Xbox Games Showcase is in the books, giving us our best look yet Halo Infinite, while revealing promising new Xbox Series X titles like Forza Motorsport and Fable 4. And although it did not leave me as speechless as the exciting Sony PS5 In June, the Microsoft event did something even more important: it solidified Xbox Game Pass as the best value in gaming.
Each and every one of the nearly 20 games featured at Microsoft’s big Xbox event will be available on Xbox Game Pass as soon as they launch. This means that you will be able to access the games with a monthly subscription fee of between $ 5 and $ 15 per month, instead of buying them for $ 60 each. They range from major first-party games like Halo Infinite and State of Decay 3, to third-party titles like Destiny 2: Beyond Light and Stalker 2.
With two new expensive consoles to debut this fall, and some next-gen games get a price increase to $ 70Microsoft’s Netflix-like approach to delivering games is a refreshing, consumer-friendly move.
The value of Xbox Game Pass
“Microsoft is putting a lot of pressure on subscription plans like Xbox Game Pass … so the retail price of AAA games from the start has become a less important factor over time for an ever-growing portion of the base of console players, “Lewis Ward, director of gaming research at marketing research firm IDC, told us earlier this month.
This duplication in Game Pass is further linked to Microsoft’s focus on creating a Xbox complete ecosystem, instead of forcing you to buy a single console. Many of the titles shown on the Xbox Games Showcase will be playable on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. And soon, you’ll even be able to play them on your cheap cloud phone, tablet, or laptop, now that Microsoft’s Project xCloud streaming service is set up to be part of Game Pass.
It could be argued that Microsoft’s focus holds the Xbox Series X against the PS5. Titles like Horizon: Forbidden West and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart are specifically designed to harness the power of Sony’s new console. Arguably, these two games looked more impressive than Halo Infinite, which didn’t exhibit the glitz and shine of a true next-gen game.
However, Microsoft is playing the long game here, and its recent moves could position the Xbox Series X as the ultimate console for gamers who want maximum performance. Buying exclusive games like Spider-Man and Horizon on top of your $ 400- $ 500 console can add up quickly; Being able to get great games like Halo and Fable for a few dollars a month could be a lot easier to swallow.
The Game Pass approach also extends the reach of Microsoft games, even to people like me who are not planning to buy an Xbox Series X but cannot wait to play Halo Infinite and Grounded on a PC. So while this week’s Xbox Games Showcase might not have warned the PS5, it has ensured that I will keep my Game Pass subscription for years to come, and Microsoft should attribute that as a victory.
