It’s been a rough week for Xbox fans. First came the news of a major price hike for Game Pass and the devaluation of the Rewards program. Now, in a move that has been widely condemned by the community, Microsoft has begun pushing unskippable, fullscreen advertisements for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to users when they boot up their consoles. The timing has turned what would have been an unpopular decision into a full-blown controversy, leaving many to feel that their console dashboard is being turned into a billboard.
The Ad You Can’t Skip
Imagine turning on your Xbox, ready to jump into a game, only to be met with a massive, fullscreen advertisement that you’re forced to watch before you can even get to your home screen. That is the new reality for a growing number of Xbox Series X|S owners. Reports flooded social media and forums like Reddit, with users sharing images of the intrusive ad, which apparently cannot be skipped. It’s a jarring change from the customizable, personal dashboard that users have come to expect.
A Perfect Storm of Bad Decisions
On its own, this change would have been unpopular. But its timing has created a perfect storm of user frustration. This ad began rolling out just one day after Microsoft announced a 50% price increase for Game Pass Ultimate and simultaneously devalued its Rewards program, making it harder to earn the subscription for free. To many, it feels like a slap in the face: Microsoft is asking for significantly more money while actively making the user experience worse.
The sentiment was perfectly captured by one user on Reddit: “Microsoft really wants to speedrun losing all the goodwill they built up.” Another commented, “This is the kind of thing you do when you’re not concerned about customer satisfaction anymore.” The feeling is that the platform is shifting its focus away from creating a great user experience and towards aggressive monetization.
Is This the New Normal for Xbox?
This move, combined with the recent price hikes and Rewards nerfs, signals a significant strategic shift for Xbox. The era of aggressive growth, fueled by low prices and generous deals to get players into the Game Pass ecosystem, appears to be over. The focus has clearly shifted to profitability. While this makes business sense, it risks alienating the core user base that championed the service and helped it grow. The personal space of the console dashboard is becoming just another advertising surface, and for many players, that crosses a line.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new ad on Xbox consoles?
Upon starting their consoles, some users are now being shown a fullscreen, unskippable advertisement for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate before they can access their home screen.
Why are people so upset about this?
The ad is intrusive and unwanted, but the timing is the main issue. It began appearing just one day after Microsoft announced a 50% price increase for Game Pass Ultimate and devalued its Rewards program, making it feel like a “double whammy” of anti-consumer decisions.
Can I disable the startup ad?
Currently, it appears the ad cannot be disabled or skipped. It must be viewed before the console dashboard will load.
Is this happening to all Xbox users?
The change appears to be rolling out now, so it may not have affected all users yet. It is being seen by users in the Xbox Insider program as well as the general public.
Is this related to the new “fullscreen experience” for handhelds?
No, this is a separate and unrelated change. The “fullscreen experience” is a new, console-like UI designed for Windows-based gaming handhelds, while this is an ad being pushed to the standard Xbox Series X|S consoles.
Conclusion
Microsoft seems to be testing the limits of its community’s loyalty. The goodwill earned over years of pro-consumer moves and the incredible value of Game Pass is being rapidly eroded by a series of decisions that prioritize profit over player experience. Forcing a fullscreen ad on users moments after asking them to pay more for the same service is a bold and risky move, and it has left the Xbox community wondering if the best deal in gaming is a deal no longer worth taking.