Xbox Game Pass: between controversies and progress
This column was produced with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code generously provided by Microsoft Canada.
First announced in 2017, Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service for the console from Microsoft (now available in beta on PC). Besides, let’s get rid of the misconception that this is a Netflix-style system. Microsoft’s service is not a streaming service. All games must be downloaded before they can be used. The difference is size.
While the service was generally well received, it did generate some controversy. The most important being that some exclusive headlines are available in the catalog upon launch. Specialty stores therefore viewed the arrival of service with a very negative view. They were afraid that players would abandon their stalls in favor of a fully digital service. But the divide is not so real and the users preferring their physical and tangible version are still there.
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First in the battlefield
If PlayStation has led the way with “free” games for subscribers to its PS + service, Xbox has scored a big hit with Xbox Game Pass. Admittedly the PlayStation Now had already been available for a while (2014), but it was so unstable, offering only continuous distribution (streaming), that it did not play in the same court.
From the start, Xbox Game Pass offered more than a hundred games to download. That number will remain the same with titles coming and going, this time Netflix or PS Now style.
Games for everyone
Similar to PS Now, Xbox Game Pass offers games for all tastes and genres. Do you want a long and addicting single player game? The Witcher III Wild Hunt and Final Fantasy XV are here for you. Do you like discovering indie games? Right now you have access to Neon Abyss, Enter the Gungeon, Kona, and many more. A little retro to go with that? Xbox Game Pass currently has Final Fantasy IX, Fable, Panzer Dragoon Orta for example.
You will understand, there is no lack of choice. Whatever your mood is, you can be sure that Xbox Game Pass can fill it.
These games for all are also an opportunity to point out that you do not need to own an Xbox One to enjoy the service. Indeed, it is also available on PC for a little less, but with a little less games.
One price for all Xbox services
When we first started writing this column, Microsoft was still offering the one-year Xbox Live Gold subscription. This is no longer the case, so the best deal is still Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at $ 16.99 per month. But if this is your first time with this service, you can enjoy it for just $ 1 for the first month.
Speaking of pricing, one of the other advantages of this service is to offer a 20% discount on the entire Xbox Game Pass catalog but also a 10% discount on downloadable content. It’s generous.
Let us add that shortly before publishing this column, Microsoft announced that its xCloud service would be available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers from September 15, 2020 and will even work on Android smartphones and tablets. So it’s going to get closer to the PlayStation service and maybe even overtake it, who knows?
