Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Delivers 100+ Games Directly to Your Mobile Device Beginning September 15

From Xbox: "Our vision for Project xCloud, Microsoft’s cloud gaming technology, is to give you the opportunity to play the games you want, with the people you want, anywhere you want. Since launching the public preview across North America, Europe and in South Korea, you’ve shared stories about the unique ways you’ve played from the cloud while providing invaluable feedback that’s helped us improve the experience."

[KingKionic]

Xbox Game pass in unmatched.

Microsoft is basically planning for the endgame now.

[Shikoku]

It's not unmatch you can do the same thing with remote play and PsNow 🙄.

[mandf]

And over 700 games on psnow. You all forget a service has more games and higher rated games. Keep shilling

[roadkillers]

You really can’t though

[umair_s51]

If you ask me this is pretty sick, I can play halo infinite, avowed, hellblade 2, everwild without spending a cent on hardware. I will sign up. MS finally delivering.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

People only talk about PS NOW in an effort to diminish the capabilities of GamePass. But nobody honestly seems to care about the PS Now service.

[fiveby9]

No thanks. Not interested in XGP. I have the service till Feb 2021 as it cost me $2 for 14 months last winter. But I won't bother renewing. I rarely play any of the titles and I am surely not interested in streaming games to my mobile phone.

[itsmebryan]

Isn't PS going to start using MS cloud services? So, MS will start making money off the same Sony fanboys the made fun of the "power of the cloud.". Lmao

[darthv72]

@zero, the main difference is new releases. PSNow has the larger library... if you are into older titles. GP rotates out every month with a fresh batch of new releases and fan favorites.

[pinkcrocodile75]

I had no idea you could play all Playstation exclusives on the service on the same day they are released?

WOW, that changes everything

[aquamala]

Xcloud threads are the only place I hear people talking about PS Now

[Christopher]

***Xcloud threads are the only place I hear people talking about PS Now***

Too bad it's not the only place where people oversell GamePass by ignoring the competition entirely.

[rainslacker]

Dont think that anything has been proven that people care about xcloud either. Game pass seems popular, but as far as game selection goes, the only advantage GP has is that it has day one releases. Psnow has quite a bigger selection though.

[BlackRaven85_1]

@Shikoku @mandf You actually can't stream on PSNow from a phone. Way to show you know what you're talking about. Or dare say, ever tried PSNow to begin with. 😏

[Livingthedream]

I'm so sorry but we all know ps now is sub par man. Seriously it's not great at all. And the games on GP vs what's on PS Now just not the same at all.

[kryteris]

except psnow is shite.

[RangerWalk267]

PsNow is nice. I subscribe to it as well. But to have the quality of games that Gamepass has is unmatched. Day one new releases is HUGE!!!
Plus, Microsoft has invested BILLIONS over the past decade to build Azure. Hell, they even have the United States as a customer. And I believe Sony is going to be paying them for the infrastructure. The AI learning with decompression and streaming is too notch.
Plus, they are updating their server blades to the XBSX specs. UNMATCHED.

[morganfell]

So after the first month it is $180 month, plus tax, to own...nothing. The backwards compatibility argument makes the case that always being able to play the games you own on the latest hardware, adding value to the games you own matters. Yet this service is about owning nothing. Regardless of your feelings on that, owning nothing is not consumer value. $180 plus tax. Owning 3 great memorable games a year > owning nothing.

[morganfell]

Correction to the above. Typo. The statement should read, "So after the first month it is $180 a year, plus tax, to own...nothing."

[DJStotty]

Remote play requires you to be connected to your playstation, xcloud does not.

If you want to use outside of your network, the playstation needs to be in a low power standby mode and then gets "woken up"

Quite a difference.

[DJStotty]

Yeah but no..

"To use PlayStation Remote Play from computer, you must:

Have a PlayStation®4, with System Software 6.50 or newer.

A Windows-based computer with Windows 8.1 or newer; or a Mac with OS X Yosemite or OS X El Capitan or newer.

Enable your PS4™ and your computer to communicate. Follow the steps below to setup your PS4™ and mobile device."

Source : Sony themselves.

https://support.playstation...

[crazyCoconuts]

What's the endgame? Do all other subscription and streaming services crumble away and Xbox dominates the gaming world? I really want to know how this ends

[Godmars290]

Which doesn't really involve their console.

[ps360s]

I just dont understand Xbox only gamers now...instead of a prober console generation...they want Xcloud to be their thing now ...understandable since the Xbox console isnt doing as good as Playstation 4 and its something Xbox owners can brag about...but common I myself hate this whole games being played on other systems apart from your own...same with Playstation if they were to put out their first party titles straight to other systems, I would hate it...

[Sitdown]

I don't recall many people saying they want Xcloud to be their thing instead of a proper console generation. They are celebrating the ability, not saying this is the only thing wanted.

[Christopher]

There's no issue with there being more options. People can be happy for that. My only issue is acting like the competition doesn't have similar options and others acting like this is the only thing Xbox is doing for their gamers.

[rainslacker]

Think xcloud and game pass often get lumped together for the purposes of discussion. MS has two services that essentially add up to the one psnow service. However, if I understand correctly, the two MS services will be sold as one, or on some tiered thing...or something.

[neomahi]

You clearly don't see how this is going to affect you. Game Pass games come and go. Developers are also making a few cents a game off of Game Pass. They know something we don't which is why they're wanting to jack up the price for everyone else. On Xbox it comes with the subscription but on PS4 it's going to cost $69.99. So tell me, if you were a developer and you developed for game for Xbox and you made $.25 off of every download, because Game Pass is under $10/MN and game development is getting much more expensive and you knew you'd be making $60 off of every PS4 copy sold that has the largest install base, which console would you develop for? $.25 a download, or $60? Game Pass is only for first-party studios and independent developers that don't have a problem making $.25 per download (a percentage of the Game Pass subscription sale also divided up amongst hundreds of other developers, to make any kind of money would require sales of Microtransactions.) Are you prepared to deal with that? No third-party developer wants to make pennies, they're a business. So you're likely going to be playing a backlog of games thatve already made their money and are now scraping up what's left. That's what it sounds like to me and a lot of Activision promise in the signed agreement with a dev. "If your game sees more downloads then you'll receive bonuses, that's a big gamble for an arrogant developer, I think devs that are smart will see this and shy from it trying to sell full games and if they can't competing with Game Pass, bail on Xbox altogether, there's no real money to made.

