@Kidfried Halo is a strange one. It's similar to Gears in that the studio finished the series, and then Microsoft carried it on by palming it off on new studios because it makes money. It's like what will inevitably happen to Uncharted - the creators vision was done, but let's drag it out.
I would like to have seen Halo or Gears go through a God of War style reinvention to make them exciting again. Infinite doesn't look like that to me. And at this point I think it's getting by on brand alone. If that trailer had come out and it was an EA free to play shooter called Space Quest and not Halo, nobody would care I think.
Time will tell I suppose. I was never that big on Halo anyway, even though I quite liked them. I'll play the campaign when Gamepass comes to PS5 😎
@Kidfried At the end of the day, that is a 'choice' for everyone to make. Whether or not the one platform gaming set-up will give them access to as many games as they want and can play or whether they can justify the costs of owning multiple devices.
For me, even without Game Pass and the small group of studio's they started the last gen with, there were enough reasons for me to own both a PS4 and XB1 so I was always going to have a PS5 and XSX. Its not just 1st Party either as BOTH Sony and MS have 3rd Party partnerships - either timed or otherwise. If I want to play MLB, Outriders, Medium, Hades, Back4Blood, Aragami, A Plague Tale, Atomic Heart and any other multi-platform game day 1 with just a PS5, It would cost more than a Series S and GP. You could, if you have a PC, just take out a GP subscription and use your DS5 to play and you may even be able to buy a Dongle to plug into your TV in the near future to play and use your PS controller too.
The way I see it, If I was primarily an Xbox gamer, the cost to me to play R&C, Horizon:FW and God of War, I am looking at a minimum of £350 + £70 per game as I'd have to buy the Digital versions (£560) - more if I bought the disc based PS5. As a PS5 gamer, the 'cost' of entry into the 'Xbox' Community could be as low as £10 a month - if you already have a compatible PC/Laptop. You can even use your DS4 or DS5 controller too. For the cost of an 'indie' game a month, you can get a Series S and 2yrs of GPU - which includes all the Games with Gold games and EA Play too.
If I had to purchase 'every' game I want, there is going to be times when I am having to decide between multiple games. Some games I wouldn't even consider buying - certainly not day 1 because of Cost, other games that appeal more releasing etc so Game Pass really helps. If Forbidden West release Sept-Nov this year, it would be competing for my money with games like Guardians of the Galaxy, BF2042, Far Cry 6, Back 4 Blood, Forza Horizon 5, Halo, Scorn, The Gunk etc - as well as any other games that 'could' release in that window. Of course Forbidden West would get purchased over ALL those I mentioned as its one of my most anticipated games, but that £70 its likely to cost on PS5 would mean that I would have to miss out on playing at least 1 or two of the others. With GP, I don't have to consider the cost of some of these at all and can still play these on Day 1 without impacting too much on what other games I may want to buy/play.
Another aspect that really surprised me was how much more interest and appeal some games have when you are getting them at no 'additional' cost. We all know there is a 'cost' to Game Pass, which, if you are like me, pay less for 'bulk' buying months in advance and also get 'free' months as rewards, means that I won't be spending any money on my Subscription for the next 11months or so these games are effectively 'free'. I can honestly say though that games like Flight Sim, the Ascent, the Gunk, The Medium, Outriders, Hades, Psychonauts 2 etc had little appeal to me but now they are 'free' on Game Pass, I can play these with little/no expectation. Its not like I can get annoyed about trying a game for free and not enjoying it...
As I said, Everyone has that same decision to make - whether to buy into PS and/or Xbox. Game Pass seems to be attracting more and more gamers to sign up - whether its their Primary gaming System or not. 2022 is looking Strong and 2023 could be even stronger so I can see it growing even more...
@BAMozzy You’ve pretty much explained my exact reasons for being impressed by Game Pass. I’m playing games that I’d find hard to justify buying, some I’ve been glad I didn’t pay for and others I’ve absolutely loved and would be happy to support in the future. Forza Horizon 4 was my first game in the whole Forza series and now I’m contemplating an Xbox just for the new one. It also feels like a perfect machine for my mum, who’s essentially catching up with 20 years of gaming. A subscription service would be a great way for her to explore games she’s missed and fancies without the pressure of buying something she knows she’ll enjoy. Really hope Sony create a similar service.
