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Forbes - Microsoft And Xbox Are Holding The Golden Key To The Future Of Gaming

CyberPanda

Banned
Dave Thier Senior Contributor

“I write about video games and technology.”

Cloud streaming. Cross-save and cross-play. Backwards compatability. New consoles from Sony and Microsoft. The gaming industry is juggling a ton of big ideas as it moves into 2020: most of them have been around to some degree for a while, but things feel like they’re coming to a head as we begin to close out the Xbox One/PS4 generation. And I can keep coming back to one thing looking at these trends either together or individually: in each case, I can’t help but feel like Microsoft is holding the golden key for unlocking the future. And that key is Game Pass.

Game Pass is Microsoft’s Game Subscription service, launched in the middle of last generation. It is not quite the fabled “Netflix of gaming”, but it’s sure close: for $10 a month, or $15 with Xbox Live Gold in there, you get access to more than 100 games to download and play at your leisure. That means some weird or small titles, but also some huge ones: right now you can play either The Witcher 3 or GTA 5 on Game Pass, neither of which I would quite call “small”. And it also gets every Microsoft exclusive title going forward, a list set to swell with the company’s recent spate of studio acquisition.

It’s not a perfect advantage, mostly because other people can copy the idea. Sony has begun to position PlayStation Now more like a direct Game Pass competitor than anything else, with a lower price point and some choice Sony exclusives. But Microsoft has some important tools on its side: it has the developer relationships and game industry experience of a company like Sony combined with the heft and financial flexibility of a company like Google. That’s a powerful combination.

Game Pass is fully operational, and any other company hoping to emulate it is going to play catch-up. And catch-up in a world of subscriptions is a tough game. Let’s look at how the service plays into some of the biggest trends in the industry right now:

New Consoles: This is where Game Pass matters the least, which is saying something because it’s still a potent weapon. Anyone buying an Xbox Series X will immediately have access to more than 100 games to play on the thing, some of which will be brand new and some of which will undoubtedly be updated to take advantage of new hardware.

Game Pass, here, just greases the wheels a little bit, smoothing out the rough edges on the typically. Series X will likely come with 3 or so free months of Game Pass, eliminating a major decision point for buying any new console: what games to get. It turns any new Microsoft console into a complete experience, and that makes them easier to buy. for anyone that already subscribes to Game Pass for PC or Xbox, it makes a new Xbox console that much more appealing than a new Sony console.


Cloud Streaming: This is a huge one. Google Stadia had a lot of problems when it launched, but none quite as frustrating as its business model, which still has us buying games for $60 like we were pulling them off a shelf at GameStop. There are free games in there for Pro members, but it’s nothing on the scale of Game Pass. The biggest reason people like the idea of streaming is its simplicity, and you lose a lot of that simplicity without a subscription.

What Google misses is that streaming is not a product, it’s a delivery method. Game Pass let’s Microsoft lean into that idea: Game Pass becomes the product, and streaming is just one more way of getting it to the player. This one is a ways off, but the fully-formed version of this fantasy is as close to the “Netflix of gaming” concept as we could ever be: a large library of games for a single monthly subscription, streamed to whatever device you choose with no local hardware. Everyone and their dog is interested in streaming right now, but only Microsoft can bring Game Pass to the table and make it work.

Backwards Compatablity: Backwards compatablity is one of those old/new features. It’s cropped up from time to time before in various forms, but Xbox’s push in the middle of last generation felt like a big moment in solidifying its importance in the future. And Game Pass is crucial to that: people are less likely to buy an old game in a single purchase, but they’ll definitely play them as they come up on the subscription. Backwards Compatablity helps round out Game Pass’s library, and Game Pass helps older games combat instant obsolescence.

This is why we have Game Pass now, and not at the start of the Xbox One/PS4 generation. in 2013, a game from 2003 was impossibly dated. But here in 2020 there are 10-year old games that remain some of the most popular in the world today. Games last longer now than they ever have before, and that’s a boon and that feeds subscription services in interesting ways.

