We previously reported that the new Xbox head, Asha Sharma, believes Game Pass has become too expensive, resulting in a significant price cut. Now, The Verge is reporting on new plans for the service.
This includes, among other things, something called a Starter Edition, which is intended to be an affordable entry-level option featuring around 50 great games such as Stardew Valley, Grounded, and Fallout 4. Cloud gaming will also be included, though with a time limit of ten hours per month.
More interesting, however, is that Microsoft seems to want to get closer to Discord. You already get Discord Nitro as a perk via Game Pass Ultimate, but The Verge suggests this goes deeper than that and involves greater integration of the popular chat service. One might suspect this would be a natural development for Project Helix, the upcoming Xbox console, which will be a sort of PC hybrid. Full integration of Discord will make it easier to handle the chat aspect, even if someone has downloaded a game for free from the Epic Games Store and wants to play with someone who has the same title downloaded via Game Pass.
What do you think of Microsoft's Discord plans - assuming the reports are accurate?