Xbox All Access lets players upgrade to Project Scarlett
It's like the iPhone Upgrade Program but for the Xbox.
The new Xbox All Access program lets players upgrade to next year's new console.
If you use Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program to change phones every year, the new tweak to Xbox's All Access console purchasing program will be familiar. Players who buy an Xbox One this holiday will get the option to upgrade straight to next year's new console currently codenamed Project Scarlett.
Xbox All Access was first introduced last year. It turned buying a new Xbox, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass membership into a 24-month installment purchase plan. Happily, if you were planning on using Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass for two straight years anyway, you now actually save money with the program.
The exact terms vary depending on the console you buy, whether you qualify with a financing partner and what region of the world you live in. US and UK players can pick from a variety of Xbox bundles, from the cheaper Xbox One S All-Digital Edition ($20 per month in the US) to the pricier Xbox One X ($31 per month). Australian players can pick either an Xbox One X or S system bundled with Forza Horizon 4.
When it comes to jumping to Project Scarlett, players in the US and UK can become eligible after making 12 payments. That's if they picked an Xbox One X. The payments jump to 18 if you choose one of the Xbox One S consoles . When the console releases next year, players will need to buy it from the same retail store they purchased their original from, trading in that console. Anyone who buys the lowest-end Xbox One S All-Digital Edition will also be hit with a $20 upgrade fee.
For Australia, players have the option of buying out their hardware at anytime without having to wait out the payment term. They can then upgrade to Scarlett when it's on sale.
This Xbox All Access offer will be available Oct. 29 in Australia with Telstra, Nov. 5 in the UK with Game and online with Smyths Toys, and Nov. 18 in the US with Amazon.
Note that very little is known about next year's Project Scarlett at this time. The Xbox All Access terms state that you'd have to buy the Scarlett console under a new 24-month contract when it's available (we don't know pricing). We also know the system will have a disc drive, support up to 8K resolution, and its big launch game Halo Infinite will be playable on both the current-gen Xbox One as well as the new system. And this new Xbox will be facing off against Sony's new PlayStation 5 console, with both dropping during the 2020 holidays.