[derektweed1]

Developers don't make $60 per game sale, first Sony take 30%, the publisher needs to recoup their investment.
You clearly have no idea what your talking about. You have no idea how much MS are paying for games on gamepass, so just stop.

[RazzerRedux]

"You can join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate today for $1 for the first month, then $14.99 per month after that. In addition to cloud gaming, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes access to more than 100 high-quality games for console and PC; exclusive member discounts, deals, perks, and Xbox Live Gold."

So much for Live Gold going away. Seems to me xCloud should be available in the base GP pricing at some level. Lower priority, shorter play period, etc. Geforce Now and Stadia have free options at this point. Having to get Ultimate for xCloud is a bit much.

[lonewolf10]

Hopefully that is only for the initial period as it would be odd to tie it to the Ultimate (they do say free for Ultimate so maybe other pricing models will be announced).

[battlegrog]

Well the new model is they just want as many people to focus on being part of the Game pass model because in the end its more money for them but also a better value over all for everyone. online gaming is going to be free now but yes There is going to be a version for xcloud where it basically will be just like xbox and you can choose to buy whatever game you want. I assume you will still have to just get game pass but over all that provides all the money they need to support its studios and have its new games come to the service.Its a smart model but being able to choose what game to buy wont come until they add the new SX hardware into the servers next year

[crazyCoconuts]

Yea, and I think they'd want to slow roll it out since it's so new. They can always adjust later.

[RamRod88]

It's stating what is included in Game Pass Ultimate now. That doesn't mean they won't remove it in the near future. they wouldn't leak that info before they officially announce it.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Exactly. People keep saying Gold is gone even though Microsoft is still selling 1 month and 3 month versions, but if you opt for either of those you'll be paying twice the amount annually than current Gold users. It's $60 for a year are they still selling those or have they switched over to 1 month for 9.99 and 3 months for 24.99?

Do the math.

[derektweed1]

I'm pretty sure I remember them saying that streaming from your owned games from your console would be free. But there hasn't been much details about that for a while.

[DJStotty]

people will only get ultimate if they want xcloud and pc, and it works out cheaper than getting gamepass and gold seperately. (only by about 34pence)

[XiNatsuDragnel]

So Xbox going to bring the big guns at mobile ;)

[Marquinho]

Microsoft's strategy is one step ahead in almost every aspect. Two steps in this case.

[djplonker]

sony has had remote play since 2013 lol, just because microsoft finally did it they are 2 steps ahead?

LOL

[PyroMessiah86]

Comparing PSNow/remote play to Gamepass and xcloud is like comparing a 1980s Skoda to Ferrari. They are not in the same league at all.

[crazyCoconuts]

@pyro, no, it's just not. MS may leapfrog Sony in certain ways, but they're not even out in production yet so we can't tell. PSNow has been doing this for quite some time. And for the record, Remote Play was around for a lot longer than Microsoft's console streaming, and last I checked Remote Play was still better.

[Marquinho]

"Remote Play"... you gotta be kidding. You need to be on the same LAN for that, and it isn't integrated to PS Now.

[Bruh]

Wait I'm confused isn't Remote Play basically screen mirroring your PS4 and then launching the PS Now app? Or is there a dedicated PS Now application that lets you just stream the catalog straight to your phone?

Because if its the former, Game Pass streaming is much better than Remote Play in that aspect. As its native streaming to your phone without the need for any kind of console to mirror from

[rainslacker]

@pyro

Not really. We see people all the time acting like what Sony has doesbt exist, or is way behind the curve. People have been disregarding psnow and saying xcloud was better before MS even had their xcloud alpha. Game pass and psnow are directly comparable, because they both offer downloads. As to which is better, I guess it depends on what you want from the service. Psnow has a lot of really good games on it. The only thing it's really lacking is day one games that MS puts on their service. The libraries for each are different, but both offer a decent variety

[derektweed1]

Can you play games that you don't own on a phone or tablet without a physical console using remote play?

[DJStotty]

You need a PS4 for remote play, you do not need hardware for xcloud.

You really do live up to your username

[FyBy]

Microsoft has solid strategy now backed by lot of money. But in the future, it can be profitable. They are not two step ahead of anyone. PS Now is here long time. Sony didnt push it so hard, but they have the tech and they have the money. They simply believe in console hardware more.

But Microsoft hadnt other way. They couldnt go same way like Sony another gen. So what they made is great, but not two steps ahead :-).

[lifeisgamesok]

😂 people really think Xcloud and these other services will really take the world by storm...

I don't see it happening

[Christopher]

If they were ahead, they would have had this before PSNow and Stadia....

[Marquinho]

Game Pass + xCloud is everything PS Now and Stadia should've been in my opinion. Their library is unmatched and the On-Demand service is unique in comparison. If Game Pass performance is an indicator (offering great speed and stability around the globe even during lock down), both PS now and Stadia will be lagging in the overall comparison starting next month.

Chances are that even without Game Pass, xCloud woud've ahead in terms of either content and/or performance.

[Christopher]

The library is not unmatched. PSNow has a lot of the same library but even more games. You can't objectively say that, especially not next to facts.

And I still claim your original comment to be in bad form as you're trying to rewrite history. Xbox played catch up and went further than Sony and Google in some areas but still doesn't surpass in others.

Stadia had direct controller connection to the internet, not hardware connected. Latency and response are the best there. It also is entirely free at 1080p and has the best 4k streaming so far.

PSNow has more games and is less than half the cost of Game Pass Ultimate. The only thing it can't do is stream to Android devices and do it at 1080p.

All of these companies have their strengths and weakness none of them surpass the other entirely.

