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Subscription model vs Buying games

kingfey

Banned
I am having conflicting views on this topic.

One 1 hand, I like buying games. Its great feeling to own what you like, and play as much as you want.

On other hand, Subs model have the games day1 on 15$ a month sub. You can cancel it anytime. This makes me buying day1 games on these service, look like a stupid person who wasted his money.

Owning games
Pros:
1: Achievement of buying the game
2: The ability's to replay those games as much as you want to.
3: You can keep them for a long time, in a physical form.
4: Discounts if you are a patient guy.

Cons
1: You have to spend 60$-70$ day1.
2: Those games are on a sub model at a cheaper price.

Subscription model
Pros
1: Great catalogue for cheap.
2: Entry is 10$, 15$ ,60$ yearly
3: Day1 on some services.
4: You can sub, cancel and resub at anytime.

Cons
1:You have to constituently pay every month to keep the games.
2: Games leave the service
3: You cant keep those games. you only have 1 month to complete them.

As a pc guy, I have 3 service Subscription model that is available to me.

EA play, which is at 5$, and 15$ a month. Ea play basic allows me to play most of their games. New games have 6 month wait time. Plus has day1 games. Same thing for Gamepass, and Uplay+.

This upcoming games like Far cry 6, can be played on Uplay+ for 15$. Battlefield 2042 can be played on ea play+ for 15$. Same for halo on gamepass.

How do I Justify buying games, When these things exist on pc.

Help me with your opinion gaffers.
 

reinking

Gold Member
It is going to be up to each individual on what they deem as value. I know everyone is banking on game streaming being the future but I am still not as convinced. It is convenient and can have value but so far the model has not worked. As for subscriptions it is great right now but we are choosing between a few inexpensive options. Obviously the best value is Game Pass but I have concerns. For one, how much are they paying services like EA to be included? Will this increase? How much are they paying each dev to bring a game over? Will this increase? I am enjoying it right now because the value is there but I will drop it if I lose that value.

The other concern I have is the same thing we are seeing in the TV/Video subscription space right now. Every network is suddenly trying to capitalize on their own streaming service. If the game space does the same thing, and they probably will, I will end up treating it the same as TV/Video. I will rotate services as they have what I want to play during that month.
 

CitizenZ

Banned
Cons
1: You have to spend 60$-70$ day1.

Only a sucker buys a game day one. Not ONE game in the last 10 yrs has been better 6 months to 1 year(or more) after "release". Its ok, you do you but I have enough time and games to wait until they are actually done at that sweet discount.
 

kingfey

Banned
Cons
1: You have to spend 60$-70$ day1.

Only a sucker buys a game day one. Not ONE game in the last 10 yrs has been better 6 months to 1 year(or more) after "release". Its ok, you do you but I have enough time and games to wait until they are actually done at that sweet discount.
I am a discount guy. No way I would spend that money to have day1, unless its a title, which I really really want to play it.
 

Fare thee well

Neophyte
Now that I'm an adult and make a very solid living, I really enjoy what sub models bring. But my poor as fuck younger self never liked a game enough to sacrifice what little scratch I had to a subscription. I'd rather just buy a 40-50 dollar game with some holiday or birthday money than play 1-2 months of WoW.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
It sucks that you can only either subscribe to game pass or buy games to own, with no way to do both.

Wait…….

I subscribe to game pass. If a game I want isn’t on it, I buy it. If a game I want is on it but then leaves, I buy it. Best of both worlds, definitely better than not having a subscription.


Cons
1: You have to spend 60$-70$ day1.

Only a sucker buys a game day one. Not ONE game in the last 10 yrs has been better 6 months to 1 year(or more) after "release". Its ok, you do you but I have enough time and games to wait until they are actually done at that sweet discount.
This only works for single player games. With Online multiplayer games you basically have to buy at launch or you miss out.
 
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D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
Why not both?

I subscribe to Game Pass for a month when there's a game that I want to play day one. Next being Halo Infinite because why would I spend $60 when I can spend $10 instead? This applies to all of Microsoft's first party games as well as third party games like Stalker 2 and A Plague Tale Requiem.

But I still buy games day one. Next new release for me barring any delays will be Far Cry 6 in October but unlike others, im not a collector so once the base game is completed, I trade it in. Since GameStop has a $10 Game Coin attached to pre-ordering, game is technically already $50. Once I trade it in, it will most likely cost me between $20 and $30.

