Xbox Game Pass is having a big year this year, and if you’re watching from the sidelines, then good news—this bundle includes everything you need to play some of the year’s biggest games at a 41% discount for Prime Day.
Amazon’s Xbox Core Wireless Controller + Fire Stick Max bundle is just $87.99, including a controller, Game Pass Ultimate for a month, and a 4K streaming stick which means even PS5 gamers can see what the fuss is about.
And yet, after a wave of layoffs (many of which hit the Xbox brand and even led to studio closures and game cancellations) should you pick one up?
Put Your Money Where Microsoft’s Mouth is?
Microsoft has been showing how anything can be an Xbox in recent months, and now you can see for yourself. The Fire TV 4K Max stick included has double the storage for games and apps, but you’ll be streaming games via the cloud.
Doing so will give you access to some of the year’s biggest games, Microsoft or otherwise. Game Pass this year has seen the arrival of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Avowed, and this week’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+, to name a few.
Plus, if you don't need the whole bundle, for anyone looking to upgrade their streaming set-up, there’s something here for every kind of viewer amongst the newest models for Fire TV Sticks on sale for Prime Day.
The biggest highlight among this set of Prime Day deals is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which is now available for $34.99, a solid 42% drop from its usual $59.99 price tag.
And yet, the company also raised prices on just about everything, from controllers to games and consoles, leading some to wonder if Game Pass is really worth all this hassle.
In fact, within a few months, Microsoft has essentially priced itself higher than its console rival, PlayStation, closed studios, laid off huge numbers of staff (again…) and announced an Xbox handheld that’s made by someone else (ASUS). It’s hard not to feel as though the company is shifting, yet again, and that good people will bear the brunt of it.
There’s every chance we’re living in a world soon where a Fire Stick is your Xbox console, despite what Microsoft says about a new console generation.
For now, the idea is certainly appealing. Plug the stick in, connect the controller, download the Xbox app, and you’re good to go, with a month of Xbox Game Pass included as a digital code sent via email.
Not only that, but the Electric Volt controller included is a great addition that you can also use on your PC, and the Fire TV stick is ideal for allowing you to browse just about any media app including Netflix, Disney Plus, and many more.
Looking for just the controller? Walmart has you covered there!
Xbox-less bundles does roll with how things are looking for Microsoft. Recently one of the original founding members of Xbox, Laura Fryer, said she believes the firm's hardware ambitions are "dead."
In a new video in which Fryer reflects upon her time shipping the OG Xbox and Xbox 360, she calls the company's current roadmap "chaos," asks "is the flashy new ROG Ally the real deal," and ponders what the future may hold for Xbox going forward.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
