Microsoft has revamped its Work & Play software and services bundle, but it has increased its price by $50, while at the same time reducing the amount of features customers can receive.
Previous versions of the Work & Play bundle cost $149 and included a year's subscription to Office 365 Home, which is worth $99.99 on its own, along with a year of Xbox Live Gold that's worth $59.99. The bundle also threw in a $60 gift card, an Xbox Music Pass worth $99.99, Skype Wi-Fi + Skype Unlimited World that's worth $170 and Microsoft's Assure Support Plan that's worth $150 for one-on-one support for Microsoft products. All of that made the Work & Play bundle worth about $540 if you bought all of its services separately.
Well, as Thurrrott.com points out, the new bundle is now $199. You still get a year of Office 365 Home, Xbox Live Gold and the Assure Support Plan, but the gift card is now just $25 and there's no Skype Wi-Fi + Skype Unlimited World or Groove Music Pass (the replacement for Xbox Music) subscription at all.
The end result is that you will save much less and pay more for this bundle compared to previous versions. It's up to you to see if what's left is worth getting on the smaller savings margin.
