Today, Microsoft announced Xbox Game Pass, a new gaming subscription service that is set to arrive sometime this spring. The service grants you unlimited access to over 100 Xbox One and backward compatible Xbox 360 Games at the price point of $9.99 USD per month.

According to Microsoft, specifically Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, the service will offer games from some of the industry's biggest publishers, such as as 2K, 505 Games, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Focus Home Interactive, SEGA, SNK CORPORATION, THQ Nordic, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft Studios. Additionally, Microsoft highlighted the following games that will be available when the services launches: Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II.

Microsoft continues by saying that one of greatest benefits of Xbox Game Pass is that you can discover and download full games directly onto you Xbox One, which means you can have continuous, full-fidelity gameplay without having to worry about streaming, bandwidth or connectivity issues.

Additionally, all Xbox One games in the catalog, as well as their related add-ons, will be available to purchase with an exclusive discount for Xbox Game Pass members, meaning you can grab the games you want to keep permanently while saving some hard-earned bucks, even if we don't yet know the extent of the discounts (UPDATE, the discounts have been revealed).

Every month new games will cycle into the subscription, while some will cycle out, meaning you will have a constantly-updated library of games to play.

In order to ensure Xbox Game Pass provides an "enjoyable and seamless experience," Microsoft has to decided to test the service with select members of the Xbox Insider Program in the Alpha Preview ring starting today with a very limited number of titles. Xbox Live Gold members will also be receiving exclusive access to Xbox Game Pass prior to the program launching to everyone else. Microsoft has said it will have more details on this closer to launch.

Phil Spencer concludes the announcement with the following statement:

"We hope you enjoy Xbox Game Pass and all that it has to offer. We’re looking forward to hearing the feedback from the gamers in the Xbox Insider Program and then from the rest of the Xbox community when it’s broadly available later this spring. Your feedback will make this program better for all gamers."