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[TannerDemoz]

So, credit where credit is due. I own a PS4 and Switch and have seen no reason to ever invest in an XB1 given the limited range of titles that appeal to me.

However,

I was at my friend's last night and he showed me the massive catalogue of games available to him through Game Pass. To be honest, I was blown away. Sure, the obvious ones are there like Halo and Gears, but what shocked me was the insane amount of arcade games available, and even titles such as Resident Evil 1, 0 and 6 that I couldn't believe were free.

I think XB1 owners are lucky. Granted, many of them may have played a lot of the games already on offer – especially if they were 360 owners too – but for gamers who never owned an Xbox console before, I feel like now is the perfect time to dip your toes.

Obviously, I wonder what this will do for software sales. It doesn't make sense to be buying future titles on their own given many of them will be available from day 1. I also wonder if this will damage Microsoft's relationship with retailers as a result.

But yeah, just wanted to say: fair play Microsoft. As a PS4 owner who will often play down XB1, I think this is great.

 

[Rickeh]

is this a stealth post, do you work for microsoft?

 

[cooper59]

one of the reasons i sold my pro and bought the xbox x. very happy.

 

[Shifty]

So roughly how long before it pays for itself?

 

[YoshiMax]

So you've bought one then OP?

 

[CRAIG667]

is this a stealth post, do you work for microsoft?

Do you work for Sony?

 

[CRAIG667]

I'm going to get GamePass when Sea Of Thieves is released.

Otherwise I already own 99% of the games (that I'm interested in) included.

 

[Treats]

Game Pass was a good deal, now an amazing deal with the recent announcement that all first party titles are coming to Game Pass.
Just resubbed myself yesterday for £3 in preparation for Sea of Thieves.

 

[Spukc]

I flicked through the list but i'm not really impressed tbh.

Most games i already got.Or i got them for "free" earlier on psn or xbox live or heavily discounted.
And i got myself an xbox one for the exclusives.

I also cant seem to find forza 5 6 7 horizon 2 and 3 inc all dlcs on it

But def a cool thing if you just got a console

 

[lynux3]

It's a good idea for Microsoft to get people on board and generate recurring revenue. Sometimes I wonder if this is the stop gap until they release their game streaming service (like PlayStation Now) or if they canned that idea. They seem to want to based on recent earnings call and stuff with them pushing Azure to support more and more of their consumer side business. I don't know, does anyone know if Microsoft is still chasing the game streaming idea?

 

[Sosokrates]

is this a stealth post, do you work for microsoft?

So I guess when someone does a positive Sony thread they work for sony,. Lol.

 

[phil_t98]

It's a good idea for Microsoft to get people on board and generate recurring revenue. Sometimes I wonder if this is the stop gap until they release their game streaming service (like PlayStation Now) or if they canned that idea. They seem to want to based on recent earnings call and stuff with them pushing Azure to support more and more of their consumer side business. I don't know, does anyone know if Microsoft is still chasing the game streaming idea?

Have to say gamepads is way ahead of playstation now in terms of how it works, no streaming and play the game off your console. it works well

 

[lynux3]

Have to say gamepads is way ahead of playstation now in terms of how it works, no streaming and play the game off your console. it works well

For sure, Game Pass is just an extension of how PlayStation Plus free games work. There's nothing "ahead" about it, but PlayStation Now is a separate service and that's why I was wondering if Microsoft is still looking to make their own version?

 

[cireza]

is this a stealth post, do you work for microsoft?

Quality post

 

[MrMorningMan]

It certainly is! The value is fantastic and as mentioned above, with the inclusion of future first party titles hitting Game Pass on release, it's a great way to save some money as well if you had planned on buying them.

 

[Shin]

Perhaps I'm not invested enough to get sparkles in my eyes about gaming as a whole but all I'm seeing is paying more for "nothing".
EA Access, Live, GamePass, yet at the end of the day it's exclusives that sway me more than anything to purchase A system.
Options is nice to have and I'm sure MS and EA are happy to make even more money but none of their effort is making a difference.
That's just reality, sales are up year over year but still a far cry from what they'd rather see I reckon.

