Today, one week away from the launch of Sony’s PlayStation 4, is the day that Microsoft has chosen to release a boatload of new information about its upcoming Xbox One console. Microsoft today has already announced its streaming app lineup, released an in-depth look at the Xbox One user interface, and announced that Xbox One demo kiosks are available at Microsoft Stores in the U.S.
Now, Microsoft has revealed that Xbox One owners who also subscribe to Xbox Live Gold will get free Skype calling well into next year.
Skype announced the deal over at its blog, where it’s stated that all Xbox Live Gold members who buy and Xbox One will get free group video calls for six months. In addition, those members will also get 100 free worldwide Skype calling minutes for mobile and landline calls during that time.
To get the free calling, Xbox Live Gold members will have to redeem the offer via the Skype app on Xbox One by March 31, 2014. The offer is available to one Skype account and one Xbox Live account at a time.
Skype calling was prominently featured in the 12-minute Xbox One demonstration posted by Microsoft this morning. The company has designed the console such that gamers (or whomever else might be using the console) can switch to Skype on-the-fly and with voice commands: