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Xbox Game Pass has finally arrived – but is it a good thing?

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No matter if you’ve only recently picked up an Xbox One, or have been a member of the latest console generation since Day one, one thing we all have in common is our love for games. So the announcement that Microsoft would be bringing a Netflix-style games subscription service to the Xbox One with 100+ games to boot was music to our ears. But now that it’s finally arrived on the Xbox One, is it such a good thing or are Microsoft a little too late to market?

There are many different types of gamers out there. There are those, much like myself, who like to dive into everything and anything, filling hard drive after hard drive full of the many different titles that arrive on the store. Then there are those who prefer to save a little cash and wait for the many deals that arrive. And then you have the gamers who prefer to pick specific titles to play each year, disregarding pretty much anything else that arrives. No matter which group you fall into, we can all agree 100 games is a pretty sizeable number, so in a sense of value for money, £7.99 per month for the Xbox Game Pass may sound like a no-brainer. But before you go adding to that subscription list, let’s take a little closer look at just what it is you’re actually getting here.

First of all, it’s worth noting the Xbox Game Pass isn’t a one stop shop for the latest blockbusters. In fact it isn’t exactly an entire collection of Xbox One games either, with a vast number of titles that make up the roster coming from the Xbox 360 category of games. But that doesn’t essentially mean this is a case of paying to play old games as there’s certainly a number of big budget titles in the mix – Halo 5 Guardians and Mad Max would cost a lot more than just £7.99 if you were looking to grab a disc or digital download copy of the game yourself.

There is however one issue the Xbox Game Pass runs into – an issue that drops the value of the subscription for long time Xbox Live members completely. You see, many of the games included in the service have been titles that have, at one time or another, been a part of the Xbox Live Games With Gold scheme. That obviously means that anyone who has had their Xbox One for a considerable amount of time will find themselves already owning a lot of the games included in the service.

Of course, we have already had confirmation that new games will come into the subscription and others will leave, meaning many of the games will change over time. But at present, for those who are long time console owners, I can’t see how the titles included are worth the subscription cost. Unless you’re entirely new to Xbox One (and looking for a hefty boost to your game collection), or if you’re someone who tends to only pick and choose between a handful of games each year, the Xbox Game Pass may not appeal.

That said the value of this service may be slightly commendable, even if you’re someone who owns a vast amount of the included titles. That’s because there is always the potential for that one game to be included, one that you’ve been casting your eyes towards, that is likely to cost you much more than £7.99. This could make it into a much sweeter deal worth taking – even if only for a month at a time. Again though, the likes of Mad Max, Halo 5 and Saints Row 4 are generally games you’ll have already bought If you have an interest in, and given that they are the main attractions right now, it’s probably worth holding off a little to see what Phil Spencer & co can bring to the table next.

Will you be diving into the Xbox One Game Pass? Should there be a yearly subscription option? Let us know in the comments below or via our usual social channels.

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Carlos Santuana (Sly Boogie1993)
Carlos Santuana (Sly Boogie1993)
After 20 years of playing every game I can get my hands on, I can now be found selling my soul for anything Resident Evil, Gears of War, or Gamerscore related... all of which will be mastered after a good cuppa!

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6 years ago

[…] in June 2017, the announcement of the Xbox Game Pass was music to many gamers’ ears. For a low monthly subscription cost, it would mean that at any […]

eternaldragonx
eternaldragonx
6 years ago

Incredible service for new xbox owners, as for those who have had the console for a while it’s not really worth as chances are you have a backlog of about 10-20 games at any moment.

trackback
6 years ago

[…] PostXbox Game Pass Early Signups, Feedback “Have Been Really Strong” – Phil SpencerGamingBoltTheXboxHub (blog) -Forbesall 62 news […]

Edonus
Edonus
6 years ago

What I see here is people being overly cynical about the service. They are assuming tastes and habits to create a negative. I love using myself as an example for this one. I buy 8-12+ games a year. I would consider myself a pretty good customer to have. Time is more of a factor for me playing games than money so over the years I have created backlogs. I played the first Bioshock but not the 2nd or the 3rd…. this service give me access to them both…… at the time of Mad Max I was playing Batman….. now I can try this out. Saints Row lost me since 2 I would try this one. I didn’t play Double Dragon Neon or the Pacman world game…. always had interest and I cant wait to play the Megaman collection.

The reality is this 100 for $10 is a great service and value. If you cant find something interesting to play out of 100 games (it doesn’t matter if they are Atari 2600 games) the problem is with you.

And for the people trying to devalue the 360 side…… we don’t hear $hit when Nintendo is selling the mini NES or adding last gen games to their virtual console.

Richard
Richard
Reply to  Edonus
6 years ago

I wouldnt have said this was cynical. I think this is a very balanced piece discussing pro’s and con’s. It is a good service for people like yourself, and thats great. But for someone like the author that plays a lot of games and owns many of the free ones already, then it doesnt make as much sense. That is all this piece says, it certainly isnt negative.

Jamie Williams
Jamie Williams
6 years ago

atm il stick with ea access too many bad xbox 360 games, nothing eye cacthing

Eric Woodley
Eric Woodley
6 years ago

Of course one must keep in mind that this is a new service, it will take time to mature, but if people sign up and publishers see that there is value in placing their lineups on the service, then the quality will improve.

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