Access to Xbox Game Pass Worth $6,300 in Games for 2021

[INSTG8R]

Meh I just got 2 years free thru a deal with my ISP. I’m. Bit of a game hoarder(ended up buying Kena this morning on EGS because it was on sale and I had a coupon on top of that) I didn’t need the game I’ve already “tested” it and liked it enough.
But I figure this may cut down on my impulse game spending of buying a game and playing for 30min and just ends up another title in my rather large library of games I never play…

 

[TheDeeGee]

To be fair, yes and no. If EPIC goes belly up, it will take everything with it.

Realistically, the only platform that does allow you to truly keep your games is GOG.

I'm not worried, the pirates will take care of us then.

 

[windwhirl]

I'm not worried, the pirates will take care of us then.

But I figure this may cut down on my impulse game spending of buying a game and playing for 30min and just ends up another title in my rather large library of games I never play…

... I never thought about it that way

 

[INSTG8R]

... I never thought about it that way

I’m REALLY bad at just buying random games because “oh it’s on sale” etc…

 

[CosmicWanderer]

Personally, I think whether Game Pass is worth it or not depends on the year. This year it was definitely worth it. Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires 4, Halo Infinite, Psychonauts 2 etc, all incredible games. Flight Simulator alone last year made it worth it for me.

Consider it like this. You basically pay $120 for a year of Game Pass, in other words two $59.99 games. If you find yourself buying more than two games a year, then subscribing is definitely worth it. Especially if Microsoft owns the studios that make the games you like to play (343, Mojang, Phayground, Rare, Bethesta, iD etc.)

But there isn't a new Forza every year, or a new Age of Empires, or a new Halo. There are games released in between that may or may not be hits, or you can dive into the older category of games. So like I said, whether its worth it depends on the year.

The partnership with EA is pretty cool though, so you get access to select EA Play games as well, which sweetens the deal overall.

 

[INSTG8R]

Personally, I think whether Game Pass is worth it or not depends on the year. This year it was definitely worth it. Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires 4, Halo Infinite, Psychonauts 2 etc, all incredible games. Flight Simulator alone last year made it worth it for me.

Consider it like this. You basically pay $120 for a year of Game Pass, in other words two $59.99 games. If you find yourself buying more than two games a year, then subscribing is definitely worth it. Especially if Microsoft owns the studios that make the games you like to play (343, Mojang, Phayground, Rare, Bethesta, iD etc.)

But there isn't a new Forza every year, or a new Age of Empires, or a new Halo. There are games released in between that may or may not be hits, or you can dive into the older category of games. So like I said, whether its worth it depends on the year.

The partnership with EA is pretty cool though, so you get access to select EA Play games as well, which sweetens the deal overall.

Perfectly said!

 

[Ravenas]

I don't have a problem with the games which are currently on Game Pass, or the value provided to customers. I just have a problem with the experience. Primarily, I hate how the user doesn't have permissions to access the game files. For me, the games can't be found by AMD software because of the permission problem. It also leads to a lack of mods. Secondarily, most every game (that I have played) which has launched on the platform has bugs which aren't found on other platforms like Steam at launch.

A fix for this is coming in the insider build for the file permissions, which can't come soon enough for actual release.

 

[Chomiq]

I'm cheap, I buy 3-months on promo for $1 and then after 2-3 months MS drops another promo. If game is not on gamepass and I want to play it I'll buy it. With Playstation games I try to stick to physical copies, which is pretty much impossible on PC now.
As for the service itself it's great, especially now with Series S and the whole global shortage bs. You might have a problem securing yourself a Series X or PS5 but Series S is pretty much always in stock at MSRP. Combined with gamepass this becomes the budget game system for almost everyone.

 

[Vayra86]

Personally, I think whether Game Pass is worth it or not depends on the year. This year it was definitely worth it. Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires 4, Halo Infinite, Psychonauts 2 etc, all incredible games. Flight Simulator alone last year made it worth it for me.

Consider it like this. You basically pay $120 for a year of Game Pass, in other words two $59.99 games. If you find yourself buying more than two games a year, then subscribing is definitely worth it. Especially if Microsoft owns the studios that make the games you like to play (343, Mojang, Phayground, Rare, Bethesta, iD etc.)

But there isn't a new Forza every year, or a new Age of Empires, or a new Halo. There are games released in between that may or may not be hits, or you can dive into the older category of games. So like I said, whether its worth it depends on the year.