Sony create a Game Pass equivalent and it's the end of their AAA masterpieces, unless they're severely watered down and/or shortened or stuffed full of MTX.
I won't be interested in gaming without big budget SP titles to get excited about. Just online only, Indies and AA games won't be enough for me.
MS can afford to run Xbox for very little profit, Sony can't do the same with PlayStation and MS know it.
The end goal? To kill Sony as hardware manufacturer this forcing them to sell software only at least from a gaming perspective.
Then once the competition is done they can charge whatever they hell they want and the people will have no other option. Yes Nintendo will likely still exist but I don't care about them.
If they'd just tried to compete with quality titles I'd have time for Xbox but they're playing the long game with their desired end result the death of the PlayStation.
@Col_McCafferty I honestly really don't see how Sony doing a Game Pass equivalent would hurt their titles
If they water down their games to work in a subscription format that would honestly miss the entire point of why people like Game Pass and find it desirable when a game gets announced for it. People like Game Pass because it's a quicker and more cost effective way of playing current big budget titles from both first and third party. They don't have to design games around a subscription model, they can just put high quality stuff on there and charge a monthly fee for those not ready to buy it at full price
That's why stuff like adding the Yakuza and Final Fantasy games for it or acquiring Bethesda made Xbox an extremely valuable proposition for a lot of people. They're not watered down or stripped of content in the slightest. They're just the games as they were now made available through an alternate means that doesn't necessarily require paying 80-90 bucks upfront
It's especially tempting considering especially here in Canada where next-gen games are considerably more expensive due to stuff like the imposed provincial tax, it's getting harder to save up for that kind of stuff and you want a quicker way to play them
@Kidfried I admit that the 'equation' is very dependent on which games you would like to play. For example, this year, if you wanted to play Outriders, MLB21, Hades, Back4Blood, Aragami 2, The Medium etc, It would cost more to play these on PS5 than taking out a Series S all-access plan. Its not just the 'new' releases, but there are benefits to older games that transform the experience and maybe games you missed out on because of costs.
I am not talking about not wanting to play these games because of 'costs' and/or you'd rather spend the money to play R&C or Returnal. I'm talking about whether or not any of these games appeal enough that you wouldn't mind at least trying them with 'no' risks - its not like you are spending money to take a chance on whether you will enjoy the game.
You talk about the two Bethesda games releasing later this year, but that's almost as much as a years Game Pass and both are coming in 2022 to Xbox. IF Horizon:Forbidden West launches Oct/Nov 21 for example, I can't afford to buy ALL the games I want - but I can wait for Deathloop & Ghostwire, get Forza Horizon 5, Halo, Back4Blood, the Gunk, Scorn etc through GPU, and choose what to buy based on available income that close to Christmas between H:FW, GotG, BF2042, FarCry 6, Dying Light 2 etc.
I can totally understand looking at games and not being as 'interested' to play them because of the 'expected' cost. There is no way I want to play Returnal at all because its £70 - that price point puts me off and lost any interest I had in it but if this was 'free' (On PS+ for example), I would of been excited to download and try it. The Medium didn't really appeal either, but knowing it was coming to Game Pass, I was interested to try it - and whilst I do agree with the majority of reviews in Principal, I don't think its as 'bad' as some made out - maybe because I haven't spent money on it and looking at whether it offers me a good value. I had no interest in the Ascent - I don't tend to spend money on Isometric twin stick shooters - its a game I would wait for it to appear on PS+/Gold. However, knowing its on Game Pass has really increased my interest and now, it will be a Day 1 download.
I can't see how PS5 offers 'better' value - looking at ALL just the multi-platform games on Game Pass of 'new' releases for 2021, the cost to play them on PS5 - even if you already 'have' a PS5 is more expensive than a year of Game Pass. To get a Series S and Game Pass Ultimate (includes EA Play and Gold - as well as some perks and Mobile streaming too) would cost about £252 a year (or 348 for a Series X). It cost £60 to buy MLB21 on PS5, add up the cost of The Medium (coming to PS5 this year), Outriders, Hades, Back4Blood, Aragami 2, Psychonauts 2, D&D Dark Alliance, Among Us etc and that's more than the cost of GP. That's also 'just' the games releasing this year on BOTH systems. Add in Flight Sim, The Gunk, Scorn, FH5, Halo Campaign, its a Bargain. Returnal & R&C costs £70 each (£140) and a year of PS+ costs £50), a year of Game Pass Ultimate is £132 (or less - £10.99 a month - with Gold and EA Play included too).
