Microsoft has just rolled out on Friday the Xbox Game Pass subscription service to its Xbox Live Gold members. It is coming to non-members on 1 June.
Xbox Game Pass is the "Netflix for gaming". It gives subscribers unlimited access to more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles on Xbox One and Xbox One S consoles. At US$10 only, the pass to over a hundred titles is considered such a good deal.
Playable titles
The Xbox Game Pass subscription service allows subscribers to download more than 100 titles on Xbox One. As of 24 May 2017, the catalog includes a total of 112 games.
From Xbox One, some of the favorite titles include Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, WWE 2K16, Mad Max, Halo 5: Guardians, Sunset Overdrive, Resident Evil 0, Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition, OlliOlli, Terraria, Payday 2: Crimewave Edition, and Saints Row IV: Re-elected.
From Xbox 360, some exciting playable titles on Xbox One include XCOM: Enemy Within, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Grid 2, BioShock, BioShock 2, Braid, Lego Batman: The Video Game, Banjo-Kazooie, Borderlands, and Perfect Dark Zero.
Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now
Before Microsoft launched Xbox Game Pass, Sony had already introduced PS Now, an almost similar subscription service. PS Now costs US$45 for a three-month subscription. It allows subscribers to stream (not download) games via PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, and even Windows PC. Since it is not downloadable, this is problematic on many levels considering the stream relies solely on internet connection. Not to mention, titles that can be streamed are those from PlayStation 3, although Sony is planning to include PlayStation 4 titles in the summer.
Declining retails
On the retailers' side, unlimited access to games seems to be a huge roadblock in their sales. GameSpot recently released its first quarter earnings report showing a problematic figure in sales as gamers now chose to purchase games via download. There was an 8 percent decline in its sales, forcing the retailer to bank on selling collectibles and smartphones, as well.
