Update: Well, it looks like all good things must come to an end (after already coming to an end, then coming back, then working in a reduced capacity for a bit), with Microsoft seemingly axing its $1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trials once again.
The trial was initially retired in March while the company looked into “different marketing promotions for new members in the future.” It was then brought back, only to quickly be reduced from a 30-day trial to a 14-day one. And now it’s gone again, just days out from the release of arguably the service’s biggest launch in recent memory – Starfield.
You can see the comparison in the sign-up pages before and after the change below, picked up by users on social media, which is also reflected in our local equivalent.
Microsoft has apparently eliminated the $1 Xbox Game Pass trial once again, just before the release of Starfield https://t.co/8tUcvdYHX3https://t.co/nnok972zbU
Pictured: today vs earlier this month pic.twitter.com/GpDDl3jz4l
— Wario64 (@Wario64) August 27, 2023
Original Story: Xbox has been tinkering away at its subscription products for a few months now, updating and renaming things as well as adjusting its pricing. Despite firming up its overall schedule recently with the decision to can Xbox Live Gold in favour of a new, entry level Game Pass Core subscription, it seems like it’s still chisel-to-stone on its offerings with players having recently picked up on a slight change to the classic Game Pass $1 trial.
It was only a month ago that Xbox decided to bring the trial back after retiring it in March this year to look into “different marketing promotions for new members in the future”, at which point the deal remained the same as ever, but now it’s had a bit of a trim. Instead of the usual one-month peek into the wonderful world of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for the low introductory price of $1, punters will now get just 14 days to have a feel around before they’ll be shuffled onto the full-priced subscription.
We’ve checked it out for our Aussie pals and yes, the jig is up locally as well:
A fortnight to spend with a buffet of excellent games for the low price of one dollarydoo definitely isn’t a bad deal by any stretch, and arguably the Game Pass library is far stronger than when Xbox first decided to start slinging month-long entry for pennies. Still, the timing is hard to look past with Starfield’s launch less than a month away now. If you’re brave enough to attempt to blitz through Bethesda’s latest RPG behemoth in less than two weeks, you’re definitely welcome to try.
Those with Xbox Live Gold subscriptions stacked for long periods of time should still be able to upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate with the $1 offer and have it converted at “the current conversion ratio” up to a max of 36 months. Those conversions are below:
Xbox Game Pass Upgrade Conversion
- Xbox Live Gold and PC Game Pass conversion ratio: Any remaining time will convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time at a ratio of 3:2 and be rounded up to the next full day. For example, 90 days remaining of Xbox Live Gold or PC Game Pass will convert to 60 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.
- Xbox Game Pass for Console conversion ratio: Any remaining time will convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time at a ratio of 4:3 and be rounded up to the next full day. For example, 90 days remaining of Xbox Game Pass for Console will convert to 68 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.
- EA Play conversion ratio: Any remaining time will convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time at a ratio of 3:1 and be rounded up to the next full day. For example, 90 days remaining of EA Play will convert to 30 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.
