Xbox Game Pass

[Harsin]

In various console threads the topic of somebody doing a Netflix style service for games comes up. Looks like MS are going to be offering something like that. EA Access already does something similar, but it's pretty limited as it's just EA games (as the name suggests).

 

http://news.xbox.com/wp-content/uploads/Xbox-Game-Pass_Hero-hero.jpg

 

Quote

At Xbox, we put gamers at the center of everything we do and remain committed to giving you the freedom to play the games you want, with the friends you want, on the devices you want. This year is shaping up to be an exciting one for gamers. As we prepare to launch Project Scorpio this holiday, bringing the most powerful console ever made to the Xbox One family of devices, we continue to make platform improvements to connect the growing community of players on Xbox Live and add to a robust and diverse portfolio of games across Xbox One and Windows 10.

Today, we’re continuing our commitment to give you more options to diversify and expand your library of games with Xbox Game Pass, a new gaming subscription service coming later this spring. Xbox Game Pass gives you unlimited access to over 100 Xbox One and backward compatible Xbox 360 games – all for $9.99 per month.

 

Confirmed publishers (from NeoGAF).

Quote

2K, 
505 Games, 
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, 
Capcom, 
Codemasters, 
Deep Silver, 
Focus Home Interactive, 
SEGA, 
SNK CORPORATION, 
THQ Nordic GmbH, 
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment 
Microsoft Studios

 

 

GUIDE TO THE BEST WAY TO PURCHASE GAMEPASS

 

BEFORE YOU START. If you are already subscribed to Game Pass, let it lapse before following these steps. They will work for new or lapsed accounts, but not for active ones.

 

1. Buy 3x 12-month Live Gold codes (£40 each) from CDKeys or equivalent. It might take an hour or so for the codes to come through, but they will eventually.

2. If you don't have one, create an Xbox account on the Microsoft site.

3. Redeem your Live Gold codes on the MS Site - click on your user icon at the top right of the page, click the "..." at the bottom of the drop down menu and select "Redeem code." IMPORTANT: each time you do this, UNSELECT the auto-renew option, otherwise you'll get some free months added which will make it impossible to redeem your third code (you can't stack more than three years' worth).

4. From here the instructions are from memory because I can't replicate the steps as I've already signed up. On your user icon drop down menu choose "My Microsoft account" and on the page that opens you should see a section called "Subscriptions." Click on your Live Gold subscription.

5. You should now be given the option to upgrade your Live Gold to Game Pass Ultimate. When you select this it will take you to a standard page as if you were buying it from scratch, where you pay £1 for the first month* and £10.99 every month thereafter. Don't be put off by this (as I was) - the £10.99 won't kick in until your three years are up. Go ahead and sign up for the £1 offer. (*if you have already used the £1 offer previously then it will cost you £10.99 for this conversion, but still only as a one-off payment with your next payment not due for another three years.)

6. Your Live Gold subscription should now have been converted to Game Pass Ultimate for the next three years, at a cost to you of £121 (£131 if this isn’t your first time), a saving of approx 70% compared to the £10.99 a month RRP.

7. Go back into your Game Pass subscriptions page and turn off auto-renew again. There's bound to be another offer in three years' time!

 

NB: If you have already used the £1 offer you can still do all the above, however you will be charged £10.99 instead of £1 but this will still upgrade all your XBLG as above so it's still a great deal.

[bradigor]

 

http://news.xbox.com/2017/02/28/introducing-xbox-game-pass/

 

So this is happening. One of the major players looking like they are moving into the Netflix style subscription service for games. Something I have wanted to see for a while and it will be interesting to see the games that will be included and then added over the months and years. 

 

Or course you already get this to a degree with EA Access, but with this being a system level thing from Microsoft, it will be great to see games from other publishers added. 

 

Only issue I see is how this affects the output of Games with Gold. 

 

UPDATE

TODAY FOR SELECT INSIDERS

 

Quote

Today, the Xbox team announced a new gaming subscription service called Xbox Game Pass, which gives you unlimited access to over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 backward compatible games on Xbox One for £7.99 a month. Xbox Game Pass will begin rolling out to select members of the Xbox Insider Program at 2pm GMT today, and will launch to the broader community later this spring. If you’re part of the Xbox Insider Program and would like to take the update right away, you’ll need to reboot your Xbox One; otherwise, Xbox Game Pass should appear on your dashboard within an hour or so. 

