Microsoft hiked the pricing for Xbox Game Pass and introduced a new ‘Standard’ tier for the game subscription service earlier this month, but more changes to Game Pass may be on their way. The Xbox parent could reportedly be working on more new Game Pass tiers. These could include a cloud-only subscription tier, an ad-supported tier and a friends and family plan.

New Xbox Game Pass tiers planned

Citing sources, Windows Central claims that Microsoft has further plans for its game subscription service. A could-only version of Game Pass, which would allow players on devices outside of the Xbox ecosystem to access the catalogue of games on the service, could reportedly be in the works. This tier would be cheaper than Xbox Game Pass Ultimate could also be available on competing console platforms.

Additionally, citing “very tentative” rumours, the report says that Microsoft could bring back the Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family Plan, which was earlier tested in select regions but never saw a wide rollout. This plan would cater to multiple users in a family, similar to family plans of other subscription services.

And finally, the report also talks about an ad-supported Game Pass tier, much like the ad-based tiers for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. This tier would reportedly cater to players who do not want to pay a subscription fee for Game Pass and would instead get access to an ad-based version of the service at no cost. This was reported last year, as well, when a publication said that Xbox Gaming CFO Tim Stuart had suggested a free version of the subscription service supported by ads.

More recently, Microsoft launched the Xbox cloud gaming service on the Xbox app on Amazon Fire TV Stick. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now access the platform’s cloud gaming service to play Xbox titles on the Amazon Fire TV Stick, without requiring a dedicated Xbox console.

Call of Duty on Game Pass

Microsoft’s decision to raise Game Pass pricing across tiers and territories comes weeks after the company announced that the next instalment in the highly lucrative Call of Duty franchise would be available on Xbox’s game subscription service at launch. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, set for release on October 25, will become the first COD title to be made available on Game Pass at launch.

The company is reportedly also planning to add the most recent Call of Duty title, last year’s Modern Warfare 3 (review), towards the end of July. Microsoft and Call of Duty maker Activision, however, have not yet confirmed any plans to bring the game to the service.

Samsung has announced its Black Friday sale in India. The sale brings discounts on the latest Galaxy wearables line-up in the country. Samsung’s premium smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7 are getting discounts during the Black Friday sale. Customers purchasing the Galaxy Buds 3, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Galaxy Buds FE can are eligible for cashback or upgrade bonuses up to Rs. 5,000. The Galaxy wearables can be purchased with no-cost EMI options as well.

Samsung’s Black Friday Sale Offers

As part of the Black Friday sale, Samsung is offering Rs. 12,000 cashback or an upgrade bonus of Rs. 10,000 for the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The wearable was launched with a price tag of Rs. 59,999 in India. Similarly, Galaxy Watch 7 buyers can avail of Rs. 8,000 cashback or upgrade bonus. It is originally priced at Rs. 29,999 for the Bluetooth variant and Rs. 33,999 for the cellular version.

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which came with a price tag of Rs. 19,999, can be grabbed with Rs. 5,000 cashback or an upgrade bonus in the sale. This will bring down the effective price to Rs. 14,999. The Galaxy Buds 3 is offered with an Rs. 4,000 cashback or upgrade bonus. This model is originally priced at Rs. 14,999.

Samsung’s affordable Galaxy Buds FE, which was launched at Rs. 9,999 in India, can be purchased with Rs. 4,000 cashback or upgrade bonus in the ongoing Black Friday sale. Customers looking to buy the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Galaxy Buds 3 can avail no-cost EMI for up to 24 months.

Additionally, customers getting the latest Galaxy S series and Z series smartphones are confirmed to get multi-buy offers worth up to Rs. 18,000 on Samsung’s latest wearables.

The Galaxy Watch 7, Watch Ultra, and Galaxy Buds 3 series were released during the Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in July this year. The Galaxy Buds FE earbuds were introduced in October last year.

The US and India reached an agreement to work together on setting up a semiconductor fabrication plant in the South Asian nation, giving a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to bolster manufacturing in the country.

The proposed plant will make infrared, gallium nitride and silicon-carbide semiconductors, according to a White House readout that followed a meeting between the US President Joe Biden and PM Modi in Delaware on Saturday. The setting up of the facility will be enabled by support from the India Semiconductor Mission as well as a “strategic technology partnership between Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech Inc, and the US Space Force,” according to the readout.

India’s strategic geopolitical position in Asia has provided a fresh spotlight on the country and the opportunities it can afford in the field of technology. In the last decade, PM Modi has repeatedly stated that he would position India as an alternative to China, and it has already begun to pull away some of its manufacturing from Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co.

Earlier this month, India’s technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the South Asian country is attempting to develop the entire chip value chain. India aims to increase its electronics sector to $500 billion (roughly Rs. 41,83,292 crore) by the end of the decade.

The two countries also announced efforts to fund projects “catalysing India’s domestic clean energy supply chain build out” for about $1 billion (roughly Rs. 8,366 crore) through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 

PM Modi is visiting the US for the annual Quad summit and in the three-day trip, he is holding bilateral meetings with its leaders, addressing the United Nations General Assembly and meeting with the Indian diaspora and American technology industry executives. 

On Sunday, PM Modi met with Sundar Pichai of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Jensen Huang of Nvidia Corp. and David Ricks of Eli Lilly & Co.’s among others, and also addressed an Indian diaspora event in Long Island, New York. The next Quad meeting is scheduled to be held in India in 2025.

© 2024 Bloomberg LP

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is coming to Game Pass, Microsoft announced Tuesday. The first-person shooter title will be available on Game Pass for Console, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate starting today, July 24. The announcement confirms recent reports that claimed Modern Warfare 3 would be making its way to the game subscription service this month.

Modern Warfare 3 on Game Pass

Released in November last year, Modern Warfare 3 will become the first Call of Duty title to join Xbox Game Pass. The most recent COD title will be playable on the service before the next instalment in the franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, arrives on Game Pass day one when it launches October 25.

The announcement comes days after Microsoft said it was raising the pricing for Xbox Game Pass and introducing a new ‘Standard’ tier of the subscription service that will not include new games on the day of launch. The price hike precedes popular Call of Duty games hitting the service for the first time. Crucially, the Black Ops 6 will become the first COD title to be available on Game Pass day one.

Activision-Blizzard titles on Game Pass

Microsoft has slowly begun adding games from the Activision-Blizzard portfolio to Game Pass this year after the company acquired the Call of Duty maker in a $69 billion deal in 2023. The game subscription service added Diablo IV in March.

Last year, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said that Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games won’t be available on Xbox Game Pass until 2024 as regulatory hurdles had delayed the company’s acquisition of Activision. The Xbox chief had said at the time that Microsoft could not complete the work required to add Activision-Blizzard titles to the Game Pass catalogue until the buyout was finalised.

Earlier this week, a report claimed that Microsoft was planning on introducing more new Game Pass tiers, including a Cloud-only version of the service, a family and friends plan and a free ad-supported tier.