Cross-Save/Cross-Play: The advantages for Game Pass here are less obvious, but they will still be potent as the industry continues to move in a platform-agnostic direction. Game Pass is the service that sits at the center of a fully cross-play world, ensuring that your friends all own the same games as you do and that you don’t need to buy multiple copies of anything.

The easiest way for games to function seamlessly in a cross-play environment is to go free-to-play: you don’t need to make your friends buy a game if they can just download it for free. But Game Pass bridges that gap, allowing a similar advantage for games that wouldn’t work as free-to-play titles. Game Pass becomes not only a good way to make sure all of your devices and friends are on the same page, it also becomes good place for developers to launch new games when they’re looking for large install bases.

The Future: Again, other companies can and will compete with Game Pass, and some already are. But Game Pass is the best subscription service out there, with a sizable lead on potential competition and the apparent corporate commitment and resources to maintain that lead.

We’re not going to see Game Pass on PS4 anytime soon. But phones? Probably. Nintendo Switch? It’s actually not impossible. Subscriptions take advantage of a snowball effect as they grow. The industry is set to change in a ll sorts of ways over the next few years, but I can’t help but feeling that Game Pass will be Microsoft’s key weapon when it comes to taking advantage of that seismic shift.

 
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I was literally going to post this thread a few minutes ago :messenger_pouting:

Anywho, Forbes don't know what the fuck they're talking about as always
kttcolimjpls
 
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Shin

Banned
Forbes + contributer + the competition isn't even playing the GamePass game ATM.
It's all nice and good but if the blue people do decide to release such a subscription I think it will do better, because their catalog (1st, 2nd and 3rd parties) outweighs Xbox's offering.
That's not to say that Microsoft isn't doing anything good, on the contrary, IMO they are the ones moving the industry forward in so many ways while the other is just doing the same old.
 
My PS4 died in May 2019 and I bought a Xbox One X solely because of Game Pass. If it wasn't for GP I would have bought a PS4 pro. Funny thing is my PS4 is back and running all by itself but I hardly ever use it anymore. I know I will switch it on again at least for TLOU2 but until then it's in a deep coma.
 
How Forbes? Just how? I'm paying 49,90€ for 100 Go (i have a 15€ discount, it should be 74,99€/month) in France. I use all of my data, ALL OF THEM. I could subscribe to a 150 Go plan... but no, it's too expensive. So how Forbes can it be the futur of gaming? Forbes paying my mobile phone plan is the only futur i see this furur becoming real.
 
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meirl

Banned
lately a lot of paid articles by m$. smear and hit pieces started to come last year and they still coming. xbox on full PR mode.

maxresdefault.jpg



every fucking time, there is something positive about xbox the first thing appears: "SHILL, PAID M$, THIS CAN'T BE TRUE! HAIL CORPORATE!" and if someone posts something positive about Sony: "yeah! he is right! this is so true! was just about to post that!" lol

get a life dude!
 
Personally I have no interest in game subscription services but it will be interesting to see how big they become. There's enough games out there as it is and not enough time. I'll stick to being selective with what I buy and owning my games.
 

meirl

Banned
How Forbes? Just how? I'm paying 49,90€ for 100 Go (i have a 15€ discount, it should be 74,99€/month) in France. I use all of my data, ALL OF THEM. I could subscribe to a 150 Go plan... but no, it's too expensive. So how Forbes can it be the futur of gaming? Forbes paying my mobile phone plan is the only futur i see this furur becoming real.

what is 100 Go? I have 1000 Mbps (Gigabit) Connection for 50 EUR a Months and unlimited data/no data cap. Why should the future wait because of countries where people don't have the technology? Should we all just wait and not innovate?
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Another Game Pass advertisement.

This sort of sponsored content is super effective because you'll notice that the article titles tend to get copied wholesale when reposted on here and elsewhere, organically creating astroturf as fans "pass on the good news".