 

[TwiztidElf]

Access to cr@ploads of games is not a good thing.
As soon as you get the slightest annoyance, it gets turned off and onto the next.

A year later you realize that you haven't really played anything to any depth.

 

[drigosr]

wrong thread, sorry.

 

[RAIDEN1]

Catalogue on there isn't that great at the moment, just checked the list....get Republic Commando, Sega Rally, Panzer Dragoon, Burnout, Blur, ShenMue, Shaolin Monks.. etc on there, then I'd jump in...

 

[Sosokrates]

Perhaps I'm not invested enough to get sparkles in my eyes about gaming as a whole but all I'm seeing is paying more for "nothing".
EA Access, Live, GamePass, yet at the end of the day it's exclusives that sway me more than anything to purchase A system.
Options is nice to have and I'm sure MS and EA are happy to make even more money but none of their effort is making a difference.
That's just reality, sales are up year over year but still a far cry from what they'd rather see I reckon.

So, using this logic you think Netflix and Amazon video are nothing...

 

[Shin]

So, using this logic you think Netflix and Amazon video are nothing...

I don't have them so yes and don't try too hard or you might hurt yourself.

 

[CRAIG667]

Perhaps I'm not invested enough to get sparkles in my eyes about gaming as a whole but all I'm seeing is paying more for "nothing".
EA Access, Live, GamePass, yet at the end of the day it's exclusives that sway me more than anything to purchase A system.
Options is nice to have and I'm sure MS and EA are happy to make even more money but none of their effort is making a difference.
That's just reality, sales are up year over year but still a far cry from what they'd rather see I reckon.

"nothing"

"nothing"

"nothing"

?

?

?

 

[Leonidas]

I flicked through the list but i'm not really impressed tbh.

Most games i already got.Or i got them for "free" earlier on psn or xbox live or heavily discounted.
And i got myself an xbox one for the exclusives.

I also cant seem to find forza 5 6 7 horizon 2 and 3 inc all dlcs on it

But def a cool thing if you just got a console

It's the future Xbox Exclusives that make it worth it for me. State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves and Crackdown 3 are all launching on Game Pass.

 

[CRAIG667]

It's the future Xbox Exclusives that make it worth it for me. State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves and Crackdown 3 are all launching on Game Pass.

Same! I'm a huge Forza/Gears/Halo fan and any extras as you mentioned are the icing on the cake

 

[Leonidas]

Access to cr@ploads of games is not a good thing.
As soon as you get the slightest annoyance, it gets turned off and onto the next.

A year later you realize that you haven't really played anything to any depth.

Or you could download the games you're interested and play those games to great depth and when you get tired of those games move onto some other games...

 

[chilleverest]

The only thing worth looking forward to for me on xbox is state of decay 2, but thats coming out on pc too so id rather pay nothing for online and keep my exclusives craving for other consoles.

 

[Ryu Hayabusa]

I´m verya happy with Xbox GamePass. Great deal.

 

[Bogroll]

Wasn't that keen when it first started but iv'e gone back to it this month now theirs more titles added and i think it's great. Will definitely getting it 5-6 months of the year.

 

[MoogleMan]

I own a decent gaming PC so I don't really have a need or want for an xbox one, but they definitely did the "netflix of gaming" proper.

 

[Silent Chief]

Seems decent, except I don't like the idea of things being removed after a while.
Of course, I already have a huge backlog, so it's of no appeal to me, but it seems the way to go for any new Xbox owner.

 

[Revolutionary]

I tried out the Pass with a trial about a year ago and nearly fell asleep while playing Halo 5 for only an hour lol
Microsoft's first party lineup just doesn't do it for me, so unfortunately the Game Pass isn't something that interests me either. Third party games are something I'd rather play on PC.

