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[Matt]

My thinking is that if the Xbox division shows that it can bring in a steady stream of revenue then they might be granted a bit more leeway into bringing in more studios and getting more IPs going.

Xbox needs to make more money is indeed a fact of life.

This is a good thing to try to work towards that goal.

 

[molnizzle]

This is damn good.

 

[MilkyJoe]

Having more options is always a good thing.

However, I do feel that this medium is heading towards a future where everything is 'rented' and nothing is owned. Games as a service... I don't know how I feel about that, ultimately.

I thought that, but I don't think they have the stones to pull something like that out of the bag, after the shit they tried this gen bit their arse clean off.

 

[Macrotus]

And that's great, but at least it puts on the pressure on Sony and Nintendo to offer equal value. Hopefully you'll get that too.

Even if Sony felt pressure, its technically impossible for them.
Like I said, PS4 can't emulate PS3. The only choice for them is to emulate it on their end and stream it, or, make PS4 remastered for every PS3 game.

But what they can do is, do what MS has done for PS1 and PS2 games.
Unless its technically impossible to even emulate a PS1/2 on the PS4 which would be really disappointing.
Even PS2 and Vita can play PS1 archives. I really don't understand why Sony doesn't provide BC with PS1 games. Maybe to let companies like Square-Enix release HD remasters of their PS1 games??

 

[Metalingus5150]

Really cool. EA Access type sub is a great idea.

 

[Zeta Oni]

Seems like a terrible idea for anyone who actually wants to own their games and play them offline.

How?

Not only do you have the option to ignore this completely and buy it regularly, but if your subscribed and you want to buy the game your playing, you then get a discount.

Sounds fine to me.

 

[Uno Venova]

There are several nice features that the Xbox One has, but I don't see how they're anymore than that, nice incentives to get the console

EA Access, backwards compatibility, 4K blu-ray playback, while they are great features, despite people saying they will light a fire, they don't change the landscape in the console space, or put pressure on anybody, especially Sony. And a service for mostly forgotten cheap games isn't going to be it either.

 

[Sydle]

so,every month we will have new games added and the previous month will be removed?

In your quote it says some will cycle out.

 

[zewone]

PS Now without the streaming capabilities.

The price is good. I hope it puts pressure on Sony to make PS Now more appealing.

 

[Shadax the wizard]

This sounds awesome.

 

[Mufausa The 3rd]

Wait.. does this confirm that Xbox 360 emulation will now be an actual thing on Windows 10??

 

[Rembrandt]

so,every month we will have new games added and the previous month will be removed?

Doesn't say the previous month exactly. I assume they'll cycle out older less popular titles.

There are several nice features that the Xbox One has, but I don't see how they're anymore than that, nice incentives to get the console

EA Access, backwards compatibility, 4K blu-ray playback, while they are great features, despite people saying they will light a fire, they don't change the landscape in the console space, or put pressure on anybody, especially Sony. And a service for mostly forgotten cheap games isn't going to be it either.

Your first sentence completely contradicts your second.

 

[Dremark]

This isn't going to sell me on an Xbone, but it's a really good idea and certainly sweetens the pot a little. I expect Sony and Ninty to follow them.

 

[Novocaine]

I have an honest question though, why would I pick this service instead of getting a Gamefly subscription?

With Gamefly I would get literally any game I want, new or old that works on the console I want.

Games may take longer to arrive and it is $6 extra dollars per month but still, not having to download tons of data to play a game and the library being much, much bigger than this service would make me join the Gamefly service instead if I ever consider this one in the first place.

Just a thought though, I guess this service in specific would work for people who want to play games they may have missed in the past instead of trying to get newer games because if that was the case, then Gamefly would be a better option I think.

Well Gamefly can't really offer digital only titles. Also it's not available in my country.

Although if it was I'd probably consider it over this because I would be more interested in playing new releases.

 

[zewone]

Wait.. does this confirm that Xbox 360 emulation will now be an actual thing on Windows 10??

The press release doesn't mention this being on PC at all. Where did you get that from?

 

[paulogy]

FYI the downloaded games can only be played for 30 days:

Based on fan feedback, streaming/connectivity issues were identified as a major pain point for competing game subscription services. That's why games on Xbox Game Pass will be downloaded to your Xbox One, providing fans with a native, full-fidelity gaming experience and the ability to play downloaded games offline for up to 30 days.

From the Game Pass FAQ: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox-game-pass

Edit: I suppose if a month later the game is still in the Game Pass catalog, and you connect your Xbox One to the network you can update your license to get another 30 days.

 

[Welfare]

So basically Xbox Access? This sounds incredible, and only for $9.99.