Its funny, I can sort of understand why Xbox fans would be annoyed by their positive threads tending to receive this sort of counter-commentary, but on the other hand just look at the thread titles that crop up, time and time again: No other platform holder gets this sort of bombastic verbiage used about them.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
This sort of sponsored content is super effective because you'll notice that the article titles tend to get copied wholesale when reposted on here and elsewhere, organically creating astroturf as fans "pass on the good news".

Its funny, I can sort of understand why Xbox fans would be annoyed by their positive threads tending to receive this sort of counter-commentary, but on the other hand just look at the thread titles that crop up, time and time again: No other platform holder gets this sort of bombastic verbiage used about them.
Personally, I don't see it as "pro Xbox" content so much as it's "pro digital" content. Whether its Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc these outlets always seem to frame the future as being inevitably digital even though other entertainment mediums have bucked that trend (revival of vinyl, revival of physical book sales).

As an aside, I do find it strange how these same outlets rarely, if ever, pay this "pro digital" lip service to PS Now... :pie_thinking:
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
Dave Thier Senior Contributor

“I write about video games and technology.”

Cloud streaming. Cross-save and cross-play. Backwards compatability. New consoles from Sony and Microsoft. The gaming industry is juggling a ton of big ideas as it moves into 2020: most of them have been around to some degree for a while, but things feel like they’re coming to a head as we begin to close out the Xbox One/PS4 generation. And I can keep coming back to one thing looking at these trends either together or individually: in each case, I can’t help but feel like Microsoft is holding the golden key for unlocking the future. And that key is Game Pass.

Game Pass is Microsoft’s Game Subscription service, launched in the middle of last generation. It is not quite the fabled “Netflix of gaming”, but it’s sure close: for $10 a month, or $15 with Xbox Live Gold in there, you get access to more than 100 games to download and play at your leisure. That means some weird or small titles, but also some huge ones: right now you can play either The Witcher 3 or GTA 5 on Game Pass, neither of which I would quite call “small”. And it also gets every Microsoft exclusive title going forward, a list set to swell with the company’s recent spate of studio acquisition.

It’s not a perfect advantage, mostly because other people can copy the idea. Sony has begun to position PlayStation Now more like a direct Game Pass competitor than anything else, with a lower price point and some choice Sony exclusives. But Microsoft has some important tools on its side: it has the developer relationships and game industry experience of a company like Sony combined with the heft and financial flexibility of a company like Google. That’s a powerful combination.

Game Pass is fully operational, and any other company hoping to emulate it is going to play catch-up. And catch-up in a world of subscriptions is a tough game. Let’s look at how the service plays into some of the biggest trends in the industry right now:

New Consoles: This is where Game Pass matters the least, which is saying something because it’s still a potent weapon. Anyone buying an Xbox Series X will immediately have access to more than 100 games to play on the thing, some of which will be brand new and some of which will undoubtedly be updated to take advantage of new hardware.

Game Pass, here, just greases the wheels a little bit, smoothing out the rough edges on the typically. Series X will likely come with 3 or so free months of Game Pass, eliminating a major decision point for buying any new console: what games to get. It turns any new Microsoft console into a complete experience, and that makes them easier to buy. for anyone that already subscribes to Game Pass for PC or Xbox, it makes a new Xbox console that much more appealing than a new Sony console.


Cloud Streaming: This is a huge one. Google Stadia had a lot of problems when it launched, but none quite as frustrating as its business model, which still has us buying games for $60 like we were pulling them off a shelf at GameStop. There are free games in there for Pro members, but it’s nothing on the scale of Game Pass. The biggest reason people like the idea of streaming is its simplicity, and you lose a lot of that simplicity without a subscription.

