Of course it’s intentional. Microsoft isn’t pursuing revenue, they’re buying users.
Isn’t there also still a shortage of the current console generation?
That MUST put a dampener on game sales.
For certain definitions of the word successful. They’re not making money with it. Playstation Plus has about 50 million subscribers vs. Game Pass’s 25 million. And PS+ is console only, unlike Gamepass.
I think this depends on what you mean by “value.” On the one hand the cost of a game has very little bearing on how much I’ll enjoy it. On the other hand, what I’m willing to pay for a game is definitely affected by it being on a service that I pay less than $5/month for. I’m not going to pay any extra money to play A Plague Tale: Requiem, for instance, even though I would totally be a day 1 full price purchaser if it wasn’t on Game Pass. Several times over the last couple of years I’ve had games in my Steam cart, checked to see if they were on Game Pass, then took them out of my cart because they were. It doesn’t make me appreciate the games less to get them for next-to-nothing, but it does affect what (or if) I’m willing to pay for them.
That’s all tiers of Plus, right? Isn’t the more proper comparison there Xbox Gold + Gamepass combined? I don’t have Plus, but from their website, the lowest tier doesn’t look the same as Gamepass and looks more like the basic Gold.
Also, Playstation has a lead over Xbox on # of units. I think the proper measure of success is attach rate per console sold, rather than absolute number.
Anecdotally, I was thinking of going Playstation this generation, but ended up Xbox Series X after looking at what Gamepass offered for the price versus Plus. It was just too good a deal to pass up. I own like 2 physical games. Everything else I play on the console is from Gamepass. Microsoft definitely bought me due to Gamepass.
Indeed, I bought a XSX just to mess around with game pass during COVID times myself.
MS didn’t steal me from Sony though, I’m not really a console gamer and barely use it.
When the heck do games show up on game pass? I’ve been waiting all day for Expeditions: Rome to be there, although now that I find that not every GP game is playable on xcloud I’m less interested because I don’t have a machine beefy enough to run it straight.
It’s there for me.
I see it! Along with Cooking Simulator and a little gem called Offworld Trading Company.
Also, sometimes you can search for games and find them even if they haven’t yet appeared in the Recently Added section.
Ah. Not cloud playable. Oh, well.
Jeez Gamepass isnt the only game in town, you could say the same for PSPlus, Epic, Amazon and Humble Bundle.
I think their cloud servers run on Series X boards, so I don’t think you’ll find any PC-only games on the cloud. So I don’t think games like Rome: Expedition or Offworld Trading Company will show up on the cloud since they don’t run on Xbox.
Well they ought to fix that! Or just get console versions of Rome and Hardspace Shipbreaker kicking. Come on, MS, I’m waiting!
Hardspace, at least, is coming to Xbox, and I’m pretty sure GP. No definitive date that I know of, though.
The framing is extremely misleading, because what is actually happening is Sony saying “if we give you tens of millions of dollars in a co-marketing deal, you can’t turn around and screw us by also selling it to MS as a Gamepass title.” MS almost certainly has a similar clause for their partnerships. In fact, many ID@Xbox games that launch on Gamepass are literally required to be console exclusive for a period.
Does anyone know if the statement from MS is referring to games that have been released on Xbox but Sony has paid off not to go on game pass? If that’s the case, then it’s not really about exclusives, more about limiting the potential value (and competitiveness) of games pass.
No matter what the actual situation is, it sure seems like Sony is on the defensive this console generation despite having higher console sales.
There was a contract leak for Resident Evil Village that had a no gamepass clause for a 12 month period, IIRC. It doesn’t stop games from coming out on Xbox day and date at all. It just protects Sony’s marketing investment from being undermined. Both Sony and MS sign exclusive marketing partnerships with third parties all the time. They would have no value if the marketing wasn’t exclusive.
I have Gamepass. I have a HTPC hooked up to my TV. I also have a PS5 connected to my TV. I am thinking about getting an Xbox controller to connect to my HTPC if there are games that fall into the following categories.
- Needs to be a Xbox/gamepass exclusive. Not on PS5, steam,gog etc.
- Runs well on an integrated graphics (Intel gen11) (pretty much rules out Gears/Halo/Forza).
- Suitable for big screen/controller.
So I bought a used Xbox Series X from a friend and dove right into game pass ultimate. This is actually the first non-Nintendo console I’ve owned since the original Xbox and I’m pretty impressed so far.
It’s so weird to buy a console and instantly be able to play hundreds of games. Even though I’ve only owned it for about a week, I’m already finding that my gaming/game buying habits are starting to change. It’s liberating to know you can download a game you’re interested in, try it for a couple hours, and not feel guilty for paying $xx dollars (or requesting a Steam refund).
I’ve also found that whenever I get the urge to buy a new game on PC or Switch, I think about all the games I want to play on game pass. I’m sure this won’t last forever and something will come along that I need to buy, but for now it is actually saving me a bit of money.
So quick question, what is everyone’s hidden gems in game pass now?
There’s a lot of great stuff. Glancing through the list for stuff that I’ve really enjoyed but might still be under the radar, here’s what I come up with:
Unsighted, Citizen Sleeper, One Step from Eden, Record of Lodoss War, Signs of the Sojourner, Tainted Grail Conquest, and The Forgotten City.
Are there any of those at all? There used to be a few Xbox exclusive first party games on Game Pass, but I think most if not all of those are on PC now.