Support NeoGAF

[RaySoft]

Man it’s just win after win with Microsoft lately, huh?

I guess they'll have a stellar showcase coming up they hope will glaze over all the bad news lately.

 

[IDKFA]

Man it’s just win after win with Microsoft lately, huh?

It's funny.

Not long ago we were told Microsoft buying Activision would end the console wars and bury Playstation. Fanboys were fapping themselves to death at the thought of all Activision games being released on GP from day one.

Look how that turned out.

I recently went back to this video just to remind myself what was expected compared to what actually happened.

 

[JackMcGunns]

No, I am using sales as the only metric that matters, which is why a studio that made HiFi Rush got shut down.

No, HiFi Rush did not do well unfortunately. It was on Game Pass for subscribers and no one downloaded the game, then they put it on PlayStation to test if it was just not for Xbox fans, and no PlayStation fans bought it either. It reviewed well, sure, but no one bought it.

For anyone that was already buying Call of Duty at $70, the price of Game Pass for that alone is worth it. Everyone else is just icing on the cake.

 

[havoc00]

Gamepass has given us so much value over the years a few dollar increase is pennies compared to the value.

 

[PhillMeCream]

Already canceled........So

 

[Mibu no ookami]

No, HiFi Rush did not do well unfortunately. It was on Game Pass for subscribers and no one downloaded the game, then they put it on PlayStation to test if it was just not for Xbox fans, and no PlayStation fans bought it either. It reviewed well, sure, but no one bought it.

For anyone that was already buying Call of Duty at $70, the price of Game Pass for that alone is worth it. Everyone else is just icing on the cake.

Should have launched for 20 dollars rather than 30. People probably would have bought it at 20 or discounted to 15.

Probably needed to have been a PS4/PS5 release as well. Definitely a mistake for this game to have been next-gen only.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Gamepass has given us so much value over the years a few dollar increase is pennies compared to the value.

Here’s a typical scenario of a GP user:

1. Signs for GP
2. Holy shit, so many games I can play, this is a steal
3. Tries 20 games for 15 minutes each
4. Plays 2-3 games 90% of the time, notices their sale price
5. I played 3 games the past 3 months. I can get them cheaper on sale or even at the same price - but then they are mine to keep
6. Unsubscribes from GP

GP is popcorn consumption, it’s switching between games like TikTok video. It’s been proven not to work.

Thank you for coming to my Necro thread.

 

[Ozriel]

Here’s a typical scenario of a GP user:

1. Signs for GP
2. Holy shit, so many games I can play, this is a steal
3. Tries 20 games for 15 minutes each
4. Plays 2-3 games 90% of the time, notices their sale price
5. I played 3 games the past 3 months. I can get them cheaper on sale or even at the same price - but then they are mine to keep
6. Unsubscribes from GP

GP is popcorn consumption, it’s switching between games like TikTok video. It’s been proven not to work.

Thank you for coming to my Necro thread.

The $150 deal I paid to extend my GamePass ultimate sub until mid 2027 will give me COD 2024, 2025 and 2026 Day 1, Doom, Fable, the next Forza Horizon game, Flight Sim 2024, Avowed, South of Midnight, STALKER 2, Expedition 33 and Indiana Jones, among others. Likely Perfect Dark and SOD 3 in addition.

Covers online play for me, and includes EA games via EA Play. All across my console and my PCs.

All this, for less than the price of 3 AAA games.

It works for me.

PS: Terrible idea to bump a thread with that title.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

The $150 deal I paid to extend my GamePass ultimate sub until mid 2027 will give me COD 2024, 2025 and 2026 Day 1, Doom, Fable, the next Forza Horizon game, Flight Sim 2024, Avowed, South of Midnight, STALKER 2, Expedition 33 and Indiana Jones, among others. Likely Perfect Dark and SOD 3 in addition.

Covers online play for me, and includes EA games via EA Play. All across my console and my PCs.

All this, for less than the price of 3 AAA games.

It works for me.

PS: Terrible idea to bump a thread with that title.

Yes, and the only way it works for you is via a pricing trick, which is the case for 90% of GP users. I don’t think relying on a pricing trick is a reliable business strategy, and the fact Microsoft didn’t address it tells you all you need about GP adoption rate.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

PS: Terrible idea to bump a thread with that title.

In this I agree with you, I looked at the date of creation first this time but I got caught a few times before. As for Gamepass, and the rest of your post?
I am not sure that COD will be on it next year. Or that there will be a specific beyond Ultimate Gamepass tier for it in the future.
As for the rest, Gamepass problem is not just value relative to money, it is time. I don't need Gamepass when I am playing games that are not in it. I understand that for hardcore gamers, it can be great. But most people don't play more than 10 hours a week. You either have the time/desire to play Gamepass games on top of whatever FOMO game you play, MMO/free to play games/games with "infinite" replayability like Minecraft or Dwarf fortress. If you don't have that time, then choosing between Gamepass and paying for your games is logical. And there is naturally more games beyond Gamepass reach than inside of if by default. This goes to what Cyberpunkd was saying in step 5. At some point your limited budget is better used playing other games that what Gampass offer. Does Gamepass have enough games to play a long time? Yes. But you can get even better games beyond it, and often cheaper if we begin to talk in hours of play per dollar.

 

[Ozriel]

Yes, and the only way it works for you is via a pricing trick, which is the case for 90% of GP users. I don’t think relying on a pricing trick is a reliable business strategy, and the fact Microsoft didn’t address it tells you all you need about GP adoption rate.

Yes, but your post was from the point of view of a consumer.
My role is to play games, not obsess over Microsoft’s bottom line.

In this I agree with you, I looked at the date of creation first this time but I got caught a few times before. As for Gamepass, and the rest of your post?
I am not sure that COD will be on it next year. Or that there will be a specific beyond Ultimate Gamepass tier for it in the future.
As for the rest, Gamepass problem is not just value relative to money, it is time. I don't need Gamepass when I am playing games that are not in it. I understand that for hardcore gamers, it can be great. But most people don't play more than 10 hours a week. You either have the time/desire to play Gamepass games on top of whatever FOMO game you play, MMO/free to play games/games with "infinite" replayability like Minecraft or Dwarf fortress. If you don't have that time, then choosing between Gamepass and paying for your games is logical. And there is naturally more games beyond Gamepass reach than inside of if by default. This goes to what Cyberpunkd was saying in step 5. At some point your limited budget is better used playing other games that what Gampass offer. Does Gamepass have enough games to play a long time? Yes. But you can get even better games beyond it, and often cheaper if we begin to talk in hours of play per dollar.

There’s not going to be a tier beyond Ultimate. Even if there’s a price increase, I’m already on the sub.
From the list of games I mentioned, a huge chunk are single player games most people easily have time to play through.

For what I’ve listed there, you’d be hard pressed to find a better use of $150.

Of course it might be a different conversation if I was paying $20 per month

 

[Natsuko]

Oh great, I thought there was going to be another increase. I mean it's coming for sure. But it will probably take a few months.

I see it similar as Cyberpunkd. Except I call it fast food gaming. The pass is certainly nice ... if you want a lot of games at once. I rarely buy games and seldom have to have anything at launch. I can wait for many games because I primarily play things that offer a lot of playtime. Months can pass between two purchases. Not to mention the sheer amount of games I already have. I might even pay more with the pass. And I'm primarily interested in third party games. I prefer to buy them. I've experienced several times that I've played something via GPU and then it was gone again. The concept is for the TikTok generation, but not for people who like to pick up a game years later because they don't need the latest, greatest, hottest stuff that's trendy at the moment. I rarely play something straight through several times. But I like to come back to games i love years later. Sometimes that doesn't even work with first party games. So many of them that I still occasionally play today are no longer in game pass. If I have to buy it anyway, I can buy it straight away and save myself the subscription.

 

[mdkirby]

Thanks for the reminder, I really need to get around to cancelling that sub

 

[cireza]

Here’s a typical scenario of a GP user:

1. Signs for GP
2. Holy shit, so many games I can play, this is a steal
3. Tries 20 games for 15 minutes each
4. Plays 2-3 games 90% of the time, notices their sale price
5. I played 3 games the past 3 months. I can get them cheaper on sale or even at the same price - but then they are mine to keep
6. Unsubscribes from GP

GP is popcorn consumption, it’s switching between games like TikTok video. It’s been proven not to work.

Thank you for coming to my Necro thread.

How exactly is it not working if :
- you obviously paid for the subscription
- tried games you never would have played otherwise
- bought digital copies of the games you were interesting with the sale provided by Game Pass

If anything, to me it looks like it managed to get you in the Xbox ecosystem and invest more.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Don't worry people, a new controller will be released to help you accept it.

Phase 1: Introduce a service that teaches your userbase to not purchase games.
*release a new controller color*
Phase 2: Raise prices of said service.
*release a new controller color*
Phase 3: Rename another subscription service to inflate the stagnated growth numbers of said service.
*release a new controller color*
Phase 4: Raise prices of said service again.
*release a new controller color*
Phase 5: Steal underpants
*release a new controller color*
Phase 6: ???
*release a new controller color*
Phase 7: Profit
*release a new controller color*

Fixed

 

[Natsuko]

Don't worry people, a new controller will be released to help you accept it.

Fixed

Maybe they'll print dollar notes on it. They can then market it again in a few years as a GTA VI controller ;p

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Yes, but your post was from the point of view of a consumer.
My role is to play games, not obsess over Microsoft’s bottom line.



There’s not going to be a tier beyond Ultimate. Even if there’s a price increase, I’m already on the sub.
From the list of games I mentioned, a huge chunk are single player games most people easily have time to play through.

For what I’ve listed there, you’d be hard pressed to find a better use of $150.

Of course it might be a different conversation if I was paying $20 per month

The chances are slim. But we will see. We already got a new tier. There may be another in the future. As for Gamepass. Yes, you get a lot for 150$. But some people don't use that much money in a year, or use it in other games so putting 150$ on top of whatever games they are already playing don't make sense to them. Once again, most people don't play more than 10h a week. That means around 500 hours a year. How many of those hours are on free to play games? MMOs? games like Elden Ring, Zelda, GTA?
How many games have you played more than 100 hours? Any of those games would mean 2 to 3 months not using Gamepass. What about games that you played more than 1000 hours? any of those would mean more than 2 years not needing Gamepass. Of course you can play other games between 2 sessions of a long term game but I hope that you get my point.
Once again, I understand that the math works for many hardcore gamers. But then Microsoft loose the garanteed money that they would have spent if Gamepass didn't exist.

 

[Skifi28]

Insane bump.

 

[PandaOk]

The $150 deal I paid to extend my GamePass ultimate sub until mid 2027 will give me COD 2024, 2025 and 2026 Day 1, Doom, Fable, the next Forza Horizon game, Flight Sim 2024, Avowed, South of Midnight, STALKER 2, Expedition 33 and Indiana Jones, among others. Likely Perfect Dark and SOD 3 in addition.

Covers online play for me, and includes EA games via EA Play. All across my console and my PCs.

All this, for less than the price of 3 AAA games.

It works for me.

PS: Terrible idea to bump a thread with that title.

Exactly why gamepass destroyed their business.

 

[Kerotan]

The $150 deal I paid to extend my GamePass ultimate sub until mid 2027 will give me COD 2024, 2025 and 2026 Day 1, Doom, Fable, the next Forza Horizon game, Flight Sim 2024, Avowed, South of Midnight, STALKER 2, Expedition 33 and Indiana Jones, among others. Likely Perfect Dark and SOD 3 in addition.

Covers online play for me, and includes EA games via EA Play. All across my console and my PCs.

All this, for less than the price of 3 AAA games.

It works for me.

PS: Terrible idea to bump a thread with that title.

Thanks to situation like yours MS is now a publisher on PS5.

 

[SmurfMustard]

.... via a pricing trick, which is the case for 90% of GP users.

Do you have anything to back up that number. I'm honestly quite interested.

 

[pasterpl]

Yes, and the only way it works for you is via a pricing trick, which is the case for 90% of GP users

Anything to back up that 90%, or is it number from your ass?

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Ozriel tried to flex Game Pass and made the point more obvious as to why that business model is a complete fantasy

 

[Herbspiceguy]

Console/cloud/game service wars, whoever wins, the consumer loses.

 

[BigLee74]

Yes, and the only way it works for you is via a pricing trick, which is the case for 90% of GP users. I don’t think relying on a pricing trick is a reliable business strategy, and the fact Microsoft didn’t address it tells you all you need about GP adoption rate.

Pricing trick! What the fuck are you on about?

As long as it’s value for money, people will subscribe. If they dont think it is value for money, they unsubscribe and go back to the way things were before. You know, like buying games.

You can’t lose. It’s on MS to keep subscribers happy.