That said, it's clearly a good deal for gamers who only have an Xbox.

 

[DZ_b_EZ]

Nope. Not in my house. I'd rather physically own my games. You guys are crazy.

 

[Son_of_Zardoz]

Will definitely be signing up for Sea of Thieves and Crackdown. Will be the best way to try them out with my sons--can't wait.

 

[Night.Ninja]

Will definitely be signing up for Sea of Thieves and Crackdown. Will be the best way to try them out with my sons--can't wait.

This is what I’m going to be doing and if I ending up liking them I buy them at a discount. Right now I feel like I already have too many games to play so for me game pass will be great for the first party offering and games I probably wouldn’t have played anyway.

 

[jshackles]

I think I get what OP is saying, and it really boils down to "This is a fantastic value if you've not already heavily invested in buying games for your system. Less so if you have." Which is probably why Microsoft announced that it's 1st party games would be joining the service day one - to get people like us (enthusiasts) interested in buying into the service. I've been a PS+ member for years and currently have 144 PS4 games available as part of that service, which I know now thanks to the new 5.50 beta, and they are of a similar quality and scope in all honesty. But that library took 3+ years to accumulate and about $120 in PS+ fees after discounts, and the fact that new Xbox owners could have that many games to play for $10 a month is pretty awesome.

Like OP, I've been firmly in the Playstation 4 camp this gen but I also own an Xbox and the largest part of the appeal to me is it's backwards compatibility. The fact that game pass has games spanning from OG Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One is pretty awesome. Also the fact that the service seems to be expanding out (160+ games now, I think it launched with just over 100?) is also a pretty great indicator. Does Microsoft remove games from the service? They might in the future, but I can't find any evidence that they have yet.

I agree with OP, it's a system seller. Tons of people I know could buy an Xbox and subscribe, and never run out of things to play.

 

[phil_t98]

For sure, Game Pass is just an extension of how PlayStation Plus free games work. There's nothing "ahead" about it, but PlayStation Now is a separate service and that's why I was wondering if Microsoft is still looking to make their own version?

it is in terms on new games going on there and full xbox one games on there which I believe the playstation streaming service does not do. better value for money in my opinion. I also don't think Microsoft need to have a streaming service when they have the backwards compatability on xbox one, sony are just charging you to replay the games you already owned before to play them again. Microsoft is doing that for free if you already own the game on disc or download.

playstation now is to play older games but streaming them when as gamepass is currant games on the currant consoles

 

[lynux3]

it is in terms on new games going on there and full xbox one games on there which I believe the playstation streaming service does not do. better value for money in my opinion. I also don't think Microsoft need to have a streaming service when they have the backwards compatability on xbox one, sony are just charging you to replay the games you already owned before to play them again. Microsoft is doing that for free if you already own the game on disc or download.

playstation now is to play older games but streaming them when as gamepass is currant games on the currant consoles

Well, that's not entirely true. PlayStation Now does have PS4 games available to play and Game Pass offers a lot of last generation options. It's only now Microsoft has just announced that their new games will be available on Game Pass day one. It's not like other publishers are jumping on board as of yet. Anyways, you're just assuming that anyone who pays into PlayStation Now "already owned" the games before, but the reality is most people probably haven't and don't want to invest in a piece of hardware to play games they missed out on. So are they really charging people to replay games? Sure, if you're one of those people you're assuming. Another thing is that PlayStation Now's library is a lot bigger than Game Pass.

It is good consumer practice what Microsoft is doing for backwards compatibility, though.

Looks like Microsoft is thinking about a PlayStation Now competitor.

https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/6/1...ming-service-announcement-xbox-one-no-console

 

[VectorVictor]

For sure, Game Pass is just an extension of how PlayStation Plus free games work. There's nothing "ahead" about it, but PlayStation Now is a separate service and that's why I was wondering if Microsoft is still looking to make their own version?

LOL...wut?

