Hey All -
I've been working for the past year on a product for the indoor gardening market. It's called Plantfolio and it's designed to help houseplant enthusiasts take care of their plants, without making a big mess. If you're a houseplant person - you'll get it. If you're not, you very well may not and that's totally cool. I'm not looking for feedback on the idea - just looking for feedback on the shop itself and any tactics to help me convert sales.
I'm using a free theme from shopify called "Debut". I've spent some time tweaking copy, getting some solid photography created, created an FAQ and have one blog (yes I know I need to add more).
Spent a just a little money to see what would happen on Pinterest, FB, and IG. Got some likes and comments and attributable views to the page, but not much in the way of sales. I have not actively reached out to publications yet to ask for reviews so I can add a "as seen on" section, which I think would be a good idea.
Just changed over to free shipping.
Any actionable feedback on the site itself would be appreciated. Do you think an "About" page with the story, some manufacturing photos, etc would be more impactful? Or some how-to-use-it videos?
www.plantfolio.co (Final Update: November 7th - GamePass Ultimate conversion still works as expected. Thanks for the kind words and reddit awards. Happy gaming everyone!) Welcome to the Xbox family!
The next generation of consoles is coming, as are tons of questions.
This post provides guides and resources that cover the basics of the current state of Xbox. If you're new to Xbox, read
Xbox Live/EA Play/Game Pass first.
Before you proceed, please check the
FAQ tab or
Info tab from
XboxSeriesX for more information, guides, and helpful links.
Xbox Live/EA Play/Game Pass
- Xbox Live Gold (XBL) (US $9.99 monthly): Allows online multiplayer. Free games every month through Games with Gold. Click here to join Xbox
- EA Play (US $4.99 monthly): Library of older games published by EA. New games are added 6-9 months after release.
- Game Pass for PC/Game Pass for Console) (US $9.99 monthly): Game subscription service providing access to over 200+ Microsoft and third-party games. First-party MS games stay forever while third-party titles are timed. Game Pass for PC includes EA Play starting in December for PC(Game Pass for console does NOT include EA play!). Xbox Live Gold (not included) is not required for Game Pass games unless it's Online multiplayer.
- xCloud - Cloud game streaming service for mobile access to select Game Pass titles. Still in Beta and not available as a standalone product.
- Game Pass Ultimate (GPU) (US $14.99 monthly): Includes Xbox Live Gold, EA Play (November 10th for Console), Game Pass for PC, Game Pass for Console, and xCloud in one package.
Game Pass Ultimate And XBL Conversion For $1
(This is an extremely good deal for gamers new to Xbox, existing gamers, and parents..) Microsoft has been running a promotion where you get the first month of Game Pass Ultimate for $1 (USD). But its actually much better than that.
In the
Terms and Conditions of the promotion, it states that it will convert all Xbox Live Gold and/or Game Pass time to Game Pass Ultimate time at a 1:1 ratio for $1 (depending on eligibility it could be $14.99). The maximum time that can be converted is 36 months. The estimated savings for the full 36 months, if you buy XBL at retail price, is $359 (USD) saved.
- When will this promotion end? No date confirmed
- Can I do this if I have before? Yes
- Can I do this if I currently have a GPU subscription active? No, adding XBL to your account converts at a 3/1 ratio
- Can I do this if I currently have a Game Pass for PC or Console subscription active? Yes
- Can I do this without an Xbox? Yes
- Can I buy XBL from a different region where it's cheaper? Yes, but you must use a VPN and you may experience region issues with the code redemptions
- Can I do this if I am no longer eligible for the $1 promotion price? Yes, but you must make a one-time US $14.99 payment instead of $1
Note: If the total time (XBL + Game Pass time) in your account is more than 36 months, use a PC to activate the promotion. Any time over the 36 month maximum will
disappear.
Update: Receiving mixed reports on this so it's best to try to not exceed 36 months.
Instructions
- On your Microsoft Account, turn off any existing recurring billing for Game Pass or XBL.
- Purchase three 12-month Xbox Live Gold cards for your region from a retailer like Amazon, Microsoft, Costco, CDKeys, or others. Note: CDKeys is a "gray market" site that sells these cards at steep discounts. They're easy to use and reliable.
- Visit redeem.microsoft.com and redeem each XBL key. For each key, turn off the recurring billing toggle before you click Submit.
- Check that you have at least 36 months of time on your account (XBL time and/or Game Pass [standard] time).
- Visit the Xbox Game Pass page for your region, select your region at the bottom left (only for non US residents), and click Join Now.
- Click Join for $1 under Ultimate.
- Follow the prompts and provide your payment information when asked.
You should see that all your Game Pass and XBL time now says
upgraded to Game Pass Ultimate in your Microsoft account.
Cost Breakdown: 36 months of GPU at retail price would normally be $540 ($14.99 x 36 months) but with this promotion you can get it for $181 (36 months of XBL for $180 + $1 promotion (or $15 depending on eligibility) Backwards Compatibility
The new Xbox consoles support all Xbox One titles as well as any Xbox/Xbox 360 titles that are already supported on Xbox One. You may experience improvements to load times, framerate, and resolution.
Kinect and headsets with optical sound connectors are not currently supported.
Expanding Storage
The new Xbox consoles have a storage expansion slot. Currently the only supported storage for this slot is the
Seagate Expansion Card. You can install games here and play them directly from the card.
While pricey, cheaper third-party alternatives are inevitable down the road.
You can also use an external HDD or SSD (via the USB 3.1 [gen 1] ports) to store Series X or S games that you aren't playing. You can't play these directly from the drives and need to transfer them back to supported storage (shown on
IGN's Hands On video** 3:18 minute mark**)
You can use an external drive to play non-enhanced backwards-compatible games from the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Xbox.
For a quick reference, see
this diagram (courtesy
u/beateride) and
Xbox Expansion Explained for more detailed information.
Xbox All Access
https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-all-access Xbox All Access is a monthly payment option which gives you a console and two years of GPU. The Xbox Series S is $24.99 a month and the Xbox Series X is $34.99, in the U.S.
All Access involves opening a line of credit with a local credit issuer through the Microsoft-authorized service provider in your area. This means a credit check that usually impacts your credit score.
To see if All Access is available in your region, see the
supported regions list.
Bethesda Acquistion
There is no confirmation on if Xbox will make Bethesda games exclusive. Phil Spencer said it will be on a "case-by-case basis" for console exclusivity.
All Bethesda games are set to be added and launched on Game Pass.
TVs, Monitors, And Accessories
- TVs:
- LG CX (4K120, Dolby Vision, HDMI2.1, VRR)
- Sony X900H (4K120, Dolby Vision, HDMI2.1, VRR)
- Samsung Q90T (4K120, HDR, HDMI2.1, VRR)
- TCL 6-Series (4K60, Dolby Vision)
- Headsets
- Monitors
- Batteries:
- Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries
- Xbox USB-C Play and Charge Kit
Other Links
UPDATE (September 28th)
To request more topics or corrections, contact
u/Xbox_Live_User or
u/shannonxtreme.
