Microsoft wants to make sure that Xbox One is a hit this holiday season by including as much perks and features as possible, and today the company has confirmed that Xbox One will let users stream free music via the Xbox Music service. The one catch, though, it’s ad-supported, but come on, it’s free right? The news was confirmed by Albert Penello, head of product at Microsoft, on a reply Tweet to a Twitter users who asked the question, to what Penello replied: “yes. You don’t have to subscribe, but you will get periodic Ads.”
@Artemis_Rojo yes. You don’t have to subscribe, but you will get periodic Ads.
— Albert Penello (@albertpenello) November 4, 2013
This a great news for music lovers with an Xbox Live Gold membership and it is another reason that might help Microsoft sell more Xbox One consoles, despite the recent news about Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4 games only running at 720p in the console. And of course, it’s the right thing to do, as Windows 8.1 users already enjoy Xbox Music free streaming with ads.
Now the question is if Microsoft is ever going do the same on all devices where Xbox Music is available. The music service is also on the Windows Phone and Android platform, and even on Xbox 360, but you have to have a subscription to listen to your favorites tunes.
Update: Another poor sign of communication. Xbox One owners won’t have free ad-supported music streaming after all, Microsoft just confirmed that Xbox One will only come with a trial of Xbox Music pass to play up to 15 songs for free. Despite an earlier Tweet from Albert Penello, hard of product at Microsoft, saying that next-gen console will have ad-supported music streaming. In a new Twitter message Penello apologizes saying the following:
I was wrong about Music on XboxOne: You get 15 free song plays then need Music Pass for ad-free streaming. No ad-supported streaming. Sorry!
— Albert Penello (@albertpenello) November 6, 2013
Source OXM