Game Pass doesn't allow someone to play online (like PlayStation Plus and XBL do)--it's just a game download repository of 100+ titles you can gain access to for $9.99/mo (U.S.). Honestly, this is the better way to do it than trying to do gaming via streaming (e.g. PlayStation Now), especially since Sony throttles connections and has problems providing a consistent, quality performance on the PSNow service.

 

[lynux3]

LOL...wut?

Game Pass doesn't allow someone to play online (like PlayStation Plus and XBL do)--it's just a game download repository of 100+ titles you can gain access to for $9.99/mo (U.S.). Honestly, this is the better way to do it than trying to do gaming via streaming (e.g. PlayStation Now), especially since Sony throttles connections and has problems providing a consistent, quality performance on the PSNow service.

You must have not comprehended what I said correctly. That's okay... If you read what I said it clearly states nothing about Game Pass being a streaming service, but rather a more robust (extended) version of PlayStation Plus which also offers "free" games, but just monthly and the catalog rotates. It's basically the same shit delivered differently.

Do you have proof of Sony throttling PlayStation Now's streaming or do you have an agenda?

 

[Sosokrates]

I don't have them so yes and don't try too hard or you might hurt yourself.

Lol, what are you talking about? Trying to hard? trying at what exactly?

 

[OH-MyCar]

I love it, and agree that it's a system seller. My only issue is price: $10 a month is a lot less appealing than, say, $50-60 a year (especially if you're already paying for XBL). At the current price point it's something I'll subscribe to every few months, whenever I'm sure I'll actually be using it. At $50-60 a year, they'd probably be getting a lot more money from me in the long run.

EA's price scheme for Access is a lot more palatable at the moment.

 

[MilkyJoe]

Ive said it before, but i think this is a great thing for the less fortunate kids out there, and it'll be a very attractive system, so i agree with OP on this.

 

[phil_t98]

Well, that's not entirely true. PlayStation Now does have PS4 games available to play and Game Pass offers a lot of last generation options. It's only now Microsoft has just announced that their new games will be available on Game Pass day one. It's not like other publishers are jumping on board as of yet. Anyways, you're just assuming that anyone who pays into PlayStation Now "already owned" the games before, but the reality is most people probably haven't and don't want to invest in a piece of hardware to play games they missed out on. So are they really charging people to replay games? Sure, if you're one of those people you're assuming. Another thing is that PlayStation Now's library is a lot bigger than Game Pass.

It is good consumer practice what Microsoft is doing for backwards compatibility, though.

Looks like Microsoft is thinking about a PlayStation Now competitor.

https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/6/1...ming-service-announcement-xbox-one-no-console

ok I stand corrected on the playstation now not having ps4 games on them. what is the quality of the streams like on ps4 games? surly you can see its better to have installed on the hard drive to see the game exactly as its supposed to be seen.

when I look at the list of whats on offer its massivly ps3 sided which is ok but I prefer the idea of gamepass to streaming

 

[lynux3]

ok I stand corrected on the playstation now not having ps4 games on them. what is the quality of the streams like on ps4 games? surly you can see its better to have installed on the hard drive to see the game exactly as its supposed to be seen.

when I look at the list of whats on offer its massivly ps3 sided which is ok but I prefer the idea of gamepass to streaming

The stream quality is so-so, it's not quite their yet, but it's not terrible or unplayable. I think if you get PlayStation Now you need to go in expecting it's not going to be like playing the actual physical disc on a physical machine. Game Pass's ability to just download and play locally is significantly more attractive because its actually running on my machine and that's what I like about it.

Yes, the list is mostly last generation offerings. I think it was just a few months ago when PS Now started offering PS4 games, but I concur, Game Pass and PlayStation Plus is the way to go if you want a subscription to a large library of current generation games that can be downloaded to your box.

 

[Clarking]

Agree with OP, this kind of service can be very interesting for someone who doesnt own a videogame and wants to try it out without spending tons of money.

however this cenario is not positive for sellers, i mean, i saw one new that there is some stores that is not going to sell microsoft games for some kind of protest.

sorry my bad eng neogaffers!!