 

 

[mdn2]

Do you still need a separate Gold subscription? If you do and it's not new content and just older titles, it seems pretty expensive. That picture shows Halo 5, Saints Row 4 and Mad Max - all of which can be bought for peanuts. And hasn't Saints Row 4 been on Games with Gold anyway?

[The Mighty Ash]

$10 isn't expensive at all for that. It's half the price of PS now. 

[bradigor]

If you look at it in the same way as Netflix works. It'll be titles added after sales die down, but I can see maybe big loss leader titles (or smaller Indies) added at points as promotional events. 

 

For me, if they add games at a decent rate, it may well be the end of me buying games*. I rarely get the time to play stuff new these days and am happy to wait until cheap. But I would be happy to pay £9.99 a month if they add games at a fairly regular rate and match the EA 6-12 month delay on titles. 

 

*Some exceptions with games I KNOW i will drop everything for. 

[Bojangle]

All depends on what they offer, but great first steps towards a "Netflix for video games" for sure. Also worth mentioning that pass holders will apparently receive exclusive discounts on both DLC and the main game if you played it and then wanted to outright own it.

[gossi the dog]

$10 a month; and the games available change/cycle each month - it would be annoying if you were half way through something and then was no longer available, although I guess no different to if you're half way through a series on Netflix and then they lose the rights.

[Clipper]

that is quite an offer if it prices as well in UK - Netflix is $9.99 in US and £7.99 here. If they match that it is a cracking offer IF the games lineup is decent and they haven't just put the best ones in that picture

 

Not for gamers like us maybe but for more casual gamers this is perfect and for us we could pick up stuff we haven't picked up previously

 

EDIT - PSNOw is/was £12.99 a month and it was last gen games streamed. By comparison this seems very good indeed!

 

EDIT EDIT - more details

 

https://majornelson.com/2017/02/28/introducing-xbox-game-pass-unlimited-access-to-more-than-100-games/?linkId=34965891

 

this is bit isn't so good but i guess NEtflix do the same -

 

Every month new games will cycle into the subscription with some cycling out, giving you a constantly updating library of games. Xbox Game Pass is your ticket to endless play.

[Gotters]

Sounds like a good idea but how well does it work for games ? The streaming tv model is now moving towards original content, music is all about having the latest music (plus the back catalogue of course) available. Even the magazine service Readly gives you all the latest mags.

 

Games age quite quickly and be interesting to see how many people are willing to cough up for this, as Clipper said it may be more of a casual offering rather than to people here who pre-order from somewhere so the game may come 1 day ahead of the release date.

[Nate Dogg III]

UK price is £7.99 a month, btw.

 

I think this is a fine idea but that's now three subscriptions in the Xbox ecosystem, which feels a bit weird.

[gospvg]

Would be interesting to see if MS can make a go of this, Sony have tried with the PS Now service which has not really taken off.

With Netflix/Amazon Prime it is the exclusive produced content that is now driving those subscriptions I'm not sure gamers are patient enough to wait 6 to 12 months to play a game.

[HarryBizzle]

This is an interesting move but at the moment the fact that Halo 5 seems to be the headliner, when it's 18 months old and can be had for about a tenner, is somewhat telling. 

[gospvg]

Two threads within seconds of each other

 

@Harsin @bradigor Fight ! Fight !! FIGHT !!

[CovisGod]

£8 a month is less than I pay for my Boomerang rental service. 

 

Im in.

[Revival]

Discounts too:

 

Love an Xbox One game and want to own it? Interested in an add-on or Season Pass for a title you’re playing in the Xbox Game Pass catalogue? Save an exclusive 20% on Xbox One game purchases and 10% on all related add-ons, but only while the base game is currently in the catalogue

 

Update on Xbox Wire:

 

Quote

 

Before the program rolls out to the broader community later this spring, we’ll be testing Xbox Game Pass with select members of the Xbox Insider Program in the Alpha Preview ring starting today with a very limited number of titles. The titles that are available in Preview are just a small glimpse at the expansive catalog of games that will be available when Xbox Game Pass launches this spring. Xbox Live Gold members will also be receiving exclusive access to Xbox Game Pass prior to the program launching to the broader community. We’ll have more details on timing closer to launch.