[Marquinho]

I can objectively say that Game Pass has a much more appealing library than PS Now. XGP has a more up to date catalogue with 1st parties being available from day one. Even 3rd parties join the service at a very much faster rate. I.E. While XGP has RDR2, PS Now has RDR1... while Spider-Man joined PS Now in April, almost 2 years after its release, just to leave it in 3 months... 1st/2nd parties will remain on Game Pass indefinitely as it stands now. Even timed exclusives like The Medium, Scorn and others are following suit.

When talking about Microsoft's strategy being ahead I'm not only talking about cloud gaming, but backwards compatibility, console engineering, partnerships, xbox anywhere, studios founding/acquisitions and infrastructure (from what I can quickly recall ) - Sony will rely on Azure's infrastructure for their cloud service btw https://engt.co/3gwKbwP - and they're also making other bold moves like making most of their games join Steam, which is paying off already. Making Halo Infinite Multiplayer Free 2 Play in both platformsa is also something nobody saw coming and could attract tons of PC Players to the ecosystem, and Game Pass. Heck, there are even strong signs of them getting rid of Xbox Live Gold in favor of Game Pass and it will be a market shaker if that occurs.

Based on this, I'd say Microsoft's is a much broader, aggressive and ambitious take on the next generation. Google and Playstation are focusing on their niche: cloud gaming and 1st parties respectively, but they don't really seem to be ahead in any other aspect. They're playing catch up from where I see it.

Where Microsoft is undeniably lagging behind is exclusives, I give you that, but they seem to be working full steam on also fixing that out. From the 3, I see Microsoft's strategy being more vast and complex. They're taking risks, indeed, but nobody dethroned a king without taking them.

[RazzerRedux]

"I can objectively say that Game Pass has a much more appealing library than PS Now. "

Nothing "objective" about your personal opinion at all.

[Christopher]

***I can objectively say that Game Pass has a much more appealing library than PS Now. ***

No, you can't. You can subjectively say that, but not objectively. You're applying fact to opinion. There are a ton of games only on PSNow that are objectively higher rated than many of the games on GamePass, and subjectively preferred by other people.

You can "claim" to say it's objective, but it's not.

***Even 3rd parties join the service at a very much faster rate. ***

Not true. Many games were on PSNow first. Today it was announced Greedfall, I'm also currently playing Control. There are many other games not on GamePass that are on PSNow. I know, I have both subscriptions right now.

You don't seem to know this, but are speaking as if you do.

***When talking about Microsoft's strategy being ahead I'm not only talking about cloud gaming, ***

PSNow came out in 2014. Backwards compatibility on the Xbox One came out a year later and wasn't on GamePass until 2019. Fact.

PSNow has allowed streaming to PC and iOS since 2015, in addition to PS Vita devices. Fact.

It's 2020. You can't claim what Xbox is doing in 2020 is ahead of what others started and have continued in 2014. That would be like me claiming PS Now added downloadable games all on their own. They didn't, they did it after GamePass was announced.

You can't just say something and claim it as fact when none of the facts support your claim. You are being 100% dishonest or just willfully ignorant.

[Marquinho]

"You can "claim" to say it's objective, but it's not."

Xbox Game Pass costs 2x+ more than PS Now on a console base less than a half of Playstation's and has 10x more subscribers. That's a staggering fact and it happens for a reason.

"Even 3rd parties join the service at a very much faster rate.

Not true. Many games were on PSNow first. Today it was announced Greedfall, I'm also currently playing Control. There are many other games not on GamePass that are on PSNow. I know, I have both subscriptions right now.

You don't seem to know this, but are speaking as if you do."

I do know this and the other facts I've provided before that you seemed to pass by. Control is probably the best "big" recent game available on PS Now. I have personally checked the list and this is why I know Spider-Man isn't there anymore. On Xbox Game Pass you have Red Dead Redemption 2, Nier Automata, The Outer Worlds, The Witcher 3, Monster Hunter, Streets of Rage, Grounded, Final Fantasy XV, Gears Tactics, Kingdom Hearts 3, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, DMC 5 (leaving soon), Gears 5 and many others. Where are Sony's First parties on PS Now? Why do you automatically assume I ignore what I'm talking about and decide to oversee the facts I'm providing? As of now I believe there's no point of comparison between both services, and I can objectively say that numbers speak for themselves.

As for higher rated games, I don't know, I haven't made the count, but I've seen a lot of highly rated games on PS Now but they're usually 3-4+ years old. A lot of them are PS3 games.

"PSNow came out in 2014. Backwards compatibility on the Xbox One came out a year later and wasn't on GamePass until 2019. Fact.

PSNow has allowed streaming to PC and iOS since 2015, in addition to PS Vita devices. Fact.

It's 2020. You can't claim what Xbox is doing in 2020 is ahead of what others started and have continued in 2014. That would be like me claiming PS Now added downloadable games all on their own. They didn't, they did it after GamePass was announced.

You can't just say something and claim it as fact when none of the facts support your claim. You are being 100% dishonest or just willfully ignorant."

PS Now did start before, but I'm talking about how things are being shaped for the Next Generation. I've stated it multiple times now. You speak as if Sony had been pushing boundaries over the years when they haven't. I can also give you multiple examples as of how others have innovated and Sony just followed their path:

2001: The original Xbox comes with a Hard Drive
2006: Playstation 3 includes a Hard Drive.

2002: Xbox Live is born
2006: PSN arrives.

2006: Paid online gaming (Xbox Live)
2013: Playstation Plus.

2005: Xbox 360 includes rumble packs.
2007: Dualshock 3 gets rumble.

2006: Wii Mote introduces motion control.
2009: PlayStation Move

2001: Xbox includes triggers in the controller
2007: DS3 gets triggers

2010: Kinect (good tech, badly managed)
2013: Playstation Camera.

So no, I'm not being dishonest or ignorant. This is my legitimate take on both companies strategies and I do believe Microsoft's strategy is much better rounded and ambitious. Whether it's good enough to dethrone Sony is yet to be seen, but you can't just go ahead and call me dishonest or ignorant for saying so and backing my opinions with facts, dates and stats.