Guys, EA Access totally was going to destroy gaming as we knew it. /s

 

[ilikesanta]

Does PS Now Cycle their games or is it an ever growing catalog?

 

[sangreal]

FYI the download games can only be played for 30 days:



From the Game Pass FAQ: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox-game-pass

thats just if you don't go online for 30 days

 

[Dubz]

Is this on PC also? Providing you have Windows 10?

 

[thatJohann]

If you download a game while it's in the service, then later it rotates out of the service, do you still have access to the game after it rotates out as long as you still subscribe?

I'm assuming not. I think you would be prompted to buy the game digitally thru xbox store at that point to continue playing.

 

[Garrett 2U]

What do you mean with this?
This is a subscription service that's going to rake in silly amounts of cash on games that have already lost 99% of their revenue-generating potential.
Similar to GWG they will add in one or two loss leaders as in XB1 titles, but those likely will be rather old games that are also on the tail-end on their revenue generation cycle if the promo header is any indication. Halo 5? NBA 2K16? Both are dirt cheap by now.

So while this service can most definitely have a lot of value to the right customer, realize that this is in every way a move to print more money instead of Phil Spencer bending over backwards just to please his fans. It's a damn smart move, too.

Just to clarify: this provides great value to customers, while increasing revenue to developers and Microsoft for games where sales have stalled.

You make a win/win/win situation seem like such a slimy deal by Phil.

 

[paulogy]

thats just if you don't go online for 30 days

Sure, I suppose if a month later the game is still in the Game Pass catalog, and you connect your Xbox One to the network you can update your license to get another 30 days.

 

[Krosia]

Is this on PC also? Providing you have Windows 10?

No

 

[wbEMX]

That a great idea, actually. A service like this on PS4 would hold much more value to me than PS Plus.

 

[intheinbetween]

why are some people comparing PSNow with this? it has barely nothing to do with this.

it's a download-only service for XB1 (I guess 360 BC titles too) such as EA Access (or the download / offline mode for Netflix), but PSNow it's just a streaming service only for PS3 titles, not PS4 titles, and its performance depends of several factors, specially of your internet connection, such as OnLive, with all of its cons.

 

[redhood56]

I like this idea. I like it a lot.

 

[Uno Venova]

Your first sentence completely contradicts your second.

No

 

[yankeehater]

Wow. Microsoft making the right moves. 360 BC and now this. Very good. Keep it up guys.

Yeah Ms is doing such an amazing job this gen. I am sorry I even bought a ps4. The Xbox one gets all my time now and I will definitely be signing up for this service once it becomes available.

 

[JMY86]

This sounds great I would definitely be interested in this. Hopefully it will pressure Sony to do something about their completely absurd PS Now pricing...

 

[Hoo-doo]

My thinking is that if the Xbox division shows that it can bring in a steady stream of revenue then they might be granted a bit more leeway into bringing in more studios and getting more IPs going.

Absolutely. They want more of that subscription money.

They aren't offering this service from the goodness of their hearts or some kind of weird atonement for past mistakes. Nah, it's a great moneymaking venture for them and for some people it'll surely have it's intended value.

 

[Rembrandt]

No

Okay.

 

[Dee Dah Dave]

What do you mean with this?
This is a subscription service that's going to rake in silly amounts of cash on games that have already lost 99% of their revenue-generating potential.
Similar to GWG they will add in one or two loss leaders as in XB1 titles, but those likely will be rather old games that are also on the tail-end on their revenue generation cycle if the promo header is any indication. Halo 5? NBA 2K16? Both are dirt cheap by now.

So while this service can most definitely have a lot of value to the right customer, realize that this is in every way a move to print more money instead of Phil Spencer bending over backwards just to please his fans. It's a damn smart move, too.

Indeed, a service like this can have great value alone, without being used as a leverage to out do competing platforms. But the likelihood of these types of initiatives appearing would still significantly decrease if there were no competition. That's just the way it is.

PS+ was great last gen when Sony needed it, now not so much. GWG on the other hand is arguably better overall in terms of frequency of higher profile games. And of course Sony have rejected EA Access, another decent subscription service.

360 back compat now exists, which I doubt would have happened if MS had big success with the XB1.

And they wouldn't be as keen to develop ideas like this if they were already raking in plenty of money. Even if they are obvious moneymakers, it doesn't mean they would happen. Often I see moronic fanboys wishing for a monopoly and it would be the worst thing to happen to the core gaming market.

 

[Smo21]

PlayStation now without the shitty streaming!