I think people analyze all of this shit too much to where they basically overthink it. Take advantage of the subscription service like Game Pass for day one games (like I do) in order to save money and then buy the games that aren't on Game Pass day one.
 

CitizenZ

Banned
It sucks that you can only either subscribe to game pass or buy games to own, with no way to do both.

Wait…….

I subscribe to game pass. If a game I want isn’t on it, I buy it. If a game I want is on it but then leaves, I buy it. Best of both worlds, definitely better than not having a subscription.



This only works for single player games. With Online multiplayer games you basically have to buy at launch or you miss out.

Biggest games on the planet for years now are FTP. Try again?
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
You have to spend 60$-70$ day1.
I don't really mind splashing out £50/60 for a game I like. And if I'm not sure I'll wait for a price drop.
And if I really want to play it but don't fancy putting the whole 60 quid down up front there are options ( in the UK at least)
Where I can spread the cost over 4 months interest free for the price of a pack of cigarettes.
and at the end I can either keep it or sell it.
 
It is upto each person to decide based on their own priorities/play styles. Personally, I don't attach much value owning a digital asset. I want to PLAY games. The value is the enjoyment I derive from playing. Second priority is cost. I want most value/cost. In terms of my priorities subscriptions absolutely make sense.
 

Kagey K

Banned
I do both, thankfully I don’t live in a world where it’s either one option or the other.

I also used to rent from video stores, and use GameFly like subscriptions, I still rent from my local library, all while buying the games I really, really want to play day 1.
 
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This entire thread is predicated on something of a false dichotomy. Because no subscription service exists that offers all major releases day 1 on the service.

When GamePass offers COD, GTA, RDR, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry etc day one on their service, then a question like this will have more merit.

Currently, none of those games come to GP or PS Now day one, so if you're a gamer and a fan of those games, you have to buy them.

GP and PS Now being an additional option for playing older releases and smaller games on a recurring subscription is a solid value add for gamers. Positioning subscription gaming as the exclusive means by which all gamers access gaming content would spell the end of the industry as we know it.
 
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kingfey

Banned
This entire thread is predicated on something of a false dichotomy. Because no subscription service exists that offers all major releases day 1 on the service.

When GamePass offers COD, GTA, RDR, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry etc day one on their service, then a question like this will have more merit.

Currently, none of those games come to GP or PS Now day one, so if you're a gamer and a fan of those games, you have to buy them.

GP and PS Now being an additional option for playing older releases and smaller games on a recurring subscription is a solid value add for gamers. Positioning subscription gaming as the exclusive means by which all gamers access gaming content would spell the end of the industry as we know it.
This upcoming games like Far cry 6, can be played on Uplay+ for 15$. Battlefield 2042 can be played on ea play+ for 15$. Same for halo on gamepass.
This more about specific games, which these service offer. Its not about 1 service having all games.

If you are a pc guy, you will have Ea play premium, which is day1 for all EA games. Uplay+, which is all ubisoft games day1, and Gamepass, which is all Xbox exclusive games day1 on pc.

You are still buying Cod, and franchise which these 3 industry arent releasing it.

Psnow isnt good on pc. As you cant download them,. While I can stream it, doesnt have day1 games. So no value for me there.

This all about day1, which these service is releasing. Is it ok to buy them, or sub to them for 1 month, and play those games.
 
This more about specific games, which these service offer. Its not about 1 service having all games.

If you are a pc guy, you will have Ea play premium, which is day1 for all EA games. Uplay+, which is all ubisoft games day1, and Gamepass, which is all Xbox exclusive games day1 on pc.

You are still buying Cod, and franchise which these 3 industry arent releasing it.

Psnow isnt good on pc. As you cant download them,. While I can stream it, doesnt have day1 games. So no value for me there.

This all about day1, which these service is releasing. Is it ok to buy them, or sub to them for 1 month, and play those games.

So either you buy the 5 or 6 games per year you wanna play, or you subscribe to 5 or six different subscription services and pay those sub premiums 12 times per year for each service; which at $10 per sub, means you shell out way more overall.

The fragmentation of different subscription services per publisher worsens the value proposition of subscription services for the end-user.

Look at Anime and how TV is starting to move in that direction with Netflix, Prime, Disney+, HBO Max etc..

One subscription to rule them all is a much better deal for the end-user. Otherwise, you might as well just buy all your games.
 
