All First-Party Games to Be Included in Xbox Game Pass From Release Day

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

All First-Party Games to Be Included in Xbox Game Pass From Release Day

This article was published by Kyle Patrick (@SlipZtrEm) on January 25th, 2018 in the Gaming category.

 

[VBR]

Regardless of platform, would you consider this approach for your own gaming experience?

No. For the simple reason that I don't like 99% of games out there, it just wouldn't work out for me financially. It's best suited to gamers who want lots of games, rather than someone like me who only buys the odd few here & there. Better for me to buy a few in the sales than subscribe to something like this.

I did try the free 7 day trial of PS Now, but only ended up playing 1 game. I tried 2 others but didn't like them. Was very impressed with the streaming though, it was solid.

 

[lancia delta hf]

No. For the simple reason that I don't like 99% of games out there, it just wouldn't work out for me financially. It's best suited to gamers who want lots of games, rather than someone like me who only buys the odd few here & there. Better for me to buy a few in the sales than subscribe to something like this.

I did try the free 7 day trial of PS Now, but only ended up playing 1 game. I tried 2 others but didn't like them. Was very impressed with the streaming though, it was solid.

Agree. This is great for people like my friend (or me 15-20 years ago) who play all games then move on to the next.

 

[Spacewolf1]

2 Precisions :
- MS confirmed that their first party title will not leave the Game Pass (other titles can)
- For Xbox Play Anywhere games (as lastest Forza), you also have the PC version. As all new & futur MS games are Play Anywhere, the Game Pass don't concern only Xbox One (but this is very less interesting for PC only owners)

 

[marcvic]

There was a time in my life where I traded games in after I beat them. This type of service would have worked for me then. Now though, I like having physical copies of all my video games.

 

[KingFrog]

This is a horrible idea, Modern games are 20-30 gigs . this means that unless you have internet speeds above 50MBPS you're going to be waiting upwards of 24 hours to download a title NOT INCLUDING PATCHES. Streaming is the future. at 25 mbps you should not have any noticeable lag when streaming a game. Some people also have data caps /limits .
I just upgraded my internet to 100 MBPS and a 50 gig game took about two hours to download, that great for me, but before I had 5 MBPS and that would be a week of downloading.

 

[Scaff]

This is a horrible idea, Modern games are 20-30 gigs . this means that unless you have internet speeds above 50MBPS you're going to be waiting upwards of 24 hours to download a title NOT INCLUDING PATCHES. Streaming is the future. at 25 mbps you should not have any noticeable lag when streaming a game. Some people also have data caps /limits .
I just upgraded my internet to 100 MBPS and a 50 gig game took about two hours to download, that great for me, but before I had 5 MBPS and that would be a week of downloading.

Which is exactly why both services have the ability to pre-load new releases in the days before launch.

Totally negates this issue.

 

[KingFrog]

Which is exactly why both services have the ability to pre-load new releases in the days before launch.

Totally negates this issue.

Ignoring the fact people have data caps and the fact 99% of the games aren't new and will still have to be downloaded . Good luck downloading forza6 on a slow connection .

 

[Jawehawk]

Ignoring the fact people have data caps and the fact 99% of the games aren't new and will still have to be downloaded . Good luck downloading forza6 on a slow connection .

Streaming isn't a good solution for anyone with data caps... It requires data and you end up with a compressed visual and audio experience, thus reducing quality.

If data caps are a problem, there is such a thing as buying the physical release.


As for the article. I prefer owning physical copies, so this kind of service would never be for me. It's still a fine idea though. Biggest problem is Microsofts inability or unwillingness to invest in interesting first party games, which in turn makes this less appealing.

 

[HarVee]

Even assuming I hypothetically had an Xbox, I wouldn't use this service.

I'm not fond of rent-to-own programs and would rather just purchase a physical or digital copy myself. Unless perhaps I misread and this isn't a rent-to-own type programme? Regardless of that issue, I'm not fond of 99.3 percent of games out there anyway. In complete honesty, I'm typically not interested if the game isn't a city building, life, or race and driving simulation. Or if it isn't an open-world modifiable RPG platform like Skyrim.

I just can't see paying 10 a month for a library of games I'll never play. I know my niche and most console games don't appeal to it.

 

[Imari]

That's quite an interesting concept. Depending on the library of games, I could definitely see that being something I'd pay for. There's some types of games, like sims, fighting games or MOBAs, that I'd prefer to own outright because I tend to put a lot of hours over many years into them. But I also really like story driven games and RPGs, which I tend to play through once (maybe twice if it's excellent) and then never touch again. A good selection of those types of games would absolutely sell me, because "owning" the game after I've finished it holds no real value to me.

I can see how it's not for everyone, but I hope services like this prosper and become common. If nothing else it seems like the customer could get value out of it AND have an opportunity to try some different types of games for free.

 

[Scaff]

Ignoring the fact people have data caps and the fact 99% of the games aren't new and will still have to be downloaded . Good luck downloading forza6 on a slow connection .

Data caps are even more of a problem for streaming than single downloads, as the need for data transfer never ends, while a download is a single activity.