The partnership with EA is pretty cool though, so you get access to select EA Play games as well, which sweetens the deal overall.

More specifically, if the service already offered the two games you wanted to play anyway... but is it really? Might need a third then because youd still pay even for just temporary access.

But still, the value is a big pile of hot air, because many games will see big content updates a year down the line and many are even roadmapped to keep you returning to them regularly. The vanilla content will go on heavy sale every time those content updates drop. So if you just wait for stuff to go feature complete and then buy at say, 30-40 bucks for the whole package and indefinite access, I know what deal I prefer... and then you are in control. That content is there always, moddable, version controlled, etc.

 

[demian_vi]

TPU comments about game pass depress me deeply

Game pass is hand down the greatest value for gamers today, but of coarse, there's always someone who's got a bone to pick about something so positive

some people are bitter. and at the same time these people would be shouting from the roofs if their favorite company had gamepass

 

[Solid State Soul ( SSS )]

some people are bitter. and at the same time these people would be shouting from the roofs if their favorite company had gamepass

Oh totally, if GOG launched a subscription service I bet most here would twist the narrative to support and say nice things about it

 

[Vayra86]

Oh totally, if GOG launched a subscription service I bet most here would twist the narrative to support and say nice things about it

And you don't see the paradox of your statement here?

Wow.

 

[Dr. Dro]

I like Xbox Game Pass and I subscribe to Ultimate. It makes owning an Xbox console worth it, as it eliminates the biggest barrier to adoption which is building a reasonable library (especially if you're not affluent - as a kid I had 9 games for my Nintendo 64!), the cloud gaming service can come in handy sometimes and on the PC side of things, it has been a way to have a full copy of expensive games that I would never pay full price for (Back 4 Blood I am looking at you), or trying a game that I found cool but didn't feel like opening my wallet for. I believe it's a fair deal. I understand some people's concerns about longevity of the service and title availability, but I see it as a buffet of games and if there is anything I have a particular fancy for, I buy it on Steam - even though Microsoft also gives a flat 20% discount to Ultimate subscribers on their store. Launcher bloat is real

Just the codes they give out for Spotify, Crunchyroll, Discord Nitro, included EA Play subscription etc. all make it worth it. Speaking of EA, it looks like I actually need to make another Origin account, because the one I had all these years has a severed Xbox link (from changing gamertag), and EA representatives aren't at all able to fix it, so there goes my library, my level 500 Apex account with a buncha heirlooms, etc... funny how their system is utter crap and it's you, the player, who has to deal with it.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

No it'll get bought and the new owner will definitely want to keep its massive account database. Those are customers you've got on the platform right there. The market will likely do its job. Take content away and you know they're not going to come back.

We have no precedent yet. But that's much more likely than it going belly up and nobody caring about it.

Actually, no, we DO have precedent. Remember Impulse, the digital game store? It was a growing competitor to steamin the late 00's. in the early 2010s it was bought by gamestop, utterly screwed up, then shut down. Anyone who owned content (like myslef) got utterly screwed.

Xbox 360 live is another good example, once it shuts down next year none of that content will be playable, and if you dont already hav eit downloaded, you're screwed. This already happened with marvel's ultimate avengers 2, in which the DLC for the game, including a character that could only be had via DLC, was lost due to a licensing dispute. Not only couldnt you buy it, but even if you owned it you COULDNT REDOWNLOAD IT.

Original xbox: the downloadable hydro thunder title was lost after the OG live service was shut down

PS3/PSP: the only reason you can still get software for these is due to public backlash, eventually they will become inacessable as well.

It's pretty clear: you do not own your digital products. If the service shuts down, there is a good chance you'll lose everything. There is a very good reason many of us are opposed to online DRM and account requirements and subscription services replacing actual purchases of games.

TPU comments about game pass depress me deeply

Game pass is hand down the greatest value for gamers today, but of coarse, there's always someone who's got a bone to pick about something so positive

Yes, many people have a bone to pick with yet another subscription service being shoved in our faces. There is plenty of evidence that the industry is trying to push everyone onto these subscription services, of course to make more $$$.

"you will own nothing and you'll be happy"

 

[Vayra86]

PS3/PSP: the only reason you can still get software for these is due to public backlash, eventually they will become inacessable as well.

Good points and then this one underlines what Im thinking. Public backlash will set the stage and some things are 'too big to fail'. Usually when things get shut down, only a tiny niche is still being served.