[ziggurcat]

@Marquinho:

"2001: The original Xbox comes with a Hard Drive
2006: Playstation 3 includes a Hard Drive."

Nope: https://en.wikipedia.org/wi... - 5 months earlier than Xbox's release.

"2002: Xbox Live is born
2006: PSN arrives."

Nope: https://en.wikipedia.org/wi... this precedes XBL

"2006: Paid online gaming (Xbox Live)
2013: Playstation Plus."

PS+ was introduced earlier than 2013... you're conflating. Plus, introducing paid online is hardly "innovating", and you can't really give MS props for introducing that.

"2005: Xbox 360 includes rumble packs.
2007: Dualshock 3 gets rumble."

Uh... no: https://en.wikipedia.org/wi... Why do you think they're called "DualShock" controllers? DS3 was later on PS3 because of a lawsuit.

"2006: Wii Mote introduces motion control.
2009: PlayStation Move"

Sony's SixAxis was at the same time.

"2001: Xbox includes triggers in the controller
2007: DS3 gets triggers"

DS2 had triggers.

"2010: Kinect (good tech, badly managed)
2013: Playstation Camera."

Nope: https://www.youtube.com/wat... 2005, PS2, even before Kinect was a thing.

Wrong on all accounts.

[Marquinho]

@ziggurcat

You're making so many mistakes...

"Nope: https://en.wikipedia.org/wi... - 5 months earlier than Xbox's release."

That's an expansion bay.

"Nope: https://en.wikipedia.org/wi... this precedes XBL"

That's not comparable to Xbox Live or PSN. That was just an "online functionality" Microsoft made it right and PS played catch up until PSN arrived.

"PS+ was introduced earlier than 2013... you're conflating. Plus, introducing paid online is hardly "innovating", and you can't really give MS props for introducing that."

PS Fans criticised Gold for years. Microsoft had it right from the beginning by offering a better/paid service. Sony copied this model afterwards. PS fans stopped criticising it. MS was right from the beginning and Sony had no chance but to copy them.

"Sony's SixAxis was at the same time."

Oh come on! ... SixAxis was a Mimick of the Wii Motion functionalities, just to include some kind of motion based control. It only had "Tilt". Not to be rude but it waas precisely because of this that the Internet got flooded by those "clony" jokes. I remember devs not even knowing what to do with it and Sony trying to find a real use of it until they quit pushing. With PS Move they directly copied Wii.

"DS2 had triggers."

No, they didn't! Those where mere buttons not triggers. The fact that they were positioned in the same position as Xbox triggers doesn't make them such. It took them 6 years to include real, analog Triggers.

"2010: Kinect (good tech, badly managed)
2013: Playstation Camera."

Those were 2D cameras. Kinect and PS Camera were 3D, but ok, at least they got the concept.

[Automatic79]

Christopher I am not sure if Xbox is ahead in terms of introducing streaming. They sure are ahead in the way they execute the service. They began with a beta and now are integrating XCloud into Ultimate Xbox GamePass which allows you as a gamer to play a large library of games at home on your Xbox or PC, or on the go on your laptop or Mobile device. You add in over a 100 games first party, third party, and Indies, plus bac Compat in rotation and Xbox live to continue to play with my friends. You can really see why Xbox GamePass is 2 steps ahead.

[ziggurcat]

@Marquinho:

"You're making so many mistakes..."

No.

1. Doesn't matter whether it's an expansion, it was still first.
2. It's the precursor to XBL/PSN, so... wrong.
3. Nope. Not when Sony isn't forcing anyone to get PS+ in order to play F2P games or use other services like Netflix, etc...
4. No. It's still motion controls. Care to prove that it was a "mimic"? Trolls using a "clony" meme doesn't mean squat, and can't be used as evidence. I've lost count at how many times people have accused Sony of copying other concepts only to be proven wrong, and this whole exchange is just another example.
5. Regardless of whether it was a "button", they were still triggers. You don't press those "buttons" any differently that you would the "triggers" on an Xbox controller or DS3/DS4.
6. Who cares whether it's 2D or 3D. The concept of standing in front of a camera, and looking like a fool while playing a video game was a Sony thing first.

[rainslacker]

What strategy would that be?

Sorry, I'm two steps behind, but I keep hearing about this great strategy MS has, but don't ever seem to hear what that strategy is.

[I_am_Batman]

Seems pretty obvious to me. They want to grow their market, by achieving hardware independence of the Xbox brand. The ultimate goal is to transform their business from a hardware/software based model to a service based model.

First they open up the console space by pushing cross-play, cross-platfrom games, backwards and forwards compatibility. Regular hardware revisions will turn their console space into a PC-like environment, but with a lower entry barrier. The console functions as a streamlined gaming PC, achieving great performance/$ due to it being subsidized. Having the same SDK across the board allows for a unified development strategy across PC and Xbox.

The problem with the PC platform has been, that Microsoft couldn't monetize it as effectively as a closed ecosystem that Xbox traditionally was. That's where Gamepass comes into play. Many people point out how incredible the value of Gamepass is, but it still allows Microsoft to generate more revenue on gamers after 2-3 years than they traditionally would in a whole console generation, because the attach rate of the average customer is comperatively low. That's just revenue compared to bought games though. They probably aren't profitable at the current pricepoint, especially if they potentially lose the Xbox Live revenue, but the initial phase is just to grow the user base. The bigger the user base, the longer the lever when they decide to increase the prices down the line. Since the focus is service-based gaming, that subscription price can be viewed as an entry fee. Further monetization will be possible through microtransactions for example.

To increase the target market even further they have Xcloud, which lowers the hardware requirements to a point, where everyone with an internet connection and a basic laptop or smartphone could play their games.

From a business perspective their strategy is smart. What's surprising to me is that I haven't seen much backlash to the strategy from Xbox gamers. A closed ecosystem has its advantages and has been one of the key differentiating factors between the console- and PC model. I'm not saying that an open platform is worse, but if people wanted that they could've had that for decades on PC.

