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- In addition to a price hike, the new Xbox Game Pass Standard lacks attractive features.
- PC Game Pass, on the other hand, costs less while providing all the benefits.
- Microsoft’s focus on Game Pass as a service and drifting away from Xbox is apparent from this decision.
In a time when gaming is becoming an expensive hobby, subscription services are a godsend. A ton of games for a small monthly or yearly fee? Sign me up. Even more so when they also include big releases on day one, like Microsoft offers with Game Pass. Sounds pretty attractive, right?
Microsoft knows the potential of this fully and has staked everything in your desire to get this service. And by everything, I mean even its signature console, the Xbox. Despite the platform’s rich history, I believe the time of Xbox is approaching an end, and Game Pass will be all that remains.
Why it matters: After losing its exclusives, Xbox also lost to PC when it comes to the value of Game Pass, which reinforces Microsoft’s changing priorities.
Game Pass On Xbox Is Changing
Microsoft’s priority is Game Pass, but it doesn’t necessarily mean Game Pass on Xbox. In fact, it looks like it’s the opposite. From multi-platform releases to tier changes, it seems like even Microsoft’s new champion is now slowly conditioning you to abandon Xbox as a platform.
How are you feeling about the current state of Xbox?
byu/W00D-SMASH inXboxSeriesX
Why’s that? There are two reasons. First, Game Pass on Xbox is going through some integral changes, which were inevitable the moment Call of Duty was added to it. These include a price hike and a new tier. The ultimate tier is the same, with all its benefits intact, but it now costs $19.99 a month. Don’t like the pricing? Microsoft’s got a milder option for you.
The Standard tier is here, which costs less but has a massive downside of no Day-One releases and big titles like Call of Duty, etc. It costs $14.99 a month, a little more than Core despite being essentially similar in value. No Day-One releases, no important titles, can you even call this “Game Pass” anymore?
PC Game Pass Has Xbox Completely Beat
Now, for my second reason, I will discuss how the service is presented on what will probably be Microsoft’s focus now: the PC platform. Not only did Game Pass get a hefty price hike and a “dwindled features” tier on the Xbox, but it also made the PC one that much more of a killer deal. Why’s that, you ask? Let me explain.
Xbox (PC) GamePass is unbelievable. Have you seen how many top games you’re about to get for 3 months, free?!
byu/worldsinho inROGAlly
Xbox Standard costs $14.99 monthly with no big titles and day-one releases, just basic online play features and a less impressive catalog. On the other hand, PC Game Pass costs $11.99 a month while including everything that makes it such an attractive service. What did Microsoft mean by this?
I think this was Microsoft’s way of saying, “It’s time to leave Xbox behind and move to PC.” I mean, you’re getting all the features at a low price, making the Game Pass on Xbox a blatantly worse deal. Microsoft used these changes to promote PC indirectly.
Microsoft’s Plans Do Not Include Xbox
All of this further cements that Microsoft is no longer interested in maintaining the Xbox platform. It can potentially gain much more from cross-platform sales and Game Pass subscribers, and PC is a much larger market, so providing better features on it only makes sense.
Microsoft’s abandonment of Xbox is practically a done deal now. All of it started when the tech giant started doubling down on its subscription service. It gave away Xbox’s exclusives and released big games on its subscription service rather than counting on normal sales, and this recent change just might be the nail in the coffin.
Does Xbox/Microsoft want exclusive games or not? How do you feel about the future of Xbox?
byu/trio3224 inItsAllAboutGames
I understand Microsoft’s desire to pursue something it is confident in, but that doesn’t make the loss of Xbox less painful. Microsoft is potentially abandoning decades of history, all for more profits. Xbox is essentially a hollow shell now.
It’s Sad To See Xbox Go
Instead of looking for an escape route, Microsoft could’ve fought for Xbox’s future. But no, it decided to shift focus, and because it did, Sony is free to control the market and issue ridiculous $700 mid-gen refreshes.
Alas, nothing I say is going to change this. All I know is that I’ll genuinely miss Xbox if Microsoft pulls the plug. I had one hell of a time with my Xbox 360. I’m not happy with Microsoft abandoning it, but that’s the cruel reality.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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