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kingfey

Banned
I mean sure but if you cant afford to pay $120 a year then how can you afford buying individual games? Ive seen some crazy Ultimate gamepass deals for like $40 a year lol.
I could have done the 180$ 1$ trick. But I couldnt do it on time. Only time, when I had extra money around. The individuals games for me is savings deals. Bought 2 Nintendo games at 60$ each, and I feel like I got scammed, considering the age of these games.
 
OP, there are more benefits to subscription.

You have a choice of 200-300 games so you can take a pick and decide what you are in a mood for. Instead of forcing you to choose from your backlog.

I find backlog to be a dreadful thing, instead of, look I have so many games.

I have personally moved on from backlog, and maybe, someday will revisit some of the absolute classics (like Final Fantasy 8) in there.
 
That is the downside for it. You can sub and play what you want, cancel it. But you wont be able to keep it. Good service, but has a bad draw back.
Um that is not a downside. If it's a game you want to keep, you buy it. I'd it's a game you played but don't think it's worth owning you don't. However the best thing about it is, is that it allows you to try many games you could potentially want to own or play.
 

Arcadialane

Member
Good thing you can do both. Pay for 30 days if there is a few games you want to do 1 play through of, buy the games you want to play and keep forever
 

kingfey

Banned
So either you buy the 5 or 6 games per year you wanna play, or you subscribe to 5 or six different subscription services and pay those sub premiums 12 times per year for each service; which at $10 per sub, means you shell out way more overall.

The fragmentation of different subscription services per publisher worsens the value proposition of subscription services for the end-user.

Look at Anime and how TV is starting to move in that direction with Netflix, Prime, Disney+, HBO Max etc..

One subscription to rule them all is a much better deal for the end-user. Otherwise, you might as well just buy all your games.
You are doing it for the game that is available. Like how hbo max had snyder cut on their service. Or wonder women movie. You sub it for 1 month, then cancel it.

The 5-6 games could be found on these service for cheap. For example. Far cry 6, and valhala is what I am interested in. I can sub it for 1-2 month, and save the money, which I could have bough the 2 games for. This type of option affects your ability to judge the value of the product. Whether its worth buying it or not.

My main interest this is year is fifa 22. I want it for my Xbox, but due to the hyper what ever mechanic they are advertising isnt available on old consoles. So i have to wait for series console. Pc doesnt have that too. While I wait for any series console, I can do 1 month of ea premium, and play Battlefield 2042, alongside fifa 22. But still I dont own them. And I just played them for 15$. Which is even making decision even harder to justify buying them.

That is the delima I am in now. I get to save my money, At the same time, my desire to buy games, gets destroyed one by one.
 

Paltheos

Member
Cons
1: You have to spend 60$-70$ day1.

Only a sucker buys a game day one. Not ONE game in the last 10 yrs has been better 6 months to 1 year(or more) after "release". Its ok, you do you but I have enough time and games to wait until they are actually done at that sweet discount.

There are developers I love so much that I want to support them by paying full price day 1 and boosting their sales numbers.
 

bender

What time is it?
I upgraded two-and-half years of Gold to Game Pass for a buck via promotion. I jumped into the Xbox One generation late with the One X (friends and I wanted to play PUBG). I think the service itself is neat and if I were a kid or had kids, I think it would be an amazing offering. I probably wouldn't pay the monthly asking price for it though. It kind of reminds me Game Fly which never really altered my purchasing habits but instead had me trying out a wide variety of games that I had passing interest in and quickly moved on from. Microsoft's first party offerings were pretty weak last generation and while things are picking up in that regard with Flight SIm and moving forward, I think I could get the most out of Game Pass by subscribing a month or two a year or for six months at the end of a generation. And really, if you are that patient, you could just buy the titles you want on deep discount after six months to a year.

I scrolled through my list of played games for the past year-and-a-half and was Descenders and the Ori sequel. That's not to say there aren't other quality games on the service but I mostly played those on other platforms.
 

tusharngf

Member
I love gamepass and this is where i try the games. I finished dragon quest 11 on it and ohh boy what an amazing game. I did the surge 2 run as well for achivements. So far gamepass has saved a lot of money for me. I know for sure once i finish a game i wont be replaying it. So gamepass model is perfect for me.
 