The service based economic stuff is fairly new to gaming and I have my fair share concerns about the potential consequences of those models, but that's a little off-topic here.

[Marquinho]

@I_am_Batman

While I agree on that cloud gaming is part of the future, and it will let MS reach a broader audience, I strongly disagree on that they will convert their business model into an all cloud service. There are a lot of reasons why Microsoft wouldn't so this. First, because the strategy to boost XGP relies heavily on first party development based on the advantages of the XSX, and their marketing also runs around it.

Also, there are features that are just imposible to achieve with cloud gaming. Visual quality/Response time of an uncompressed HDMI 2.1 signal on a low latency TV will never be achievable on cloud... and even if it does get close to it, there are markets where the Internet is decades behind, and those markets are precisely the ones growing the most (Latam for example).

Leaving the standalone market will mean giving away that market to Sony... that'd be suicide. There's a huge market that isn't interested in cloud gaming.. mostly the hardcore gamers. That's the audience Microsoft abandoned with their Kinect fiasco and cost them dozens of millions of users. That isn't happening again.

[I_am_Batman]

@Marquinho: Oh, I'm not suggesting that MS will leave the local gaming market once Xcloud is properly implemented. I'm just saying that they are generally aiming to shift towards a service based business model. Gamepass is a service and it doesn't rely on cloud gaming to work. xCloud will just be a tool to help them reach markets that would otherwise be unreachable.

[rainslacker]

@Marquihno

You mean MS....the company that wants to do away with the actual Windows OS and have it all on the cloud, along with all their other products and services? You know they actually said that right? It was a real long term goal, but that is what Nadella is there for. It of course didn't mean completely doing away with it, but that is what they want more of than dealing with having to release new windows versions, or deal with varying hardware, or all the other things that exist with home built PC's. It'll also allow them to put their OS on places like phones, or tablets, or TV's, or any number of other connected devices.

I mean, if what they are most known for they want to take to the cloud, why do you think they'd care one iota about moving all their games and gaming services to the cloud?

I think some of the Xbox fan boys around here really should get outside the MS gaming bubble sometime and go see what MS as a whole is trying to do. Gaming is just a microcosm of that, and the signs are apparent. If anything, they're moving a lot faster with gaming than they are with the rest of their business. Console hardware is not high on their list of priorities, but they will keep it around so long as it keeps their marketshare in the gaming market. Otherwise, they're just some 3rd party publisher no one talks about like EA or Ubisoft.

[Marquinho]

@rainslacker

You're misinformed and whatever you've red, you didn't get it.

Microsoft isn't abandoning one of its biggest strengths over Google, their main competitor as a corporation. THE REASON they're investing billions on Xbox (yes, billions) is because they know it's a key division to penetrate the market they're aiming at. They're still pushing hard on Windows, Edge browser (now better than Chrome in my experience) alongside with their cloud strategy. Of course they will prefer a customer in the cloud paying a yearly fee but as long as hardware exist, they will have to support it in order to work with it. The broader the standalone market they dominate, the bigger chances they will have to make then join the cloud.

Also, it looks like you've twisted what Nadella said someday and ignored what he specifically said about Xbox and gaming recently:

*** The living room is not the only place where people play games—the living room is a SUPER important place where they play games.

We still love our console, we’re going to have ANOTHER console. We’re going to KEEP AT IT, because we think that there are people who want to play games on the console.
/
Our general point of view is that you've got to put people at the center, and then everything else that people use becomes relevant. So I don’t sort of make statements like “devices are not relevant” or “software is all relevant.” The mere reality is that we move between devices.

Even in gaming, I may start on a phone; I may go to a console; I may end up on a PC—but your game catalog should be available. Your friends you play with should be there, wherever you’re playing.

So to me, being able to think about both the market in that expansive way, but, most importantly, think about the use cases for the people in such a way that you’re not bound to only one device or one [software] input—that’s the other thing.

***

In short: NO. Xbox consoles aren't going anywhere. It will become (it is already) the main place where they know people will play games, but they're also expanding to other devices. You need to do more research my friend.

At this point, PS boys look a bit too anxious to insist on Microsoft giving away this market to PlayStation. That isn't happening. You should instead try to enjoy what Microsoft's doing in the console market, and that includes hardware, software and services, and it will last many generations. Should be good news for you guys, but for some strange reason, PS fans just want Sony to have the monopoly in the (standalone?) hardcore market. I personally prefer Sony and MS to stay and compete fiercely and please customers as much as it gets.

[rainslacker]

And where people play games has absolutely nothing to do with them wanting to move everything to the cloud.

This whole windows as a service thing started back when Nadella first took over, and it's seen a resurgence in the past couple months as it's starting to get more coverage. This isn't some off the wall narrative that I'm making up, or extrapolating illogical conclusions over, this is MS stated goal. Literally...to investors, to the media, and outside of Xbox, they are proud to say that they want this.

Yes, the living room is not the only place people play games. In fact, the living room(or some equivalent room) doesn't even dominate this metric. Neither does the PC or something in the office. Gaming is dominated by mobile devices. By every metric.

And what's the best way to reach all those people, without having to worry about hardware? The cloud.

This is where MS is moving it's business. Everything, including enterprise solutions that require network servers. They will still have the more traditional stuff because not everyone wants to move to everything being online, and in the business world, this is even more the case, but when it comes to the average consumer, MS will happily drop the console market if they have a bigger market that gets them what they want.

This is what MS is. This is what MS has always been. MS will either succeed, or try something different. That is also what they do.

They have a strategy. The strategy that I know you are referring to is a very short term version of where they're going, but that's just a stepping stone. So yeah, MS is two steps ahead in what they want, you are just 5 steps behind in being able to see it.

You'll get another generation of Xbox. Maybe even 2 more. Perhaps three. Maybe by then, you won't care anymore. But MS doesn't really care about the console. It's a means to an end for them. Everything with gaming is a means to an end to them. That means isn't about making money, it's about having control....which makes them money....also another quality that MS is well known for.

