.

Originally published as Microsoft announces Telstra official partner for Australian launch of Xbox All Access