I think it's reasonable to think that the thread title refers to people buying Xbox instead of PS5, or alongside of, so the comparative value, including hardware for both, is a key point.
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Is Xbox Game Pass a sufficient sweetener to buy into Series X?
- Thread starter supernova8
- Start date
FunkMiller
Gold Member
Well, I was answering the OP's specific point, but if you want to start a thread asking if Sony's range of upcoming exclusive titles and services is a sufficient sweetener to buying a Ps5, then go right ahead.
Agent X
Member
No, the other has Astro's Playroom along with its own subscription service with about 900 games on it.
Vawn
Banned
To me it is a deterrent.
I always saw GamePass leading to the company just making small AA games for GP padding and a few AAA games that they turn into Games as a Service games.
This is now looking exactly like the plan Xbox has.
They said this will be the only Halo game for 10+ years and will be built on (GaaS). Forza Motorsport dropped the numbers, indicating it will likely be the same. The Fable reboot is heavily rumored to be an MMO or a GaaS. Sea of Thieves already fits this model.
That business plan doesn't interst me personally. I prefer many AAA games that you can play, finish and move on to other games.
I always saw GamePass leading to the company just making small AA games for GP padding and a few AAA games that they turn into Games as a Service games.
This is now looking exactly like the plan Xbox has.
They said this will be the only Halo game for 10+ years and will be built on (GaaS). Forza Motorsport dropped the numbers, indicating it will likely be the same. The Fable reboot is heavily rumored to be an MMO or a GaaS. Sea of Thieves already fits this model.
That business plan doesn't interst me personally. I prefer many AAA games that you can play, finish and move on to other games.
Nikana
Go Go Neo Rangers!
Fable MMO rumor has been debunked just an FYI
IbizaPocholo
NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
nyr88nyg
Banned
If Golden Corral starts serving prime rib and filet mignon, then sure.
Many of the same games will be on Gamepass and PS5. The exact same games. Those titles will be 'free' on Xbox and likely full price on PS5.
Humdinger
Member
You'd have to do the math to know for sure, but it seems questionable to me to pay $500-$600 for a console, just so you can save money on games.
The question would be, how long would it take for you to break even -- to make that $500 or $600 back on the savings? How long would you have to play? How many games? For example, would you be 3 years in, before you made the money back? Would that be a good deal for you? Then after three years, you could truly say you were saving money on games, but not before that. You'd have to recoup the initial costs first.
Remember, too, you don't own any of these games, they have zero resale value, and you can only play them while you are subscribed -- meaning you are obligated to continue paying a monthly fee. And I believe some games go in and out of rotation, so you can only play them while they are available on the service.
The question would be, how long would it take for you to break even -- to make that $500 or $600 back on the savings? How long would you have to play? How many games? For example, would you be 3 years in, before you made the money back? Would that be a good deal for you? Then after three years, you could truly say you were saving money on games, but not before that. You'd have to recoup the initial costs first.
Remember, too, you don't own any of these games, they have zero resale value, and you can only play them while you are subscribed -- meaning you are obligated to continue paying a monthly fee. And I believe some games go in and out of rotation, so you can only play them while they are available on the service.
Musky_Cheese
Banned
Why do I need a Series X for this tho? I can get it on Pc... and all the other Xbox consoles.
It's obviously good value, and will only get better as Microsoft's first party output improves over the next few years.
But beyond those games, a lot of it is older stuff that I probably would never buy. As it is, with PSN sales etc, I can relatively cheaply build up a backlog big enough that I'll never realistically get through, so having EVEN MORE cheap games added to it just isn't that tempting, really.
But beyond those games, a lot of it is older stuff that I probably would never buy. As it is, with PSN sales etc, I can relatively cheaply build up a backlog big enough that I'll never realistically get through, so having EVEN MORE cheap games added to it just isn't that tempting, really.
LarknThe4th
Member
I'm gonna re-sub when I get a Series X
So personally yes
So personally yes
joe_zazen
Member
Yeah, too much shit to play already, why’d i want to add 200 more games to the pile. & having too many options makes it harder to enjoy what you are plying, fomo and whatnot. Besides, when i spend money on a game I value it. Free stuff triggers something in my head and i feel like it is worthless. Idk, i guess i just like buying stuff.