What Google misses is that streaming is not a product, it’s a delivery method. Game Pass let’s Microsoft lean into that idea: Game Pass becomes the product, and streaming is just one more way of getting it to the player. This one is a ways off, but the fully-formed version of this fantasy is as close to the “Netflix of gaming” concept as we could ever be: a large library of games for a single monthly subscription, streamed to whatever device you choose with no local hardware. Everyone and their dog is interested in streaming right now, but only Microsoft can bring Game Pass to the table and make it work.

Backwards Compatablity: Backwards compatablity is one of those old/new features. It’s cropped up from time to time before in various forms, but Xbox’s push in the middle of last generation felt like a big moment in solidifying its importance in the future. And Game Pass is crucial to that: people are less likely to buy an old game in a single purchase, but they’ll definitely play them as they come up on the subscription. Backwards Compatablity helps round out Game Pass’s library, and Game Pass helps older games combat instant obsolescence.

This is why we have Game Pass now, and not at the start of the Xbox One/PS4 generation. in 2013, a game from 2003 was impossibly dated. But here in 2020 there are 10-year old games that remain some of the most popular in the world today. Games last longer now than they ever have before, and that’s a boon and that feeds subscription services in interesting ways.

Cross-Save/Cross-Play: The advantages for Game Pass here are less obvious, but they will still be potent as the industry continues to move in a platform-agnostic direction. Game Pass is the service that sits at the center of a fully cross-play world, ensuring that your friends all own the same games as you do and that you don’t need to buy multiple copies of anything.

The easiest way for games to function seamlessly in a cross-play environment is to go free-to-play: you don’t need to make your friends buy a game if they can just download it for free. But Game Pass bridges that gap, allowing a similar advantage for games that wouldn’t work as free-to-play titles. Game Pass becomes not only a good way to make sure all of your devices and friends are on the same page, it also becomes good place for developers to launch new games when they’re looking for large install bases.

The Future: Again, other companies can and will compete with Game Pass, and some already are. But Game Pass is the best subscription service out there, with a sizable lead on potential competition and the apparent corporate commitment and resources to maintain that lead.

We’re not going to see Game Pass on PS4 anytime soon. But phones? Probably. Nintendo Switch? It’s actually not impossible. Subscriptions take advantage of a snowball effect as they grow. The industry is set to change in a ll sorts of ways over the next few years, but I can’t help but feeling that Game Pass will be Microsoft’s key weapon when it comes to taking advantage of that seismic shift.

A future of cloud gaming and Gamepass sounds like a nightmare. I won't be gaming anymore at that point
 
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Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Personally, I don't see it as "pro Xbox" content so much as it's "pro digital" content. Whether its Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc these outlets always seem to frame the future as being inevitably digital even though other entertainment mediums have bucked that trend (revival of vinyl, revival of physical book sales).

As an aside, I do find it strange how these same outlets rarely, if ever, pay this "pro digital" lip service to PS Now... :pie_thinking:

Nah, its just straight-up sponsored content. Its why it almost always emanates from the same sources, and why its the same products/services that are getting pushed constantly.

There's a big tell in that that this particular piece makes a point of GTA5 being part of GamePass, something that was announced what, 3 days ago? Isn't that timing somewhat serendipitous? Where was this excitement when the same title was added to PSNow back in October?
 
what is 100 Go? I have 1000 Mbps (Gigabit) Connection for 50 EUR a Months and unlimited data/no data cap. Why should the future wait because of countries where people don't have the technology? Should we all just wait and not innovate?

100 Go data in 4G (my wifi is waaayy worse than 4G and i am in a BIG city). And it's not enough data for my use. So gaming with this phone plan is not possible. It's a plan for RICH people here.

It's not a tech thing, it's something pro streaming to NOT want to hear about: the data cost for 4G and later 5G. And the fact gaming inside those phone plan is a small data part in today's mobile datas consumptions.

The futur is maybe in the USA but the mobile data cost a lot in France and i think it'd the same for anyone Europe. How can some pretend the futur is a thing that does not include (i understand it like that) the most important and richest market in the world aka UE? Futur like what, 6g? In 20 years. Who knows?
 