[potatoseal]

Only a minority are going to use this and a minority will ever use gamepass. You'll see. It's not going to have the effect you've dreamed of. MS will stay in 3rd place.

[RedDevils]

You mean 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

[Christopher]

Now you're just lying.

What you said: "Microsoft's strategy is one step ahead in almost every aspect. TWO STEPS IN THIS CASE."

What you tried to tell me in that piece where you try to rewrite what you just said: "PS Now did start before, but I'm talking about how things are being shaped for the Next Generation."

No, you're not. You're specifically talking about "IN THIS CASE" which is about Game Pass Ultimate.

---

***Xbox Game Pass costs 2x+ more than PS Now on a console base less than a half of Playstation's and has 10x more subscribers. That's a staggering fact and it happens for a reason.***

Because it costs $1 to convert over up to two years of Gold over to GamePass Ultimate. Exactly what I did.

And they don't have 10x more subscribers. 2m vs 10m.

***I do know this and the other facts I've provided before that you seemed to pass by. Control is probably the best "big" recent game available on PS Now. ***

Hitman 2, Greedfall, Control, all Batman Arkham games, Mafia 3, For Honor, R6Siege, PUBG, NBA2k, Doom, Tomb Raider, Metro, Dishonored, Evil Within, The Witcher 3 (a game you mention and say is only on GamePass, but is on PS Now as well) and more. Some of those available on both, some at the same time, some before, some after GamePass. But they are there and if they boost GamePass, then how do they not boost PSNow?

[Marquinho]

Dizzy. I'm being replied in different sections lol.

"What you said: "Microsoft's strategy is one step ahead in almost every aspect. TWO STEPS IN THIS CASE."

Indeed. I believe they're two steps ahead in cloud gaming as it stands now, for the reasons provided. Hence the massive success compared to the competition and everything I've explained above. How am I lying? 🙄

"Because it costs $1 to convert over up to two years of Gold over to GamePass Ultimate. Exactly what I did."

If I used your words, I'd also say you're lying. That's a major mistake you're making there and that doesn't make you a liar or ignorant as you're suggesting I am.

This is the conversion ratio of Xbox Live Gold to Game Pass Ultimate as it stands:

https://i.ibb.co/LdbDB40/co...
https://bit.ly/2Dm80cn

It's basically a 1:1 conversion in terms of cash. 12 months of Gold (USD60) = 4 months of Game Pass (15x4USD). There was a much better conversion ratio by the time XGP launched but it that was for a limited time.

It's a service you've already paid and they're just doing a direct conversion if you want to. Most people don't have more than 1 year of Xbox Live Gold so they had to rethink about where to put their money. Saying XGP has such thrilling numbers just because they can conver is absurd. The number of subscribers keeps growing exponentially every year. Those that converted their Xbox Live to Game Pass could've done it in the first months... say in the first years. But afterwards, they had the option between renewing XGP or going back to Gold.

If anything, that was a smart and consumer friendly strategy by Microsoft and it paid off. This adds up to my position about MS being AHEAD of both in their strategy. They got you covered in every angle.

P.S. Indeed, PS Now has passed 2Million by now. Just checked the latest numbers. It's a ~5x advantage for XGP.

"Hitman 2, Greedfall, Control, all Batman Arkham games, Mafia 3, For Honor, R6Siege, PUBG, NBA2k, Doom, Tomb Raider, Metro, Dishonored, Evil Within, The Witcher 3 (a game you mention and say is only on GamePass, but is on PS Now as well) and more. Some of those available on both, some at the same time, some before, some after GamePass."

As you corrected, The Witcher 3 is not on PS Now... which was the only still selling like hotcakes recently... except for probably PUBG. The rest are pretty much outdated compared to those on Game Pass or are shared by both except from Control. In the overall comparison, Game Pass has a much more appealing catalogue than PS Now, which is exactly what I'm saying.

And heck. I'm not the only one saying so. Even this Playstation site recognizes it. Are they also being dishonest and ignorant too?

https://bit.ly/3fqSXel

Obviously they won't say XGP is the clear winner, but they do highlight how XGP has a more up to date catalogue and the absence of 1st parties on PS Now. And it will become even more evident by the time XSX releases, by adding Crossfire X, Destiny 2, Halo Infinite, Tell Me Why, The Medium, Watch Dogs: Legion, Dragon Quest XI S. I just don't see how PS Now is or will be as appealing in terms of content. This is not subjective anymore, except probably, for people who do prefer paying for having access to an older yet broader library. But let's face it... number reveal they're a minority.

Btw... I'm running out of posts btw. Probably my last one.

[SpaceRanger]

“ Remote Play"... you gotta be kidding. You need to be on the same LAN for that,“

No you don’t. You can remote play your library anywhere in the world you have an Internet connection. You’re getting it confused with Xbox’s mirroring on PC which has to be on the same network.

[Shikoku]

Xcloud hasn't been great, it's alright but it's lag makes it not great for anything but single player games when your on the go and for the last week I haven't been able to connect at all after the recent update. Internet speeds and tech just isn't there yet need probably 5-10 more years it will probably be much better at the end of this next gen. It's a good start but I'd never use it solely for gaming I barely use it now as if I'm away from home I'm driving, working or doing something else already.

[monkey602]

Its great that I can connect an X1 controller to my phone so easily and play games on the go. I've even used Xcloud to impress friends playing Ori on my mobile on my lunch break but its actually not that enjoyable or comfortable experience so I gave up on it quickly

Cool to have. Definitely wouldn't pay for it

[SamPao]

They will learn the hard way. Just like sony had to.
Its like they are livinh through the same as sony but 7 years later

[Shikoku]

I agree it's why I quit using remote play. I was doing the same thing with PS4 before and it wasn't great either it's just not there yet

[sprinterboy]

Phones are just too small for gaming, I tried driveclub, batman and lbp on my Xperia and its just too small.
Tablet and laptops I see cloud doing well with but at the end of the day I genuinely feel like most gamers 95% couldn't give too shits about gaming on the go? They have better things too do like fb, yt, chatting with friends, pub bars etc just like I never used by vita when out and about (just for home)

[rainslacker]

I have pretty good luck with remote play, but I have decent upload at the house, and usually only use it at work which has a ridiculously fast net connection. I also play it on pc, although used the vita a lot for a long time.