The thing is that Gamepass itself can fund those those games if subscriber numbers get big enough. That’s the idea behind it. Instead of taking in a ton of money in a game launch month, you can have a reliable source of income over the year to fund everything else.
Right now MS says it’s at 10 million subscribers, if they can get it up to 25 mil, that’s 25 million per month () they have as income to fund other stuff.
If you can use your monthly income to pay your studios the risk of making those big games is gone. Your customers are investing the money into the studio instead of you as the publisher.
Ultimately it only works like that if the people subbing are spending more on Game Pass than they did on individual titles. It's the same equation whether you've got 1k subscribers or 25m subscribers.
It's not something that suddenly gets more profitable at scale: for each new subscription you gain you lose what that person would've spent on normal games.
So it's a question of what does the average gamer spend on games without game pass vs what do they spend with it.
Hinedorf
Banned
Gamepass has lately been for me where I play a bunch of Indie games I otherwise wouldn't buy.... Neon Abyss, Carrion, Ori and the silent forest
For the monthly cost it's worth every penny for the variety you get. Even if you play through most of the catalog they release new content regularly.
For the monthly cost it's worth every penny for the variety you get. Even if you play through most of the catalog they release new content regularly.
pixelation
Member
Hell no, I'd rather pay for quality first party games over getting ho-hum "free games".
Nerd Strangler
Banned
Completely disagree. A GaaS game is only playable as long as it has a healthy online population. If anything I think the impact of gamepass would be the complete opposite and incentivize more single player experiences, ESPECIALLY from Microsoft's perspective.
Who is going to want to play sea of thieves when the servers are dead? Nobody. Meanwhile a single player focused title will continue to add value to gamepass in perpetuity. Lots of people like to go back and replay or discover old single player games, nobody wants to go back and replay old GaaS games.
Neil Young
Member
I have saved so much money and played so many games I wouldn't have because of game pass (Children of Morta, Slay the Spire, The Surge 2 etc). So yes, I'm getting it MAINLY for Gamepass.
yurinka
Member
Maybe in 2023 once I see released all the games shown in the recent MS stream I'll change my mind, but as of now I don't have enough time to play all my PS and Switch games, or even some of them in my gaming laptop.
I like some Xbox console exclusives, but aren't a big deal for me. I think Game Pass has a good value for its price, but in my personal case the GamePass games aren't for me.
In addition to this, my personal preference is to own the games and to have them on phyical. In games I see digital games, and specially subscriptions as something secondary, an extra.
So I'm not interested on Series X or Game Pass. I see that Game Pass may be somewhat appealing in the future, but if I ever get it I assume it will be on my PC, won't buy a console for it.
I like some Xbox console exclusives, but aren't a big deal for me. I think Game Pass has a good value for its price, but in my personal case the GamePass games aren't for me.
In addition to this, my personal preference is to own the games and to have them on phyical. In games I see digital games, and specially subscriptions as something secondary, an extra.
So I'm not interested on Series X or Game Pass. I see that Game Pass may be somewhat appealing in the future, but if I ever get it I assume it will be on my PC, won't buy a console for it.
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Brofist
Member
Err a lot of PC gamers use GP. That's exactly a reason to have it.
I mean that's cool and all. I use GP and still buy the games I want. I don't know how this is getting framed as the service for poor people lol
I don't buy physical games, cause I don't care about selling them and the less plastic I have in my house the better for me.
BRZBlue
Member
*points to title*
Is Xbox Game Pass a sufficient sweetener to buy into Series X?
why would I buy a series X if I can play PC game pass games on... PC
Brofist
Member
mhhm yep I saw that
ok nm then carry on
To my credit though there are 15 GP topics on the front page that all lead to the same place eventually
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reinking
Gold Member
I have been prepared to buy a Series X day one. So far, I am only seeing Game Pass as the reason to do that. I can play Game Pass games on my current system. Now I am considering waiting a year or so to get the Series X. If they announce Lockhart I might even opt for that if it has eliminates the load times.
iorek21
Member
No way.