That's without all the other games that are available - some you may already own on PS - but get enhanced performance on Series Consoles. Games from the Zenimax group are obviously on there, but so are games from EA, Ubisoft etc too. As a PS gamer, you can play basically all the Xbox games you missed out on too - inc Sunset Overdrive, Ori games, State of Decay, Forza, Sea of Thieves, Rare Replay. Its not 'just' the 'new games coming, but games that you may of missed out on for one reason or another. The whole Yakuza Series for example is there. Like I said, there is 'no' barrier to try these so even if you aren't really interested in Forza Horizon because the 'cost' to even try it has been prohibitive - not only do you need to buy the Game, but also the hardware and any additional costs (Gold to play online) and buying the Hardware doesn't make sense because most of the games you want to play, can be 'bought' for PS too - but with Game Pass, you are 'saving' money on numerous multi-platform games as well and you are not getting just '1' game but access to 'hundreds' instantly.
I know that £132 could buy 2+ more games on PS5 rather than pay for another Subscription service where the 'only' thing you get to show for it are the '24' OG/360 era Games with Gold you get to keep but like I said, I can play more than £132 will buy you on PS5. If you go the All Access route, that's £504 for a Series S and 2yrs of GPU (worth 264) and Access to ALL those new games coming as well as hundreds of games from 4 generations of gaming - not JUST old Xbox exclusives, but games from many publishers.
I have both a Series X and PS5 so I am NOT missing out on playing Sony's 'exclusives' - timed or otherwise and NOT saying that PS5 gamers should 'jump' to Xbox/Game Pass. I am saving money because of Game Pass regardless and playing a LOT more titles - many of which I wouldn't of IF I only had a PS5 because I do not have the money to spend that much on gaming. Just MLB21 and Outriders basically covered the cost of Game Pass - but I wouldn't have played either on PS5 because neither 'interested' me enough to spend £50-£60 on them. Overall, I am spending 'less' on Games than I would if I only had a PS5, but playing many many more games than my budget would allow if GP didn't exist.
At the end of the day, People have the freedom of choice to decide what is the 'best' option for them, their budget and gaming preferences. However, saying PS5 offers 'better value' is ridiculous. Just playing the 'same' multi-platform releases that are on GP Day 1 will cost a Playstation only gamer a LOT more over the course of a year. I am not going to argue about whether PS 'exclusives' appeal more or not - that's personal preference. The point is, if I am not spending £60-70 to play games like Outriders, MLB21, Back4Blood, FH5, Halo, Flight Sim, Aragami 2, Plague Tale, Yakuza Series, STALKER2, Hades etc etc etc, I have money to spend on games like Horizon:FW, Guardians of the Galaxy, God of War, BF2042, Far Cry 6.
I am not saying that people should give up their Playstation 5 and swap to a device offering Game Pass. I am just saying that for a 'relatively' Small cost, they can add a LOT to their gaming Library and save them money too. I think there is more than enough multi-platform releases on Game Pass to make it cheaper than just being a PS5 gamer - without considering all the exclusives. I can totally understand why someone may prefer Sony's Exclusives overall to make a PS5 more appealing than Xbox - certainly if trying to decide which platform is your Primary, but Game Pass is 'more' than just Xbox Exclusives. You get all of those at no extra cost too - like I said Returnal and R&C would cost £140, but Flight Sim, Forza Horizon 5, Back4Blood, Hades, MLB21, Outriders, Aragami 2, A Plague Tale, Medium, 12 Minutes etc as well as all the games already available from 20yrs of gaming history - inc Rare Replay, Sunset Overdrive, Ori, the entire Doom franchise as well as many other Bethesda games - Also get EA Play and Gold too for £132 a year. So for £272, I get to play all the GPU games and the 2 PS5 games but if I had just a PS5, that £272 would get me about 4 AAA Games - R&C, Returnal and MLB21 is £200 and I bet H:FW will be £70 on PS5 - so would miss out on ALL those others. I can't justify spending £270 on 4 games (4x £70 = £280 btw) but £140 on 2 and £132 on hundreds of games, with more than £132 worth of 'new' releases coming day 1. For the Cost of MLB21 & Outriders on PS5, you get those, plus Hades, Aragami2, B4B, Plague Tale, Stalker 2, the Medium etc. For about the Cost of Deathloop and Ghostwire on PS5 you can get both (albeit about 6months later) and all the other games released on GPU in the 'year' (+ all the games already on it). I don't have to choose between buying Outriders, MLB21 or Returnal, I can play all for little more than the cost of Returnal and a lot cheaper than it would cost me to play those 3 on PS5.
