~The Game Pass Thread~

MOD Edit: You can get Game Pass Ultimate at a substantial discount by first signing up for Xbox Live Gold and then converting to Game Pass Ultimate for $1. If you’re already a member you must let your membership expire before doing it. Google this before paying full price.

EDIT:
This is a nice master list to have

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/metro-exodus-windows/9p60kl3mhcnh?activetab=pivot%3Aoverviewtab

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/xbox-game-pass-pc-games/cfq7ttc0kgq8?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

'nuff said.

(I could have put it in the bargain thread or the Metro thread, but I thought it deserved extra visibility)

Cool. I guess this means the Xbox Game Pass PC Games (ugh) will be announced soon at the E3 conference. This is a great headliner.

It means exactly that. :P

Full list of games:

And upcoming titles

Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition
Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Age Of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Ashen
Battletoads
Gears 5
Gears Tactics
Halo Infinite
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Bethesda titles (TBA)
Deep Silver titles (TBA)
Devolver Digital titles (TBA)
Paradox Interactive titles (TBA)
SEGA titles (TBA)

From https://www.windowscentral.com/xbox-game-pass-pc-list

Great list of games. There’s a few in there I want to try. I also noticed that in your link to buy the Pass for $1, it has $4.99 crossed out to say $1. Which means that unlike the Xbox Game Pass, whose base price is $9.99 a month, the PC Games version is only $5 a month base price.

Yep, the price will be $5. Although, that still is so cheap that I wonder if in one year the price will increase to a more normal $9.99.

I can’t keep up with these services. How does this relate to the gamepass thing that already exists?

Metro for $1 sounds to good to be true?

There will be three gamepasses

The Xbox one.
The PC one.
The ‘ultimate’ one that will include both and Xbox Gold.

Also, new gaming-focused store app from Microsoft


I’m very sceptical about this.
Wonder if it will eventually lead to a similar situation as in the music business, where musicians don’t earn money with their actual craft anymore as Spotify, etc. are wildly unprofitable for anyone except the big names.
It’s not like game developers can go on tours for additional income ;)

Great list of games…kind of makes me wish I didnt pay full price for Imperator Rome.

@TheSHEEEP I don’t see subscription services as the precipitating event, but more as a result of the oversaturation of development studios and games in the market already.

Well, at the end of the day, despite what some people may try to sold you off, developers and consumers are at odds, one wants to gain the maximum amount of money and the other wants to spend the minimum amount of money possible. There is no fair middle point, what’s ‘fair’ is just subjective and biased to any party involved.

We can only imagine that any devs participating in this offer is doing it in a voluntary manner. It isn’t like they put a gun in their head.

Maybe the Russian devs.

Egg or hen problem. In the end, it is irrelevant why it is there.
Subscription based models are more comfortable and way cheaper for the user, so they will prevail.

The question is if the industry can survive that.

That is a very naive viewpoint, unfortunately.
Do you honestly think most musicians wanted to be on Spotify, etc. where they barely get paid? The gun to their head is the fact that nobody (well, almost) buys music anymore due to the existence of services like Spotify. You either do it, or you don’t earn anything at all. And then you hope that other avenues actually allow you to make a living.

I mean, sure, in these early attempts at such a model, it will be quite voluntary. But once this becomes the standard (and it will)…

The only way for additional income I see for game devs would be microtransactions, and I don’t think I need to explain how that is not a positive development for gaming ;)

The other way around, it’s a very realistic viewpoint. I said ‘no ne is putting a gun in their head…’, they have freedom to be on a subscription system or not. But, that freedom also applies to consumers, they also have the freedom to not buy music anymore and use streaming services, as you said. There is no reason the freedom should only apply to one side. I never said they’d be able to eat if they don’t follow current market trends, just that they have the option to try. They also have the freedom to fail.

Ta… So the thing I already have is the Xbox version? Which is now obsolete… for PC owners?

I think there will be a transition period. For example, you can buy now the Ultimate version, here

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/xbox-game-pass-ultimate/cfq7ttc0khs0?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

It warns you with this when you click on Join
image

https://i.imgur.com/uUW4smp.png

Not sure why’d you be skeptical, MS and Origin have proven the subscription model already. Phil Spencer (executive in charge of gaming divisions of MS) has said that not only has Xbox game pass shown an increase in game time by players but also an increase in money spent by players (because getting the game free and trying the game has translated to the players more likely to buy DLC).

Ubisoft are supposed to be launching their equivalent too.

But I don’t think we want this as PC gamers do we? We just want the PC bit.