I've used it out and about on occasion with public hot spots and the reliability was pretty spotty, but that was the connection, not the feature itself.

Psnow also worked pretty well for me when I tried it out on free trials. I never used it enough to see all problems it might have, but I couldn't complain since it was a free trial.

Outside of downloading for a local client, the experience one has with any of these services is always going to be highly dependent on outside factors that neither the service providers or customer may have control over....especially when streaming to mobile devices.

[alb1899]

SamPao the thing is that 7 years later there is a Market with strong and stable internet that makes the experience a lot better, more severs and better software to support all of this.

[umair_s51]

I will gladly pay for it. They are questioning the need for expensive hardware, that is the point of streaming. You don't have to sell a box first in order to sell your content. Sure a phone is too small to really game comfortably, at least in my opinion. But I can see it following the footsteps of Netflix. Where it's just an app that runs on several platforms and not limited to phones. Now add in Xbox first party games launching free on game pass, akin to "Netflix Originals". Now the strategy becomes much more devious. Now add-in the last price if puzzle. A low monthly fee. The answer becomes very clear. Why will anyone pay $60 or more when you can play the same thing for $15?

[PyroMessiah86]

Worked great for me :D barely any lag at all and leagues better than the Stadia I tried and also did some paid beta testing on.

[Shikoku]

Stadia isn't great I agree and sorry but you're actually not being honest if you are saying on mobile you got no lag you're just straight up lying I have a fairly new phone with 5g and I get lag

[PyroMessiah86]

@Sikoku I said 'barely' any lag....thats not the same as no lag + lying.
For me it was barely noticeable. Stadia on the other hand was a nightmare.

[battlegrog]

The main reason for that is hardware.Its using xbox one s hardware which is not enough for the entire concept. which is why im suprised they are launching this and not waiting until next year when SX hardware is added to the servers and making it much less laggy because of the new processor and it will be 4k res. I guess because its 0nly marketed for small devices for now until next year when its a full launch

[thesoftware730]

Love Gamepass, MS got me locked in until 2023(did the conversion deal thing). My Son plays on PC while I prefer the Xbox one X. My older bro who never really cared for Xbox is now on Gamepass and we have been playing a good deal, Suffice to say he seems to really be enjoying it.

Point being, Gamepass easy of use, good pricing and quality of games cant be denied if you are a gamer and being objective and not a console war solider. Project Xcloud is just a cherry on top, cant wait to see how they advance the service in the future.

[MajorPectorals]

Is this sub so anti Xbox that they downvote a comment based on someone having a good time? Some times the bias on this site is ridiculous. That’s coming from a PS player.

[warriorcase]

Glad to hear you're enjoyong it mate.
As @MajorPectorals said, N4G is very bias so I wouldn't take the downvotes as anything serious. I also love my PS and play daily but around here anything Xbox/MS = instant bad for the most part. Have fun mate 😀✌

[thesoftware730]

The thing is, I enjoy games. If a game is good I will play it no matter what platform, I also love my PS4, I game on it frequently as I do with my switch.

I can understand having a preference of a brand, but I cant understand not wanting to play a good game or take advantage of a great service with many quality games, all because of some blind loyalty to a billion dollar company.

[warriorcase]

@thesoftware730

I'm exactly the same. I own everything because I love games. I couldn't care less what box has it or not. Most the loyalty here I feel comes from kids or younger adults who can only afford 1 thing so feel they need to defend it or adults who are just weirdos with a loyalty to tech companies.

New mario, zelda, gears of war, halo, bloodborne, horizon or whatever it may be, I just want to play it.

[Tacoboto]

They do not mention the Remote Play functionality nor do they mention iOS availability. How great...

[ukjadoon]

iOS has a limitation set by Apple's App Store policies. They don't want a competing store front on their platform. It is something people should complain about to Apple. Apple is probably trying to protect its own subscription, the Apple Arcade Store. Maybe somehow Apple can change their policy if enough people should their dismay, but it is yet to be seen.

[Tacoboto]

Then MS should voice it that much louder. Valve was very vocal about Apple's policies, and Spotify & Tile made efforts to take Apple to court over them.

It doesn't excuse that Remote Play for PS4 and Steam Link are both available on iOS, and after all this time and talk Xbox *still* won't have Remote Play out for consumers, even in the Android app at launch.

[MajorPectorals]

The iOS version is currently in beta testing. Probably won’t come out for a while.

[rainslacker]

The limitation may be that it's still in beta, and apple has rules in their store regarding beta products that attach to real world accounts.

Apple probably wont block the app in the future, as that can be considered anti-competitive. But likely MS will have to work directly with apple to get it done. I know this was the case with sony, as some of the things they needed to make it work are blocked from use to storefront developers. Same with android.

[ukjadoon]

https://www.theverge.com/20...

They have shown disagreement.

[Tacoboto]

They skirt around directly naming Apple. In the Game Streaming Beta on iOS, they mention there that App Store Policies are why we only got Halo MCC in that app.

Of course it's Apple's policies. But other companies directly call Apple out, including a company that already has a Remote Play app on the App Store...

[Automatic79]

Xbox is going into next generation with the world's most powerful console, 15 Xbox Studios, Xbox GamePass, Project XCloud. This is going to be a solid generation. The fact that I can take gaming with me and still log into my games is fantastic. I am looking forward to more innovative experiences like this from team Xbox. Keep up the good work. Let's go.

[SamPao]

Oh the promises and potential...
Meanwhile there are multiple gamingcompanys that are actually delivering every year, for 20years or more

[thesoftware730]

So many Disagree for stating facts and your enjoyment lol.