 

[NickFire]

They should bundle a year with a regular Xbox and two years with an X. It would make people like me who are content with PS4 (and Switch) really tempted.

 

[arhra]

For sure, Game Pass is just an extension of how PlayStation Plus free games work. There's nothing "ahead" about it, but PlayStation Now is a separate service and that's why I was wondering if Microsoft is still looking to make their own version?

MS have had functional prototypes for game streaming since at least 2013, but apparently they don't think the tech is quite where it needs to be just yet.

Phil Spencer mentioned the possibility back when The Verge interviewed him when they announced that first party titles would be added to the service on day one:

Spencer previously teased Xbox game streaming within the next three years, and it appears that the Xbox Game Pass and subscription services are an important part of the future of Xbox. Referencing Sony and others, Spencer says game streaming is a “part of our future as well,” but warns it’s not quite ready yet. “We’re not there today from an experience standpoint, and a value standpoint,” explains Spencer. “One of the advantages we have at Microsoft is an investment in data centers and capability through out Azure business. As we look at the future of Game Pass, and frankly where we’re going in allowing people to play games that they want to play and where they want to play them, we think streaming is part of that, but not the only choice.”

I'd expect that when/if they do eventually roll out a streaming option it'll be as a complement to the download option, as a way to play the games on non-Xbox devices.

Edit: also, for anyone considering Game Pass, it's currently on sale for £3/$5/€3.50 per month. The offer seems to be worded as an introductory month offer, but you can buy it multiple times and it stacks up. I just got a year for £36. The page seems somewhat buggy, though - it wasn't showing the sale price for me until I signed out and back in (it might also be a gold-only offer, I'm not sure, as I'm subbed to gold and don't have a non-gold account I can check on).

 

[Blam]

MS have had functional prototypes for game streaming since at least 2013, but apparently they don't think the tech is quite where it needs to be just yet.

Phil Spencer mentioned the possibility back when The Verge interviewed him when they announced that first party titles would be added to the service on day one:



I'd expect that when/if they do eventually roll out a streaming option it'll be as a complement to the download option, as a way to play the games on non-Xbox devices.

Edit: also, for anyone considering Game Pass, it's currently on sale for £3/$5/€3.50 per month. The offer seems to be worded as an introductory month offer, but you can buy it multiple times and it stacks up. I just got a year for £36. The page seems somewhat buggy, though - it wasn't showing the sale price for me until I signed out and back in (it might also be a gold-only offer, I'm not sure, as I'm subbed to gold and don't have a non-gold account I can check on).

Something that they've been working on for years since 2012 actually. This streaming thing was a long time coming.

 

[Louis Cyphre]

If it comes to the PC in better shape than what's on offer now then I will consider it. I tried Gears of War 4 on my PC with a free 14-day trial and I hated the game instantly but played for about 4 hours to give it a chance. Still a terrible game. I already own Recore, Halo Wars 2, the Forza games on the PC. I've decided to just keep my pre-order of Sea of Thieves as opposed to paying monthly.

It was also a struggle to get Gears of War 4 to download on the PC, it kept wanting me to buy the game and other games like Zoo Tycoon I never could see the free version with my Game Pass enabled. Don't know if I did something wrong but I gave up.

 

[Son_of_Zardoz]

I don't think I would ever consider a streaming service no matter who offered it simply because of the absolute lack of service providers in our area. Spectrum (TWC) is the only high speed provider and we pay for the highest available speeds (just do internet, no TV) and max out at 35/down and there is no consistency whatsoever. The small town I live just outside of built it's own fiber network about 7 or so years ago and was only the 2nd in the state to do so, then the legislature passed a law preventing any others from doing the same thing and they are not allowed to expand beyond city limits. The state of internet speeds/providers/laws in the US is awful, especially if you aren't in a major metro area.