Yes it will potentially be an issue for some (just as streaming will also be an issue for some), however given the massive increase in digital sales over recent years I would say that for a growing number of people downloading simply isn't that much of an issue.

 

[lancia delta hf]

Ignoring the fact people have data caps and the fact 99% of the games aren't new and will still have to be downloaded . Good luck downloading forza6 on a slow connection .

Then this service isn't for them.

 

[KingFrog]

Data caps are even more of a problem for streaming than single downloads, as the need for data transfer never ends, while a download is a single activity.

Yes it will potentially be an issue for some (just as streaming will also be an issue for some), however given the massive increase in digital sales over recent years I would say that for a growing number of people downloading simply isn't that much of an issue.

I think it's a clever way of MS calculating how many games a person can feasibly download in a month given the Xboxes size + download time .

 

[Silver Arrows]

The thing is, I'm a fan of this move...if it wasn't so obvious this is a desperation move by Microsoft and Xbox to drum up anything resembling interest considering how barren the console's exclusives are. Lets face it, the three games front and centre in that photo in the article - Sea of Thieves, Crackdown 3, and State of Decay II, are about the only things that are in the pipe that are exclusive to Xbox One in the next year or two. In the case of Crackdown 3, who the **** knows when it is coming out considering it's perpetually in a state of development. We know that Forza Horizon 4 will be announced at E3 this year, and aside from that, whatever is left is money hatted exclusives like PUBG that probably work better on PC both from a technical and gameplay standpoint considering the reports I've seen of the Xbox One version.

If I am somebody looking to buy an Xbox One, a line up like that doesn't inspire confidence at all. Meanwhile, the Switch is flying high with both typical Nintendo support, and growing third party and indie support (Though I know that with how Nintendo operates, it's only a matter of time before said third party support leaves because of another foot in mouth decision by the mothership) and the PS4 continues to be the market leader by far with exclusives to write home about.

It's increasingly obvious that with an ever growing lull in the stream, that Microsoft will continue to rely on Halo, Gears of War, and increasingly Forza to pick up the slack. As I, and many others have said in the Forza 7 forum, it's obvious that with the essentially two year development cycle that Microsoft has T10 running, that the usually suspect quality control of the Motorsport games has gotten progressively worse, that the series has gotten extremely stagnant in the face of more specialized competition, and it's only a matter of time before Playground begins to make the same sort of mistakes on the Horizon side.

 

[Joey D]

Data caps are even more of a problem for streaming than single downloads, as the need for data transfer never ends, while a download is a single activity.

Yes it will potentially be an issue for some (just as streaming will also be an issue for some), however given the massive increase in digital sales over recent years I would say that for a growing number of people downloading simply isn't that much of an issue.

What are data caps like in other parts of the world?

In the US, they're fairly rare and when we do have them they're pretty high. I think my data cap is 1 TB per month and while I've hit it in the past, it's fairly hard for me to do so now...and we only have streaming TV and radio in our apartment as well.

Depending on what they're like, I agree this could very well be an issue.

 

[Scaff]

What are data caps like in other parts of the world?

In the US, they're fairly rare and when we do have them they're pretty high. I think my data cap is 1 TB per month and while I've hit it in the past, it's fairly hard for me to do so now...and we only have streaming TV and radio in our apartment as well.

Depending on what they're like, I agree this could very well be an issue.

In the UK it depends on provider, most don't have one (or at least a hard one).

Mine has no cap.

 

[Silver Arrows]

On internet caps: I'm fairly certain that my internet here in Canada (BellMTS) does not have a data cap either.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Is someone really arguing that streaming is preferable for those with data caps?

What are data caps like in other parts of the world?

About three years ago, when we moved into our current place, our internet plan had a 150GB data cap. We regular butted up against it.

Since, we've upgraded to a fibre optic setup with no cap. But caps are still very much a thing up here in Canuckistan.

...

I think this is a really clever move. Yeah, it'd work better over on the Sony side, where there's more exclusives (when/if they release on time), but spinning the first-parties off as a sweetener for the Pass is a good idea. Release day availability lures people in, and then they stick with it to play all the other games. If I were the type to play a wider variety of games, I'd definitely consider something like this. I'd still buy a handful of titles that I know I'd sink tons of hours into, but as @Imari said, the games that are great but have limited replay value fit perfectly here.

Netflix hasn't stopped me from buying movies. It just means I'm only buying the ones I know I want to own long-term.

Rumour has it Microsoft is looking to make some big acquisitions soon (including, perhaps most surprisingly, EA). That could help this down the road.

 

[Rallywagon]

I think this is a pretty good idea, especially if you just got a system. It would be a good way to a decent library right off the bat. The issue that first crossed my mind though, what happens if you are half way through a story based game and its now no longer available on the pass? Is it now no longer playable?
I personally dont see why there would be any resistance. Its not like Live or Plus where you have to have the service to own the game. Clearly if your not into downloading your content you dont have to buy into it. Though tbh, your probably going to be left behind anyway as more and more games move away from physical formats.
It would also have the added benefit of allowing you to play some games you normally wouldnt have spent money, and perhaps find some diamonds in the rough.

PS: Hmmm.... MS owning EA? Certainly couldnt make EA worse....