 

[adamsapple]

Insane bump.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Here’s a typical scenario of a GP user:

1. Signs for GP
2. Holy shit, so many games I can play, this is a steal
3. Tries 20 games for 15 minutes each
4. Plays 2-3 games 90% of the time, notices their sale price
5. I played 3 games the past 3 months. I can get them cheaper on sale or even at the same price - but then they are mine to keep
6. Unsubscribes from GP

GP is popcorn consumption, it’s switching between games like TikTok video. It’s been proven not to work.

Thank you for coming to my Necro thread.

I dont use it like this.

Its a good tool but you need to make use of it well. Otherwise it becomes counterproductive.

I have had a worse time by buying mediocre games that I eventually finished to clear them from my backlog.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

I dont use it like this.

Its a good tool but you need to make use of it well. Otherwise it becomes counterproductive.

I have had a worse time by buying mediocre games that I eventually finished to clear them from my backlog.

Idk anyone who uses it the way he described it. That would be like going to a buffet but refusing to eat anything except chicken tenders and then complaining because you can just go get chicken tenders anywhere.

If you plan on only playing a few titles, why even subscribe.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Idk anyone who uses it the way he described it. That would be like going to a buffet but refusing to eat anything except chicken tenders and then complaining because you can just go get chicken tenders anywhere.

If you plan on only playing a few titles, why even subscribe.

Well, that’s how it went for me with a heavily discounted subscription.

I stopped subscribing since it didn’t make sense. Pretty sure what was said happens plenty.

Also, the game pass deal is even better if you subscribe for one month after years of MS titles piling up.

 

[Ozriel]

Don't worry people, a new controller will be released to help you accept it.

Too busy cackling to see that this is a bread thread from May?

The chances are slim. But we will see. We already got a new tier. There may be another in the future. As for Gamepass. Yes, you get a lot for 150$. But some people don't use that much money in a year, or use it in other games so putting 150$ on top of whatever games they are already playing don't make sense to them. Once again, most people don't play more than 10h a week. That means around 500 hours a year. How many of those hours are on free to play games? MMOs? games like Elden Ring, Zelda, GTA?
How many games have you played more than 100 hours? Any of those games would mean 2 to 3 months not using Gamepass. What about games that you played more than 1000 hours? any of those would mean more than 2 years not needing Gamepass. Of course you can play other games between 2 sessions of a long term game but I hope that you get my point.
Once again, I understand that the math works for many hardcore gamers. But then Microsoft loose the garanteed money that they would have spent if Gamepass didn't exist.

Again. You’ll note that I’m speaking only for myself here. Virtually all of the games I’ve cited are single player games. I don’t play MMO, won’t touch COD MP, have zero patience or interest in achievement or trophy hunting and FIFA’s pretty much the only MP game I play for extended periods.

Getting access to a large library of games, including day 1 access to highly anticipated SP titles for the equivalent of $50 a year is a great deal for me.

I don’t like friction when I need to game.

Exactly why gamepass destroyed their business.

Thanks to situation like yours MS is now a publisher on PS5.

Again, I’m a consumer. A win for me is Xbox remaining in the console business and GP still remaining a thing. Both are being met.

Ozriel tried to flex Game Pass and made the point more obvious as to why that business model is a complete fantasy

Works for me.

But glad you’re there to pick up the slack via retail purchases

 

[Thief1987]

The $150 deal I paid to extend my GamePass ultimate sub until mid 2027 will give me COD 2024, 2025 and 2026 Day 1, Doom, Fable, the next Forza Horizon game, Flight Sim 2024, Avowed, South of Midnight, STALKER 2, Expedition 33 and Indiana Jones, among others. Likely Perfect Dark and SOD 3 in addition.

There is no a single worthwhile game in this list. What are you paying for?

 

[havoc00]

There is no a single worthwhile game in this list. What are you paying for?

Lmao

 

[K' Dash]

People are desperate to see Xbox fail and then cry about Sony raising prices on 5 year old hardware, subscriptions and pricing the PS4.5 Pro $700.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

There is no a single worthwhile game in this list. What are you paying for?

 

[Ozriel]

There is no a single worthwhile game in this list. What are you paying for?

 

[adamsapple]

There is no a single worthwhile game in this list. What are you paying for?

 

[Humdinger]

"Hellblade II is another game that Microsoft has been considering for the PS5"

That's good.

 

[Darsxx82]

It's funny that those supposed "Gamepass users" never show up at the end of the month when you can rate the games that have been released..... Surely on Thursday after TGS they won't show up.