That's why its 'better' value and why all the gaming press are constantly praising the 'value' of Game Pass and why Game Pass grew from 15m in Sept, to 18m by January and surpassed 23m by April. Its why many keep asking what Sony are going to do to offer the 'same' value to their service. Its why PushSquare make yet another article about the 'value' of Game Pass as Xbox gamers get to play all these same games on Day 1 for a 'small' monthly charge yet they have to pay £60 to get the 'same' game. 27 of the 30 games shown are coming to GP - the only ones not were FarCry6, BF2042 and Diablo 2. couple that with ALL the games that were 'absent' too - Hellblade 2, Perfect Dark, Motorsport, Fable, Avowed, Project Mara etc - I can play all these in the next few years and pay 'up to' £132 a year to do so. that's 'cheaper' than two PS5 exclusives and the fact that I am saving 'money' buy having Game Pass - not buying those games, means I can spend that money on Sony's Exclusives or other multi-platform releases that aren't on Game Pass.
For me, I'd rather spend the £132 on GPU and get all those games - saving me money in the long run to buy the games that are not on Game Pass. If H:FW release late this year, I don't have to miss out on FH5, Halo, the Gunk, Back4Blood etc because H:FW appeals more to me - its still going to cost me about the same to play all those games as its costing someone just on PS5 to play just the 1 game. Literally for £21-£29 a month, you also get the console hardware, EA Play and Gold - the cost of an Indie Game a month, a AAA every 2 to 3 months, a year of PS+ every 2-3months.
Lets put it another way - If you are a PS5 gamer and want to expand your library and save money in the long run, Game Pass is a fantastic great value option. The multi-platform games alone can save you more money than the cost of a years Game Pass Ultimate (with EA Play & Gold included - especially as a years PS+ is £50 on its own). You couldn't buy all the multi-platform releases for the cost of doing All-Access on a Series X (£29 a month) - 2-3 months of that is the cost of MLB21 alone - yet get a console, Gold, EA Access and ALL the games in Game Pass. Once those 2yrs are up, you can keep the console (or trade it in if you want) and resub to GPU for just £11 a month - that's about the cost of buying an indie game every 2 months or the cost of buying a AAA game every 6 months. However, If you are an Xbox gamer, wanting to play 'just' the Playstation Exclusives, you need at least £350 to get a console, maybe £50 a year for PS+ and £70 per game. 2 a year, that's £140 - that's more than the £132 for ALL the Exclusives and quite a few multi-platform games coming Day 1 in a year (or £252 a year for a Series S or £348 a year for a Series X through All Access which is for 2yrs, after which, you keep the console and can resubscribe to GPU for £11 a month so will drop to £132 a year). Point is, by taking out a Game Pass Subscription, whether you do that on PC or Console, the cost of doing so is LESS than the cost to play some of the Multi-platform releases coming Day 1 to BOTH. You save money by playing those games on Game Pass instead and can put that money to buying other games on PS5 if you want. Those Game Pass games aren't coming out of my gaming budget so I am not having to choose between buying Halo or BF2042, choosing whether to spend money on FH5 or Guardians of the Galaxy, Back4Blood or Far Cry 6... I can play all 6 for the price of 3 - add in Deathloop, Ghostwire, Dying Light 2, maybe Horizon: Forbidden West as well as Scorn, the Gunk and all the other games releasing this Holiday, it could be a very expensive time. Game Pass pays for itself and the money I may of spent on FH5, B4B, H:I, Scorn and/or the Gunk is now available to go on GotG, H:FW, FC6 etc instead. As a PS5 gamer primarily, you can literally save money by playing some games on Game Pass and using that money you would of spent, buying the games on PS5 that aren't on GP.
A pessimist is just an optimist with experience!
Why can't life be like gaming? Why can't I restart from an earlier checkpoint??
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Bring on forza 5! Have loved playing 4, it's the first open world racer I had ever played and its so much fun. At its current price, gamepass is a no brainer. @kidifried could recommend getting your xbox (if you decide that's what you want) from the all access scheme, if its availablewhere you are. As it's a credit agreement, your not competing with scalpers and your new console comes with an instant huge library.