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Gediminas

Banned
maxresdefault.jpg



every fucking time, there is something positive about xbox the first thing appears: "SHILL, PAID M$, THIS CAN'T BE TRUE! HAIL CORPORATE!" and if someone posts something positive about Sony: "yeah! he is right! this is so true! was just about to post that!" lol

get a life dude!
you really live under the rock or as naive as child. but it is your problem. have a nice day and CES :)
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Nah, its just straight-up sponsored content. Its why it almost always emanates from the same sources, and why its the same products/services that are getting pushed constantly.

There's a big tell in that that this particular piece makes a point of GTA5 being part of GamePass, something that was announced what, 3 days ago? Isn't that timing somewhat serendipitous? Where was this excitement when the same title was added to PSNow back in October?
Yeah good point, the relative silence on PS Now over the years has always been suspicious to me when it is a living example of the "streaming future" they keep harping on.
 

10000

Banned
the question is: will the subscription price stay that low? it seems that they play loss leadership in this game and we can't expect rhe 15$ or 1$ per three month to last forever and things won't looks that attractive anymore

I'm more concerned that this whole cheap subscription based model is a predatory practice and when the game ownership market shrink consumer won't left with anything but expensive game subscription
 
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CeeJay

Member
100 Go data in 4G (my wifi is waaayy worse than 4G and i am in a BIG city). And it's not enough data for my use. So gaming with this phone plan is not possible. It's a plan for RICH people here.

It's not a tech thing, it's something pro streaming to NOT want to hear about: the data cost for 4G and later 5G. And the fact gaming inside those phone plan is a small data part in today's mobile datas consumptions.

The futur is maybe in the USA but the mobile data cost a lot in France and i think it'd the same for anyone Europe. How can some pretend the futur is a thing that does not include (i understand it like that) the most important and richest market in the world aka UE? Futur like what, 6g? In 20 years. Who knows?
Speak for yourself dude, I can get unlimited data for £25 (< 30 euro) a month without a contract (UK). I've used Xcloud streaming on 4G and it worked fine generally with even a low latency game such as Ori And The Blind Forrest being perfectly playable. Strangely enough it actually works much much better on mobile 4G than it does through my home broadband.
 

PocoJoe

Banned
100 Go data in 4G (my wifi is waaayy worse than 4G and i am in a BIG city). And it's not enough data for my use. So gaming with this phone plan is not possible. It's a plan for RICH people here.

It's not a tech thing, it's something pro streaming to NOT want to hear about: the data cost for 4G and later 5G. And the fact gaming inside those phone plan is a small data part in today's mobile datas consumptions.

The futur is maybe in the USA but the mobile data cost a lot in France and i think it'd the same for anyone Europe. How can some pretend the futur is a thing that does not include (i understand it like that) the most important and richest market in the world aka UE? Futur like what, 6g? In 20 years. Who knows?

Nope.

Finland:

1000mpbs 5G = 49.90€/month

50-300mpbs 4G = 15-30€/month

I pay 12.90€ for 25/10 4G, used to be 5e

And no data caps and many of these include free calls and other stuff

100/10 cable costs 9.90€/month

And 4G covers most of the country.

I get full speed at my summer cabin, 45km to nearest city
 
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Speak for yourself dude, I can get unlimited data for £25 (< 30 euro) a month without a contract (UK). I've used Xcloud streaming on 4G and it worked fine generally with even a low latency game such as Ori And The Blind Forrest being perfectly playable. Strangely enough it actually works much much better on mobile 4G than it does through my home broadband.

For the 57 million people if my contry. 😋😉
The problem is not tech for me, it's the cost of mobile plan. You have unlimited 4G mobile plans in UK?
Nope.

Finland:

1000mpbs 5G = 49.90€/month

50-300mpbs 4G = 15-30€/month

I pay 12.90€ for 25/10 4G, used to be 5e

And no data caps and many of these include free calls and other stuff

100/10 cable costs 9.90€/month

And 4G covers most of the country.

