Monday, May 18, 2020
Second stimulus check for $1,200? Here's the status of new government proposal - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/3bQ5wOR
Latest Tech News
In August 2018 Microsoft announced the launch of Xbox All Access, a subscription service which allows those who sign up to get an Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, Xbox Games Pass and Xbox Live Gold for a flat per month fee – with no upfront costs. It took over a year to arrive, but Xbox All Access has officially landed in Australia via Telstra.
To see if the Xbox All Access offer is for you, we put together this handy guide explaining everything we know about Xbox All Access and assessing whether it's good value compared to just buying all those Xbox bits and bobs separately.
Xbox All Access: what is it?
Xbox All Access is subscription service which sees you receive an Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, 24-months of Xbox Live Gold (required for online multiplayer) and 24-months of Xbox Games Pass (Microsoft's subscription service that grants access to over 100 games) in return for paying a fixed monthly fee for 24 months.
Xbox All Access: what's the price in Australia?
In Australia, you can sign up Xbox All Access via Telstra on a 24-month plan, with pricing starting at AU$27 per month for an Xbox One S, up to AU$34 per month for an Xbox One X and bonus game. This includes console repayments and plan charges
Once the first 24 months are over and the console repayments are finished, the price will automatically adjust to AU$15.95 per month. Early termination charges do apply.
While those minimum cost prices may seem high in comparison to just buying the consoles outright, it's important to take into account that this fee also covers two years worth of both Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass.
One year of Xbox Live Gold is priced at AU$79.95, bring the two-year total to AU$159.90. Meanwhile, the monthly fee for Xbox Game Pass is AU$10.95. Over 24 months, this would come to AU$262.80.
If you were to buy the Xbox One S console separately at retail price, you'd be looking at around AU$399 for the console + AU$159.90 + AU$262.80, bringing the total to $821.70. Factor in the Xbox One X's retail price of AU$549, and you'd be looking at a total cost of AU$971.70.
Whether you opt for the Xbox One S or Xbox One X plan, you're saving money either way when you consider the value added by the included subscriptions over a 24-month period.
Xbox All Access: important things to know
Before you sign up for Xbox All Access there are some crucial details to be aware of:
If you return the console, you are still responsible to pay for both memberships each month you are connected
Xbox All Access is subject to the Microsoft Store standard return policy. This means your chosen console has a 30-day return policy. However both memberships are not returnable and are non-refundable.
It's yours to keep after the 2 years
Signing up for Xbox All Access means you own the console and the 24 month Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold memberships outright upon purchase.
Early termination during the initial 24-month period will result in additional charges
According to Telstra's terms and conditions, cancelling your Xbox All Access subscription after the first 30 days will result in termination charges, much like with a mobile phone plan.
For the Xbox One S, this means paying AU$409.37 (1 month + AU$382.37 remaining on your console) with the overall payout reducing by AU$16.625 each month that you stay connected.
For the Xbox One X, early termination means paying AU$659.95 (1 month + AU$621.95 remaining on your console) with the overall payout reduced by AU$27.042 each month you stay connected.
More information is available at Telstra's website.
from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/2whfPN3
Latest Gadgets News
from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/369stuS
Go X is unleashing 100 self-driving scooters on a large Georgia business park - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/3dUYUQz
Tesla 'full self-driving' price will increase by $1,000 on July 1, Elon Musk says - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/2ZgfdmY
Trump says he's taking controversial COVID-19 drug hydroxychloroquine - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/3eaaCaf
I switched to Google Pay from Samsung Pay and haven't looked back - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/36bPsWd
Latest Tech News
The online shopping sale event that is Click Frenzy has again come to our screens, and this time around, it’s brought a bunch of killer deals on SIM-only plans from Telstra.
Australia's favourite telco is knocking AU$10 off all of its BYO mobile plans, which means you can get yourself 60GB of data for just AU$50 a month with Telstra.
The cheapest available option is the Small plan, which will net you 30GB of data for as little as AU$40 each month. The Medium plan likely offers the best value for money, giving you 60GB for AU$50 month-to-month.
- The best SIM-only plans in Australia
- The best Telstra mobile plans
- Want more of the best Click Frenzy deals? Check out our roundup
For those data-hungry users who need more to play with, the Large plan now gets you 100GB of data for the discounted price of AU$70, while the Extra Large plan offers a massive 150GB for AU$90 each time.
No matter which SIM-only deal you go with, you’ll be pocketing AU$120 worth of savings over the course of the year.
Each of Telstra’s BYO phone deals come with unlimited standard national calls and texts, and have no lock-in contract, so you’re free to leave the network any time without facing fees.
from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/2Xah0Y4
Latest Tech News
Oculus Quest is about to take a huge step in becoming a completely controller-free system, as the VR headset's hand-tracking feature exits beta later this month.
Starting May 28, three Oculus Quest games along with two animated VR films will support this new controller-free mode, and the trend should continue. Developers will be able to implement hand-tracking games and apps starting that day, too.
Your first chance to go controller-free with the Oculus Quest will come in the form of playing Waltz of the Wizard, Elixir and The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, or watching Gloomy Eyes and The Line.
Currently the Oculus Quest is the only VR headset from the major manufacturers that supports hand-tracking, but rumor has it that Oculus Rift S could get the feature in the future as well.
One step toward a cordless, controller-less future
When Oculus announced that the Quest would support hand-tracking at its annual Oculus Connect conference last year we knew big things were on the horizon for the headset, and now that the feature has been released developers can start implementing it.
While hand-tracking isn't a one-stop solution for completely immersive virtual reality – especially at this nascent stage – it is a step toward a better future for VR, one in which headsets are better about tracking and analyzing real-world objects.
That being said, once one company figures out a technology like this, others are sure to follow. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar feature in the next few years on headsets like Valve Index or PlayStation VR (or whatever PS5-compatible PSVR sequel inevitably launches by then).
- Can't decide on a headset? Here's our ranking of the best VR headsets in 2020
from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/2z1j7pb
Watch the Community reunion and table read replay - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/36bDpIm
Microsoft's greatest hardware hits - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/2AJEKLb
Watch NASA 'test the absolute heck out of' its Mars Perseverance rover - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/3bHWlQq
Nintendo Switch Lite is in stock at Amazon and GameStop: Latest inventory update - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/3dTEqaH
Tesla Gigafactory 1 could grow as partner Panasonic reports more profits - CNET
from CNET https://ift.tt/2Zna4cy
Latest Tech News
Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram. from Latest ...
-
Early Black Friday deals are available now at Amazon, including this record-low price for the Blink Video Doorbell. from Latest from TechR...
-
Rumors of Samsung’s long awaited XR headset launch are picking up steam again, as there are reports of an October 22 launch. from Latest f...
-
OWC Express 4M2 enclosure offers an alternative route to large, fast external storage Thunderbolt 3 on Windows cripples performance to we...