I don't have an Xbox (or PC), but really want to play Flight Simulator when it comes to console so I've decided to dip my toes into the dark side of streaming, lol.
Signed up for GPU & downloaded the GP app to my tablet (and phone), and have been pleasantly surprised by the streaming experience thus far. I wasn't able to use my 3rd party Switch controller, though my Dualshock 4 worked just fine, and whether with the controller or touch controls it feels responsive (though I'm personally not a fan of touch controls, I wanted to test them out), the image quality is clear (though not as sharp as playing natively, but I think the streaming is capped at 720p, so that's probably why), and I've only experienced a couple, brief instances of lag the entire time I've played so far.
I've mostly played Forza Horizon 4, but also a little bit of the Touryst (I've already beaten it on Switch, but I needed something with which to test out the touch controls which Forza doesn't support).
Still need much more time to deliver a stronger verdict, but hopefully it continues to hold up well.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
I find it hilarious Pete Hines had to actively apologize to PS5 and PS4 owners for Starfield being exclusive to Xbox post-acquisition when the other outcome could've likely been Sony buying out timed exclusivity on the game like what they did with Deathloop and GhostWire among other PS5 games
Plus it's still going to be on PC and playable through the cloud on like any smart device or computer. That's honestly a way better deal than Sony literally holding the game hostage for 6-12 months on just their platform
@colonelkilgore Maybe but the Microsoft investment is likely also going towards stuff like engine updates or just putting more money behind the games as well so I find it needed if anything. Plus Game Pass and xCloud is a pretty big deal for games like these regardless
Todd Howard didn't even mention Starfield would be running on a new engine until after the buyout happened. He actually indicated before then that it would just be the same Creation Engine used on all their other games
I still think Bethesda always felt more at home with Microsoft than Sony with how much of an advantage Xbox players got over PS players when it came to receiving content or other perks early
There's no way Sony is doing a Gamepass. It's a totally unsustainable business model. If Sony comes up with some kind of offering to counter Gamepass it won't be anywhere near as ridiculous as Gamepass is.
I find myself becoming irritated by Microsoft's position, if I'm honest. Not really because of them - they're doing a good job, albeit a dangerous one, I think - but because it doesn't suit me personally. Xbox has a handful of games I want, but not enough to justify the purchase of a Series X.
I wish they'd be either better or worse. I don't like the limbo. I preferred the 360 gen when I had to have one, and the last gen when it didn't matter if I skipped Xbox One. Now I'm like Larry David outside the Palestinian Chicken place.
@johncalmc Honestly imo them not having Game Pass would've probably put them in a worse position than they are now
The big reason I'm paying closer attention to Microsoft after years of being mostly on PlayStation/Nintendo/PC is basically because Game Pass is this big thing that not only added an alternate means for playing their games but also that in addition to their commitment to PC gave me an easy way to sample what exactly Xbox was getting alongside all the exclusives and games I bought for other platforms, and Bethesda being added to that fold has basically made me want to keep them on my radar now
They're also slowly starting to get some real good Japanese content thanks to stuff like SEGA and Square backing the hell out of them. It's a far cry to Sony and Nintendo's offerings of course but it's significantly better than where they were this time 6-7 years ago
@TheFrenchiestFry@johncalmc the funny thing is that the majority of the PlayStation audience don’t even want a GamePass equivalent. I like having all of my games lined up on the shelf, so when I want to play one… any one, I can. Apart from the Xbox exclusives, which are still a pathetic situation until more than a Forza game is released with genuine quality… a lot of third party games come and go like the wind.
I’ve lost count of the amount of times, my Xbox playing colleagues have come to me asking for a good game suggestion… and when I suggest one, the ensuing reply in “Ahh, it’s not on GamePass.”. Honestly, it has happened again and again.
I know Xbox players genuinely think PlayStation players are ‘damage-controlling’ when we say this but the stark reality Is it’s the genuine truth, I have no need or want for a rental streaming service that deters me from playing the games I want to play as they’re not on it.
@nessisonett of course I know you can, the reality is though that it is deterring Xbox players from buying games whether they want them or not, Xbox players have gotten so used to playing their main exclusive ‘wait-simulator’ that every one I know will simply ‘wait’ in the hope it will eventually end up on GamePass.
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