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Kagey K

Banned
I love gamepass and this is where i try the games. I finished dragon quest 11 on it and ohh boy what an amazing game. I did the surge 2 run as well for achivements. So far gamepass has saved a lot of money for me. I know for sure once i finish a game i wont be replying it. So gamepass model is perfect for me.
This is where I’m at with it.

Ive always rented 8-12 hour single player games just to play through them and then I was done, and bought multiplayer games or long ass RPGs on top of them.

Now I can do it all digitally instead of going to the store and hoping the game I wanted to rent isn’t rented out already.

Its such a no brainer and easy evolution from the likes of Blockbuster and such, that I will never understand the resistance to it.

It’s literally you get to play more games for less money than if you bought them all.
 

tusharngf

Member
This is where I’m at with it.

Ive always rented 8-12 hour single player games just to play through them and then I was done, and bought multiplayer games or long ass RPGs on top of them.

Now I can do it all digitally instead of going to the store and hoping the game I wanted to rent isn’t rented out already.

Its such a no brainer and easy evolution from the likes of Blockbuster and such, that I will never understand the resistance to it.

It’s literally you get to play more games for less money than if you bought them all.
agree with you. I am buying games on steam sales mostly that too when they are really cheap. $60 games is not my thing as i get less time to play them. Gamepass is perfect in that regards. Play 2-3 games in a month and move on.
 

njean777

Member
I prefer to buy games myself, I like the idea of game pass or what not, but if the game goes off the service then I will have to buy it after. I don't buy a whole lot of games these days so I usually do my research before taking the plunge on a game.
 
I buy an average of four (4) day-1 $60-$70 games a year. I usually don't keep all of them. See, I buy big games on disc, if I have no intention of keeping them because I got tired of them/sucked/other reason I sell them. I usually get at least half of release price, sometimes more for some exceptions I hated a game and got rid of it quickly.

Those 4 big games on average are games that I won't be waiting for them to drop on any service, or wait for them to go on sale. Those are must-have to me, period. If one or more of them end up getting "recycled", well that's that.

But those aren't the only games I buy in a year. I also buy discs on sale, and sometimes even used. I think on average I buy 4 other games on sale/used in a year. Prices range from $25-$40. Let's say on average I spend $64 on discounted discs a year.

I buy some digital games, even though I'm very much against digital media, but for small/greatly discounted games I make some exceptions. Around 2 such games a year, $10-$20 tops.

I'm also subscribed to PS+, 12-month sub for under $35, always. Great value as the games included are usually good quality. I'd say I play at least 6 PS+ games a year.

I also borrow some games from friends. Usually big games they buy that aren't my priority or I just can't get to play on release date, but since they get them, I usually borrow the games and if I like them a lot I buy them for myself at a later date.

Doing some quick math, I spend in a year:
- 4 full games = around $260
- 4 discounted/used games = $64
- 2 digital games = $25
- PS+ 12 month sub = $35

Total $384 in purchases + annual sub
- I recoup some of that money from some of the games I sell. I usually sell half of them, really. I estimate I recoup around 50% of my disc purchases.
- $160 recoup from sales

Grand total = $224 a year.

I get to play lots of games, more than I have time for, honestly. The games I buy and like a lot I play them to exhaustion, platinum, challenge runs if it applies, etc. I may buy DLC for one game or two a year, but that's rarely the case. I could add $30 for DLC and it would still be a reasonable sum for all those games.

I get to keep on average 4 major games on disc that I really like and would replay whenever I want. I also keep the small/discounted digital games. PS+ games are sweet because they never phase out, they usually go to backlog.

I wouldn't substitute my model for one where I pay $180 a year and don't get to keep shit, don't get to game what I want day 1, and honestly, it would be just more fluff than substance and a padded library of many games I would simply have no time to even go through most of them in a year, and then they phase out after a time.
 
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Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
I treat games and entertainment as a commodity, I play when I feel like it and have time, and move on. I also hate the hoarding mentality and the clutter that accumulates. So…

Subscription if I can, digital if I can, except maybe 10 books everything else ends up on a Kindle.

Of course there has to be an exception - vinyls.
 
It's a matter of common sense, money doesn't grow on tree's and in today's world people are and will be struggling financially. A subscription model enables the less fortunate to play games old and new for a reasonable and affordable monthly fee. Games are getting more expensive and laying out £70 is daylight robbery, GP is the best deal in gaming and others will follow.
 

Akuji

Member
Cons
1: You have to spend 60$-70$ day1.