 

[gospvg]

Is this a download or streaming service like PsNow?

[Bojangle]

4 minutes ago, Nate Dogg III said:

I think this is a fine idea but that's now three subscriptions in the Xbox ecosystem, which feels a bit weird.

Yeah, this is quite weird. I think it would look better if they added a third tier to Xbox Live, say Platinum. So stick £8 on top of the current Gold prices and you gain access to this pass. You'll still be paying the same but it would look better than having three separate subs going.
 

Just now, gospvg said:

Is this a download or streaming service like PsNow?

Downloads, thankfully.

[Clipper]

I replied in other one but having given it more thought I may well plump for it at £8. I don't buy many titles instantly on release and I dont have time to play much at all. For instance I completed all Halo's but haven't bought Halo 5 yet and that is on there so if it were there I am more likely to play it.

 

It will reduce amount I buy on release tho definitely!

 

EDIT - and PSNow is £12.99 I beleive for lastgen games streamed - this does look very good by comparison.

[The Mighty Ash]

Just now, gospvg said:

Is this a download or streaming service like PsNow?

 

Download.

[Fury4k]

This all relies on what's available on the service. But I'm not sure of the value for money really. I mean I bought destiny about 9 months ago for 25 quid and apart from a couple of breaks for other games (Deus Ex £12, other stuff I already owned) it's all I've played. Add in Rise of Iron (£25 I think) and that's about £62 for 9 months of gaming. £6.89 a month and I don't have to rush through them or give them back when I'm finished. 

 

Oh yeah and BF1 for about £40. Still only around £11 pounds a month though and I could sell them on if I wanted afterwards. 

[Clipper]

6 minutes ago, Nate Dogg III said:

UK price is £7.99 a month, btw.

 

I think this is a fine idea but that's now three subscriptions in the Xbox ecosystem, which feels a bit weird.

Xbox live... Xbox Game Pass... what is the third?

 

For the record I'd like to see them have a combined sub so you can have Xbox Live Gold for £40 a year and/or Game Pass for £7.99 or maybe a combined one for £10-£12 a month for simplicity for those of us made enough to have all

[Mr Do 71]

EA Access, I suppose.

[MDY]

EA access?

 

Remembering it used to cost £3-5 for a couple of nights rental of games from Blockbuster - this seems pretty decent value..

 

[Clipper]

it is also helping to monetise "old" games (like 18 months is old) - by that stage most copies in shops are 2nd hand and no money goes back to publisher so doing it this way gives them a longer term revenue stream for the.......

 

Fuck I sound like mushashi someone shoot me now

[Down by Law]

Looking at the picture, after the first four (fairly modern) games you've got a near-decade old 360 game, a port of 20-30 year old nes games, and then an indie game.

 

Expecatation kept firmly in check but good on them for having a crack at it.

What I suspect will make or break the service is whether it's streaming or downloading.

 

 

[Clipper]

Just now, Down by Law said:

Looking at the picture, after the first four (fairly modern) games you've got a near-decade old 360 game, a port of 20-30 year old nes games, and then an indie game.

 

Expecatation kept firmly in check but good on them for having a crack at it.

What I suspect will make or break the service is whether it's streaming or downloading.

 

 

it is downloading

 

One of the best things about Xbox Game Pass is that you can discover and download the full titles directly on your Xbox One. That means continuous, full-fidelity gameplay without having to worry about streaming, bandwidth or connectivity issues.

[HarryBizzle]

14 minutes ago, CovisGod said:

£8 a month is less than I pay for my Boomerang rental service. 

 

Im in.

 

But Boomerang gets you brand new games. 

[Down by Law]

fucking hell by the time Halo 5 downloads and patches itself you'll need to buy another month

[gospvg]

@bradigor won, better luck next time @Harsin

[Wallace]

Just now, Clipper said:

Xbox live... Xbox Game Pass... what is the third?

 

For the record I'd like to see them have a combined sub so you can have Xbox Live Gold for £40 a year and/or Game Pass for £7.99 or maybe a combined one for £10-£12 a month for simplicity for those of us made enough to have all

 

Groove Music Pass I think?

 

If they offer free timed trials of brand new games like EA Access then this could be a purchase.