I'm excited for this gen as well, seems like the most competition from both companies we have seen in a long time, nothing either company has shown a clear cut picture yet, but I am definitely liking MS direction atm.

Then you have the wildcard, Nintendo. never know what those crazy guys are up too over there, any improvements to the Switch and its line would be welcome as I am also a fan of the Switch.

[Automatic79]

Well said, I love Nintendo Switch. Here's hoping they bring out fantastic games for the rest of the year.

[CBaoth]

wait till MS starts making mobile games. Can't wait. That is IF MS can get casuals interested in xcloud and GamePass. But you go on believing they care about the 45 million of us X1 owners being able to play our games anywhere. It's almost cute

[Christopher]

This is the type of statement I can completely get behind. Xbox is going into next-gen with some strong things for their gamers. It's not about what others are doing, who did it first, who has the better games. It's about what Xbox is doing to make next-gen better for their gamers. And it's a solid start to a generation that they can continue to build upon.

[potatoseal]

They'll be in 3rd place again. Only a minority will use gamepass or Xcloud.

[waverider]

One step closer to be available in all platforms.... Its just a matter of time. Microsoft will be a service provider...

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Yea a service provider to Xbox family of consoles and Windows PC

[Eonjay]

You know I'm sure Microsoft looks at those 110+ million PS4 consoles and wishes they could get their service on it. Unfortunately, Sony has its own service and they won't allow it.

[waverider]

nope. all consoles, all platforms. Better get ready for that. Its just a matter of time. Nothing more. The netflix of videogaming.

[moriarty1889]

yes they will.......all signs point to it unless your blind or in denial.

[Elda]

Nice for folks that enjoy gaming on the go but I rather play games at home on my new 65 Samsung 4k q90t qled.

[RamRod88]

Well I imagine most people, including myself, would rather play on an actual console and TV, but when you're on the go and don't have that option, this is a great alternative. That is really all this is, an alternative way to play.

[Elda]

I hear you which I stated it's good for folks that like to play on the go. I don't fly or travel long distances so I can wait until I'm home & play video games in the comfort of my home.

[RamRod88]

I feel the same way.

[rainslacker]

How's the glare on those screens? I got a 86" screen last week, about as good as you can get before oled screens, but the glare is pretty bad, and read some of the q90s had the same issue

[Elda]

If I play during the day my room is pretty dark so I haven't really noticed any glare.

[rainslacker]

Glare on mine is so bad I have to turn off all the lights in the room. Picking up some new blinds for the living room today, and this weekend I'm finally putting in the ambient lighting I want to put in for when we watch movies so there won't be any glare. It's pretty bad, especially in dark scenes. Really nice TV, especially since I got it cheap. Not OLED, which is what I wanted, but the big screen OLED's are still pretty pricey.

[YourMommySpoils]

The most stupidest decision making company in the world. This is how it's going to end up lol

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Their stock looks a lot better than your stupid predictions

[YourMommySpoils]

Stocks in Microsoft yes. game consoles, no. There fixed.

[Christopher]

Care to explain why this is the "most stupidest" decision?

[Petebloodyonion]

Well, I'll give props to MS for really pushing this thing.
Countless ads are now on Youtube about Gamepass and they seem to add more and more stuff.

[MajorPectorals]

If their Tik Tok deal goes through just think of all the free advertising they can get on there to the younger kids

[SamTheGamer]

Cool.. I should really order a largest screen mobile phone to play these and forget XSX.

[leejohnson222]

What a sad state of affairs this gaming company is becoming

[shinrock]

OPTIONS!!!!!!! OMG THE HORROR!!!!😮

[anast]

Gross

[VersusDMC]

As a PlayStation guy who passed on the Xbox one... I am actually excited to get this on my phone. I might actually get a Xbox controller and I assume there's a device that physically connects my phone to the controller? They got at least one month from me. :)

[Kran]

The one thing this can do that PS Now can't is use mobile phone data to stream.

[Christopher]

You can do PS Now on actual 5G (not AT&T fake 5G), but, yeah, otherwise, not happening. Sony definitely needs to improve on PSNow and it's worrisome how silent they have been with it in regards to going into next-gen and the rise of Stadia and XCloud/GamePass.

[Gamerking82]

Defo it’s an amazing service and I don’t care what anyone says . I’m a all console owner ( for the exclusives ). And I admit . Gamepass is an amazing service . Any dislike are people that have not got a Xbox it’s as simple as that . When I was young we had blockbuster for rentals 2 nights mega drive or SNES for the same as a month on gamepass . So he’ll yes gamepass is worth it’.

[Cmoney007]

I will be more impressed by Ultimate Game Pass when it allows PC players to play 360 games and Rare Replay.

[Futureshark]

This is it, MS going for all the Iphone & Android smartphone owners who play mainly on PS4 and don't have a PC, as seen by the noted "You can use your DS4 controller!"

They really want these numbers up as I expect Xbox & PC numbers are flattening out, so need a new source of subscriptions, and smartphone users are it!
Perhaps trying to drum up subs from the old 360 brigade who jumped to PS4 and have lapsed accounts.

I expect some Sony fans might well go for it for nostalgia sakes, but we all now how the world feels about game streaming..., don't we Stadia.

Two things.
1. Subscription fatigue, are people who have Netflix, Disney+, PSNow, and any other subs going to still go for another $14.99 a month?

2. If I can stream Halo Infinite in all it's Series X glory to my phone and then cast it to my TV and play with my DS4 on release day, then why should I buy a Xbox SX at all?
I'm blessed with a very fast internet connection and then 5G is coming down the line for everyone sooner then you think so MS have fulfilled their prophecy and made their hardware redundant.
Unless the XCloud version that is streamed is massively inferior, but if that's the case then what's the point in subbing to that?

[MightyHealthy]

And byebye goes stadia

[averagejoe26]

No thanks. I like to game on my 60 inch 4k TV or 1440 ultrawide monitor.

I'm not trying to experience next gen games on a tiny phone screen.

[toyzombie]

I wonder how bad the input lag is connecting ur controller via bluetooth.