Yeah, its one of the main reason i just use it to play free to play games like limbus company and whatever. I fear just what that little thing could bring to the storefront but no one talks about it. That scares me quite a bit ain’t goona lie.
PC gamepass has all the benefits, but in general less games because the PC launcher has less games, but that gap has shortened a lot. Looking a filters (on Ultimate though) it’s maybe a difference of like 100 games more on console. It was a huge disparity when PC GP first launched.
But they do get all the benefits. And I am quite sure that part of the move here is to push console gamers to PC, and I don’t think that will be taken well because Xbox hasn’t perfected that combined ecosystem yet. The big issue with console too is that we’re still paying for Xbox Live Gold essentially (paid multiplayer) on all tiers. This is why I liked the original tiers best because if you didn’t want paid online there was a game pass tier by itself which came with day one games. Oh well 
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I think I’ve figured it out now. The only way this makes any sense going forward with the Xbox and PC merging and GPU being priced this high, is if Phil makes Gaben an offer he can’t refuse and buys Valve.
This has to be the end game here!
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Business answer is PC is in GROWTH mode while Console was well past that point.
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While I doubt that’ll happen lol (guessing meant as a joke anyway), the profit margin might be enough on it now that they allow it to be accessed through Steam too.
Gabe has already said he’s up for that (just discussions needed on split) which would probably drive some huge growth on PC but take attention from their own store (so probably making it less likely).
Who knows though, it’s a private company, Gabe is ex-MS and seems to get on well with them so closer cooperation when it comes to the hybrid console is possible
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Honestly the biggest hang up with GP through Steam seemed like the fact that this would mean supporting Linux. Microsoft probably still wants Xbox Game Pass to support WINDOWS PC gaming only.
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They should implant some really irresistible employee then and get Valve involved in a string of federal workplace related lawsuits that lead to the company’s stock value tanking. Works everytime.
MS wants Xbox Game Pass to support Money Making PC Gaming only.
But seriously even though Steam Deck is a thing, total Linux userbase doesn’t really seem to be growing, especially not tangibly amongst gamers.
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Yeah, the last survey I saw valve do puts Steam users on Linux and Linux related devices at like 2 - 3% and Windows in total is over like 90-95%. Really puts the vocal minority into question. Even YouTubers will talk about how SteamOS has killed windows 
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Some say MS’s move into PC handhelds was due to the Steam Deck and I don’t know if I fully buy it. I’ve actually yet to find someone in real life who use Linux even for basic computing.
The only place I use it is at work on specific server VMs and while I did try it at home, it was way too inconvenient as a gaming OS for me to keep after a trial of a few days.
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I think SteamOS was a good proof of concept for them, but really they went where the OEMs went and they’re just also leveraging it with their move to more closely merge gaming on windows into the Xbox ecosystem (which seems to have already been the plan). But I don’t think Microsoft ever really felt “threatened” by the Steam Deck. If they did then they wouldn’t support it with steam deck verified games. Or they’d be a lot more aggressive against it with an actual first party Xbox handheld.
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The day one releases is probably a sticking point too. While EA Play is available on Steam, EA Play Pro is not.
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The outcry and backlash is completely overblown over the top nonsense in my book . Maybe it would have been better to keep it just under 30 bucks price point. It’s still excellent value when you break it down.
I would have liked to have seen the full Ubisoft sub games all on there mind LOL
It doesn’t really affect me all that much, but Game Pass was one of the remaining pillars of the Xbox brand. People being priced out of Game Pass ultimate was always going to garner a lot of negativity, hell relatively minor increases in the past led to a lot of backlash. A massive increase like this with relatively minor perks (Ubisoft games drop in price way too fast for their low tier subscription to hold any real value) deservedly generated a shitstorm.
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It was a pillar? It’s an Xbox One creation (so no Xbox 260 nostalgia) that the wider gaming media has always outlandishly attacked. The very same sources screaming bloody murder, were also screaming bloody murder that Game Pass is too cheap and that it shouldn’t include day one games.
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Yes, it was a pillar. That the service received a lot of media attention both positive and negative is only an indication that it is a pillar of the Xbox brand. If no one gave a shit people wouldn’t talk about it.
It originating in last gen doesn’t really detract from the mindshare and appreciation it received from the Xbox fandom in any way.
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Great points
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https://x.com/wario64/status/1974089245447909782?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ
If anything, it’s probably reasonable to get them from stores and stack them rather than use recurring payment option if not want to pay the newly official price. It’s the casual alas general audience that may take the hit
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I mean if that’s how we’re describing a pillar (positive and negative attention) then Xbox Game Pass is stronger as a pillar. Your initial mention uses the past tense as if Game pass is no longer as pillar, but we’re seeing it generate the most media attention than probably ever in its decade or so life. The majority is negative, but that’s how its always been. I remember really early on when independent creators were clapping back against larger gaming media that kept trying to villianify Game Pass, but it never stuck. The same exact outlets that are angry at game pass now, have always been. The same people saying its overpriced and dead were asking for exactly this (higher prices and for a tier like premium to be the main tier (well all of gamepass) where day one games don’t exist). I don’t see much difference here on the idea of GP generating attention. No one bothered to report on PS Now’s pricing to this extent way back when or when PS Plus raised the prices of its tiers (not to this extent, but any time). Actually I never see ANY gaming sub talked about half this much. Attention is definitely there. Maybe that changes, but its there.
Personally, when you say “pillar” of Xbox, I think of something like how Xbox is seen as the console with the best community features and the best place for playing multiplayer games with friends. This is a sentiment that Xbox is foundationally built on and is partially what made it successful as a console. And it is an idea or perspective about Xbox that is generally shared among all gamers. It even to this day is why people will go out and buy Xboxes. Game pass, as much as it was talked about, as far as we’ve seen never realy led to an influx of tons of brand new Xbox gamers or significant new hardware sales. GP is certainly a talking point about Xbox, but I’m not sure I’d at least call it a pillar. In my mind a pillar is more foundational and is holding something up; I don’t think GP is actually holding anything up at Xbox so much as being an additive thing that also makes money off of an existing user base that is already here and not really growing.
I just got an email about the changes. I give them credit to allow me to refund it within 14 days use.
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