Microsoft intends to find out how many Xbox One games we can play in one month
Microsoft has announced Xbox Game Pass, an all-you-can-consume game service, coming to Xbox One and Scorpio. For $9.99 a month, Xbox Game Pass allows subscribers to download and play any of the program’s titles onto their consoles for as long as they remain active members. It’s like EA Access, but Xbox Game Pass includes multiple publisher partners. There are over 100 Xbox One and backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games from 2K, 505 Games, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Focus Home Interactive, SEGA, SNK, THQ Nordic, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft Studios included in Xbox Game Pass with more planned to be added. Subscribers will also be offered discounts on DLC for the games in the program.
Xbox Game Pass begins testing today with selected members of the Xbox Insider Program community. The full program will launch later this spring.
Just now noticed the bit about testing this through the insider program. Anyone checked if you get to test drive this thing yet? Guess I’ve got to wait until after work to find out.
Well, it definitely solves the “I just bought a console but have nothing to play on it” problem.
But who is this really going to be a problem for? GameStop. I think that EA Access proved the viability of the concept and now a lot of pubs are realizing that they can sell access to older games and keep people from buying used.
Yep, seems like at least a reasonably smart play. Does the fee include live or is that still separate? I could see a lot of people balking at nearly 200 a year for both.
I’m really happy this was finally announced. Been in the works forever!
It’s also really cool that you can subscribe to this without XBL Gold, for playing single-player games. I know a ton of people who would love that ability.
Also great that it’s full downloads, not streaming like PS Now - not only can you download them, but you can play them offline for 30 days after downloading if you have no network connectivity.
Hopefully the lineup is good once it formally launches!
It probably just works like EA Access or ordinary non-subscription games. You can own and purchase DLC for base games you don’t currently own. For example, I bought the Battlefront season pass even though I don’t own Battlefront, because I can play Battlefront as a part of EA Access instead.
The Xbox Game Pass does give you discounts on permanent purchases - 20%-off games and 10%-off DLC.
Yeah, I’m curious what the expected duration of the rotation might be. Is it like Netflix, where movies roll in and drop out periodically? Will we get a heads up?
Right but EA Access doesn’t rotate out titles as far as I’m aware. Let’s say I buy map packs for Halo 5 (I know this will probably be an evergreen Xbox Pass title but let’s go with it as an example) and a few weeks later Halo 5 rotates out. Did I just get screwed on the DLC?
I give that a zero chance of happening. EA Access games are just the base install. The dIscounts to buy catalog games shows they still want to,ultimately sell them still.
And to that, I want to add Halo 5 now. On the last free preview week for Halo 5, I already finished the campaign, but after reading that long article on the history of Halo, I now have a desire to at least try out the multiplayer in Halo 5, especially Warzone. But even the base multiplayer is something I’d be interested in diving back into after reading about the various Halo games again. It brought back a lot of great memories of playing Halo games in multiplayer, especially Halo 1 and 2.
So, anyone pony up for the service? Planning to? I think I mentioned I tried it out when they were beta testing, seemed ok. But I’m taking a wait-and-see approach on this one, going to need a bit more bang for my buck, hopefully more/newer games that I haven’t played.
Technically my Game Pass membership expires a week from today, but I uninstalled all my GamePass games today in anticipation. I needed the hard drive space for games I’ll be getting in the Ultimate sale on Xbox Live this week.
The nice thing is, I’ll still have those shortcuts under my Game Pass group that I created, so when I get on Game Pass again, I’ll be able to re-install them easily and finish them. Games that I was in the middle of playing: Abzu, Gears of War Ultimate, Super Lucky’s Tale (probably not returning to that one), State of Decay 2, DMC (Devil May Cry), Abe’s Odyssey: New and Tasty.
It’s a pretty cool way to try a whole range of games.