 

[Skiptastic]

If all of the Microsoft titles stay in the "vault" permanently, like EA Access, with only third party games at risk of leaving the collection, I'll be fine with it.

Also, if we know games have a one/three/six month life when added, that will also be very helpful.

I don't spend $120 on games a year right now (I just get old games that I play for a long time) but maybe I'd jump on this, depending on the offering.

But overall, it's great to see the option. I always thought EA Access was cool, but just not for me.

 

[Taliban Stan]

Is this an additional thing or some new $9.99 XBL Gold option? I'd do this but I don't want to pay $10 on top of my XBL just for it.

 

[zewone]

why are some people comparing PSNow with this? it has barely nothing to do with this.

it's a download-only service for XB1 (I guess 360 BC titles too) such as EA Access (or the download / offline mode for Netflix), but PSNow it's just a streaming service only for PS3 titles, not PS4 titles, and its performance depends of several factors, specially of your internet connection, such as OnLive, with all of its cons.

If Xbox owned Gaikai they might have went for streaming too.

There's a handful of XB1 titles in the promo picture. A majority of the games will be Xbox 360 games.

There's pros and cons to full download vs streaming, like bandwidth limits set by ISPs. Not something I have to worry about so I'd prefer full downloads.

 

[catiger32]

I hope they offer it cheaper if you pay by the year, similar to EA which is only $2.50 per month($30) by the year.

 

[GHG]

Is there a list available yet?

 

[PIMPBYBLUD]

Is this an additional thing or some new $9.99 XBL Gold option? I'd do this but I don't want to pay $10 on top of my XBL just for it.

Additional

 

[Aguero9320]

Is it exciting that they didn't hold this news back for E3?

Would have been a nice announcement there in the mould of BC.

Wonder if they have other good stuff planned?

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

Oh you mean the extra stuff like the trivia questions and what not? Forgot about those.

Those are largely negligible, but I was counting them, yes. Mobile searches add a good chunk though. I assume you can get an automated script to do them quite easily, though I just do it manually via Firefox with a user-agent switcher. Searches can be done manually very quickly by middle/control-clicking all of the trending searches on the homepage.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

It sounds great but if my math is right it gets quite... uh expensive to be an always connected gamer:

$5 for EA Access
$10 for Xbox Access
$5 for Xbox Live
----

$20 per month.

Just wait till UbiSoft/ Activitision announce same kind of service and we will be hitting up to $50 monthly for "Games as a Service".

NOTE: I do not pay for any of those services and just googled the prices.

 

[Kill3r7]

I wonder if they will offer a packaged deal with EA Access or XBL Gold?

 

[Cuburt]

Nintendo already has something better in the works - a whole one NES OR SNES game per month!

Per their $1.50/month online service.

 

[mikespit1200]

Interesting development. I'm in the market for a PS4Pro but this gives me pause to consider waiting for Scorpio if I can have an instant game library assuming XBone BC...

 

[meirl]

I
Just wait till UbiSoft/ Activitision announce same kind of service and we will be hitting up to $50 monthly for "Games as a Service".

Nah, other Publishers already joined XBOX PASS. So they could also Just join. .Also, more options are always better. No One is forced to buy it and you dont need Xbox Live at All.

Interesting development. I'm in the market for a PS4Pro but this gives me pause to consider waiting for Scorpio if I can have an instant game library assuming XBone BC...

Wait so you think this will Not be Supported on Scorpio? Wat

 

[shoreu]

The water is being tested. The day will come when content is locked behind individual publisher subscriptions and eventually whole games themselves.

Loot crates were a trial balloon for a service model. It's an infection, a pestilence. Consumer rights laws aren't robust enough to prevent abuse.

If it every gets to that point... All we have to do it stop buying stuff. I know that seems crazy but it's that simple, and if people don't I'll just be done gaming if it's that bad.

 

[intheinbetween]

If Xbox owned Gaikai they might have went for streaming too.

There's a handful of XB1 titles in the promo picture. A majority of the games will be Xbox 360 games.

There's pros and cons to full download vs streaming, like bandwidth limits set by ISPs.

There's no point in "what ifs", this is a fact, it's just a digital service from which you can download a library of games, which includes games from XB1 and 360, not a game streaming service offering games from an old-gen platform.

I just don't understand why some people seem to be so eager to compare this to PSNow instead with EA Access, which is the same in every aspect.

 

[Bsigg12]

The water is being tested. The day will come when content is locked behind individual publisher subscriptions and eventually whole games themselves.

Loot crates were a trial balloon for a service model. It's an infection, a pestilence. Consumer rights laws aren't robust enough to prevent abuse.

So don't buy or subscribe to things you don't like.