PS. the source of that news

There is no a single worthwhile game in this list. What are you paying for?

 

[Kerotan]

Too busy cackling to see that this is a bread thread from May?



Again. You’ll note that I’m speaking only for myself here. Virtually all of the games I’ve cited are single player games. I don’t play MMO, won’t touch COD MP, have zero patience or interest in achievement or trophy hunting and FIFA’s pretty much the only MP game I play for extended periods.

Getting access to a large library of games, including day 1 access to highly anticipated SP titles for the equivalent of $50 a year is a great deal for me.

I don’t like friction when I need to game.




Again, I’m a consumer. A win for me is Xbox remaining in the console business and GP still remaining a thing. Both are being met.



Works for me.

But glad you’re there to pick up the slack via retail purchases

I'm happy for you. I'm subbed to ps premium for about €60 a year thanks to a deal until 2032 and now I've the added bonus of MS publishing on playstation.

 

[Ozriel]

I'm happy for you. I'm subbed to ps premium for about €60 a year thanks to a deal until 2032 and now I've the added bonus of MS publishing on playstation.

Chiding me for using a deal for GPU while you maxed out on a deeply discounted Plus Premium deal

I missed out on that. I did the conversion from PS Now, but only covered a few years. You guys that stacked until 2032 got a great deal.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Thank you, MS, for ruining GP.

 

[ManaByte]

I'm happy for you. I'm subbed to ps premium for about €60 a year thanks to a deal until 2032 and now I've the added bonus of MS publishing on playstation.

$600 to play PSP games on your PS5 for ten years.

 

[Nydius]

Helluva thread necro. In all seriousness, however, I won’t be surprised if price increases become an annual thing like they’re becoming with streaming video and music services.

People are desperate to see Xbox fail and then cry about Sony raising prices on 5 year old hardware, subscriptions and pricing the PS4.5 Pro $700.

Sony is jacking up costs that even while Xbox is in the market. Xbox hasn’t been a competitor for Sony in almost a decade. The idea that Xbox sticking around will somehow put pressure on Sony is ludicrous. Xbox completely failing won’t make a difference.

 

[K' Dash]

Helluva thread necro. In all seriousness, however, I won’t be surprised if price increases become an annual thing like they’re becoming with streaming video and music services.



Sony is jacking up costs that even while Xbox is in the market. Xbox hasn’t been a competitor for Sony in almost a decade. The idea that Xbox sticking around will somehow put pressure on Sony is ludicrous. Xbox completely failing won’t make a difference.

Well, the Xbox 360 was destroying Sony two thirds of that generation, then the higher ups did a wrong turn and Sony made a come back, don’t think for a second this can’t happen, they know it too.

If MS pulls out then Sony will do whatever they want and I will laugh my ass off watching you all broke fanboys cry because you can’t buy their shit.

 

[possumarmada]

I was all about game pass when it launched but this gen I realized two things: I don’t really play online games and I have little interest in the majority of games on the service.

 

[Cramoss]

Ohh come on, the bump with that thread title was too obvious. I guess people desperately want to see a company fail huh

 

[reinking]

If MS pulls out then Sony will do whatever they want and I will laugh my ass off watching you all broke fanboys cry because you can’t buy their shit.

You guys keep saying this like Xbox has not also increased prices in some regions (didn't they do it first?) and are not releasing a $100 more expensive version of the same console they currently have on the market (announced before the PS5 Pro). Microsoft is not going to save us. They will push the market too. Unfortunately, our days of console subsidizing are over and people need to be prepared for the sticker shock regardless of who is in the market.

 

[Klayzer]

You guys keep saying this like Xbox has not also increased prices in some regions (didn't they do it first?) and are not releasing a $100 more expensive version of the same console they currently have on the market (announced before the PS5 Pro). Microsoft is not going to save us. They will push the market too. Unfortunately, our days of console subsidizing are over and people need to be prepared for the sticker shock regardless of who is in the market.

Xbox is getting fucked over by Microsoft, yet their fanboys are still crying about Sony.

 

[mrqs]

I love game pass. Also, played Star Wars Outlaws for like $10 usd with Ubi+ here in Brazil. Love subscriptions.

Kinda sad that I'll mostly stop playing on my Xbox when the PS5 Pro comes out, but that's life.

 

[pasterpl]

There is no a single worthwhile game in this list. What are you paying for?

You forgot to add /s otherwise it is a very weak attempt on trolling.