My PC is good enough to hold more 2-3 years of next gen games on good frame rates and graphics, so I'll be able to play anything that MS releases day one. I'm still going to buy a PS5, probably on launch if the pricing is fair; if not, then I'll just wait for the prices to drop and enjoy Sony's top tier exclusives.
There's nothing currently on Xbox Series X that can justify its purchase if you have a good PC.
My PC is good enough to hold more 2-3 years of next gen games on good frame rates and graphics, so I'll be able to play anything that MS releases day one. I'm still going to buy a PS5, probably on launch if the pricing is fair; if not, then I'll just wait for the prices to drop and enjoy Sony's top tier exclusives.
There's nothing currently on Xbox Series X that can justify its purchase if you have a good PC.
supernova8
Banned
Yeah I updated OP, apologies for neglecting the option to play GP on PC. Although you might agree it would fragment the data even more than it already is.
Tulipanzo
Member
I don't think I even need to comment on how deluded the idea GP is bringing in more single-player titles from MS is.
You get less money from players, then you have to make fewer games that last longer to be sustainable. Again, Halo as a Service.
Nerd Strangler
Banned
You get more money the more people who sign up for gamepass. Which do you think is more enticing for gamers? A library of classic single player titles? Or a library full of old unplayable GaaS games?
Halo is one game, and it has been in development since before gamepass existed. If Microsoft is serious about the long term success of gamepass it makes no sense to fill it with a bunch of games that wont be playable in the long term.
Plus this notion that people will pay $120 a year to play a $60 game makes no sense. If all you do is sit around playing one game, you probably have no interest in gamepass. Gamepass is only appealing to people who like to play a large variety of games.
And I don't think Microsoft is hurting for cash. I am pretty sure they can afford to make as many games as they want. If they were worried about short term profits they wouldn't be giving away their games for free on gamepass in the first place. In fact, gamepass probably wouldn't even exist.
Majima Everywhere System
Member
Your poll is too many things and I accidentally clicked the no/PlayStation one.
It is a great reason to upgrade my original Xbox hardware. It takes a moment to get used to selecting and following through on games I typically ignore, but it has been a great experience that helped me enjoy gaming again. Rime sucked tho. It’s like all though feelings games...but if they just kinda mixed things together and hoped no one noticed.
It is a great reason to upgrade my original Xbox hardware. It takes a moment to get used to selecting and following through on games I typically ignore, but it has been a great experience that helped me enjoy gaming again. Rime sucked tho. It’s like all though feelings games...but if they just kinda mixed things together and hoped no one noticed.
Kokoloko85
Member
Yeah one has good exclusives coming out on the New hardware this year and the other has..... not shown much.
Play gamepass on your xbox 1 X... no need to pay $xxx for a service you can have on your current console. Pay service, own nothing.
Personally Id take that $150 a year and buy and own 2-3 games I love
Tulipanzo
Member
The average gamer buys two full-priced games a year. $120
A year of GP, with no discounts or 1$ upgrade path. $120
Only GP carries much higher costs for MS, given they have to pay partners, and deal with offering discounts, promotions, and the like.
I don't disagree with you, a diverse selection of SP games would be really appealing, but it's nowhere near sustainable, and we've seen that. Most, if not all recent MS releases featured heavy mtx, gaas elements, and were designed for continued player retention first and foremost.
It's not that SP experiences can't happen, they just become increasingly less likely and lower budget if you're relying on a subscription model for revenue. It's why most SP releases on GP are not from MS, but from companies that made their profit selling the game already.
After all, a single GP release, to get the same revenue, needs to either:
- Keep a player subscribed for 6 months
- Bring in 6 times as many people for 1 month
The latter is far more attainable, which is why GaaS happen. This again does not translate to profit.
Subscription services go through a period were they bleed money to get more content and subscribers, which may eventually translate to some profits over the very long-term. Again, Netflix is 12 Billion dollars in debt, and I don't believe GP and XBox have anywhere near the same capacity for growth, given the increased costs of games over TV/movies.
For subscription services to become profitable they first go through a very lengthy period were they bleed cash (and were most crash and burn), trying to get more content
Night.Ninja
Banned
Depends in the games but not a huge reason to buy the new xbox