I get full speed at my summer cabin, 45km to nearest city

Thanks for sharing. I have unlimited phone call in UE, 30 GO mobile in UE, 100 Go of 4/5g in France, free WiFi. To me, it's very expensive.

I would like to know if it's the same in the rest of €land. Thx. We are fucked in France!
 
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the question is: will the subscription price stay that low? it seems that they play loss leadership in this game and we can't expect rhe 15$ or 1$ per three month to last forever and things won't looks that attractive anymore

I'm more concerned that this whole cheap subscription based model is a predatory practice and when the game ownership market shrink consumer won't left with anything but expensive game subscription
It has that "too good to be true" vibe. It's somewhat similar with Gamers Club Unlocked from Best Buy. You pay $30 for a years of GCU and you can buy any physical game for 20% off, including limited/special editions. However, Best Buy has shut down that program likely because they weren't getting much returns from it.

The other issue is that unlike GCU which is run by a retailer, Gamepass is run by a platform holder. With such a low sub cost and consequently, an easily attainable large audience, that can potentially disincentivize developers from putting much effort. "Why try so hard when there's a guaranteed audience thanks to Gamepass?" they might ask.
 

Dory16

Banned
Personally I have no interest in game subscription services but it will be interesting to see how big they become. There's enough games out there as it is and not enough time. I'll stick to being selective with what I buy and owning my games.
You know game pass also lets you buy the games, actually with a discount right?
 

CeeJay

Member
For the 57 million people if my contry. 😋😉
The problem is not tech for me, it's the cost of mobile plan. You have unlimited 4G mobile plans in UK?
Yeah, they are pretty widespread too... I am not even on a contract either. With the provider I use I can swap and change each month between a £6 option (500MB - 300mins - 500txts) up through about 6 tiers to the top tier costing £25 (always on, unlimited data - unlimited minutes - unlimited txts), no signup, no contract and no cancellation fees, you just pay upfront a recurring fee on a monthly basis. If you want to sign up for a 12 month contract you can get unlimited data for £18 a month currently with a different carrier.
 

faraany3k

Banned
I believe that this is true. Though Playstation won this by a huge margin, but that was solely because of Microsoft fault.

Sony has done nothing new this gen and there only strategy is some good first party studios. That can change anyyime. MS has done lot more this gen.
 
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hunthunt

Banned
I swear I have read almost the same articles every 5 years by the same shitty magazines like Forbes and here we are still 5 years later with Microsoft and his Xbox failing at everything except having a fantastic marketing team 😆
 

SleepDoctor

Banned
I believe that this is true. Though Playstation won this by a huge margin, but that was solely because of Microsoft fault.

Sony has done nothing new this gen and there only strategy is some good first party studios. That can change anyyime. MS has done lot more this gen.


Exclusives are pretty much the only thing that separates both consoles. So their "only strategy" is the right strategy as far as im concerned.

With exclusives, the only other reason to buy a console is basically controller preference.
 

Quezacolt

Member
Sometimes the future is crap and it's better to avoid it, and in my opinion, thinking that game streaming is what gaming should be is dumb and ofc it was written by people that do not care/understand gaming and what gamers want.

You sacrifice so much with this to get so little in return. Wow, i can plat on my phone, but i have a limited plan/the net itself isnt good for this, oh, and lemme drag a controller with me everywhere i go, something bulkier than a nintendo switch for example, and for what? To play with input lag? stop owning stuff just because of comodity? there's a point where the comodity itself isn't worth it when you have to sacrifice so much for it.
 

Stuart360

Member
Cant wait for the PS5 media to kick into gear and see all the crys coming about positive 'paid articles', its going to happen right?.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I believe that this is true. Though Playstation won this by a huge margin, but that was solely because of Microsoft fault.

Sony has done nothing new this gen and there only strategy is some good first party studios. That can change anyyime. MS has done lot more this gen.
Good 1st party games are all you need
 
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