The recent hikes in Game Pass prices have gamers scrambling to cancel, and Microsoft struggling to keep up.

Console home pages with advertisements are nothing new, but Microsoft's implementation and PR around the practice has struck some as tone deaf

Microsoft has kicked off October by announcing a significant price rise for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which comes just over a year after the last price rise for the subscription service.

A few years ago, Microsoft offered some of the best deals in gaming. The spartan Xbox Series S was well-priced at $300 (and you could often find it even cheaper if you hunted for deals). A $15 monthly subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offered a vast catalog of games new and old. But my, how things have changed in 2025.

Microsoft opened preorders for the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally on September 25, and they quickly sold out at some retailers. The high-end handheld is still two weeks away from launch, but at least one fan in Europe got it early thanks to a mistake by Amazon France.

A new month has kicked off for Microsoft and Xbox Rewards, and alongside the news that Xbox Game Pass redemptions are apparently being taken away from the service soon, people are noticing that the points have been buffed for the Xbox Rewards service specifically!

Microsoft's market share in the UK console space is expected to drop even lower in 2025, as Xbox continues to prioritise Game Pass.