Only a sucker buys a game day one. Not ONE game in the last 10 yrs has been better 6 months to 1 year(or more) after "release". Its ok, you do you but I have enough time and games to wait until they are actually done at that sweet discount.
Diablo 3 Was great at launch. Very hard and statisfying to progress in the highest difficulty. Was patched pretty fast because people Cry.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
It doesn't have to be either/or. It can be both. If the only way to play games was via subscription then that would really suck. But if you can have a subscription and buy games you want to own then that's really the best of both world.
 

Chukhopops

Member
3: You cant keep those games. you only have 1 month to complete them.
Uh, what? The minimum I ever saw on GP was 6 months, and something like 4 months on PSNow.

The solution (to me) is:

- Use subs as a buffer to try new genres and get the day 1 games you want
- Be free from FOMO and get an overall better experience since you buy games once they are patched and improved a couple months later. The only day 1 game I bought this year is Judgment;
- Spend less overall since you no longer do spending sprees where you buy plenty of stuff you end up not playing.
 

reksveks

Member
I am more time starved and don't want to do the whole thing about trying to figure out if I want to buy a game at launch and trying to justify it. If a game comes out on gamepass and I like it, I will buy it.

See nier, new yakuza, outerwilds. I kinda enjoy The Last Stop, will check out Virginia.
 

Fredrik

Member
Note: Wall of text incoming, I’ve tried to bold some key points.

I like subscription services.

But I’m a cheap bastard and I don’t pay $15/month for Gamepass and I’m not sure I would do that, we’ll see if it comes to that. I’ve prepaid until 2024 through all the deals/tricks there is, in the end I’m paying $5/month.
That’s less than a pizza per month… I think I can afford that.

And through that deal/trick I can play all games Microsoft put up on the service for 3 years for the total cost of 3 games. It’s quite alright I think.

Meanwhile on PS5, which I’ve owned for 2 months, I’ve so far bought 4 games. And with that I’ve already payed more for PS5 games than everything I will play on Xbox until 2024.
Let that sink in.

I don’t care for a second that I don’t own the games that go up on Gamepass. I can play them, that’s enough. And it’s not like on Spotify and Netflix where I get better quality if I buy music CDs and 4K Blurays. It’s the exact same games, installed and in the same quality, for less money.

However
I understand very well that such a service is changing how we look at game prices, and the danger of that. Because I know how things has changed for me. I’m not like those I hear about in the news that are buying more games because of Gamepass. I basically never buy games on Xbox anymore.

That’s the danger, suddenly full priced games aren’t as appealing as they used to be. I’ve bought exactly 1 game on Xbox this gen, and it pissed me off since the game (Dirt 5) later ended up on Gamepass and it felt like I wasted the money since I could’ve played it ”for free”. So I generally don’t do that. I enjoy the games that are on Gamepass day 1 and I wait for the rest to arrive later.

I buy lots of games on Steam though, when I know that I’ll get better performance and graphics, kinda the same reason why I still buy some music CDs and movies. I have no problem paying when I know that I get higher quality. And I think that’s where the industry needs to go. On all platforms. Barebone standard versions on subscription services and always Collector’s Editions on the store, without going above $60. You need to feel like you get something better if you’re paying, otherwise cheap bastard like me will just sit on the fence waiting for a better deal to arrive, which is already here through Gamepass on many games.
 
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sunnysideup

Banned
Gaming subscription services don't make any sense for me.

Games are fucking dirt cheap. Almost free. I never pay more than 20 euros for a game, and now that i bought a pc. even less..

Games take forever to play through. I don't have enough time to play the 10 games i buy or so each year.

With this in mind. Why would i limit my self to the limited library of an subscription service. I much rather choose freely what to play.
 

Fredrik

Member
Why would i limit my self to the limited library of an subscription service. I much rather choose freely what to play.
It’s not like you sign a contract that forbid you to buy games that aren’t on the service when you start subscribing.

You can buy games as usual. Or you can wait until they come to the subscription service. The choice is yours. No limitations besides what you bring there yourself.
 

b6a6es

Banned
You don’t have to buy games day 1 you know, there’s always Steam/PSN sales which i much prefer than Subscription service (especially if it’s a game i would be heavily invested in like Elder Scrolls or Red Dead Redemption 2, Sea of Thieves)

Subscription services are mostly perfect for games that I wouldn’t normally buy (like Dirt or indie games)
 
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