To a news report about the Xbox Game Pass opened an interesting comment these days, in which a “non-gamer” was confused: What is behind all the different subscriptions and services that exist around the Xbox? So I sat down and summed it up as best I could.
First of all: everyone is a gamer. Be it a PC gambler, console player, solitaire at work or my mother, who was looking for Gardenscape on her smartphone and vying with me at Angry Birds Friends. Everyone is playing. In his way.
At Microsoft, the gaming experience operates under the all-encompassing Xbox brand.
Whoever remembers 10-20 years ago: In the past, in addition to Xbox for PC players, there were also Games for Windows Live with their own store and client. This has now been evaporated and for Windows there is the Xbox app and the Xbox Game Bar to manage games under Windows 10 (the Xbox app is also available for Android and iOS).
Xbox Live Gold
The history of subscriptions started with Xbox Live Gold and silver.
Was Xbox Live Silver an online account without a paid subscription, you could use it to see friends online, write messages and collect gamerscore points. This has been called for a few years Xbox Live Free or Xbox Live free account.
Xbox Live Gold is, as the name suggests, the premium variant. With the paid subscription, you have the option on the console to play online with and against other players and to use party chats with voice function. In addition, you get an additional discount on the regular special offers in the marketplace.
In the past, Xbox Live Gold was also required for apps such as Twitter, Facebook, Netflix, Youtube etc. This was abolished when the competitor Sony decided not to.
For a few years now, Xbox Live Gold has had an additional feature called Games with gold. This is an Xbox reward program for loyal subscribers who receive two free games per month for Xbox One and Xbox 360. These differ significantly. Xbox 360 games are backward compatible on Xbox One and can still be used when the Gold subscription expires. The games for Xbox One, however, can only be used as long as the Xbox Live Gold subscription is active.
Further information: Xbox Live Gold
Xbox Game Pass
The subscription has also been available since 2017 Xbox Game Pass.
Best described for laypeople as Netflix for games, whereby Project xCloud (see below) comes a little closer to this description. There is a large library of games that can be viewed with the Game Pass and downloaded and played with an active Pass at no additional cost. Xbox Live Gold may be required for online features, such as an online world such as GTA Online or multiplayer. Similar to a video on demand offer, the portfolio is constantly being revised and changed, Xbox also cooperates with well-known publishers such as Ubisoft. Bethesda and Warner Bros.
As a rule, new titles are added 2-3 times a month, from time to time games may fly out after prior notice.
A nice bonus is that you can buy all titles from the Game Pass with a 20 percent discount. There is a 10% discount on add-ons. This is especially attractive when a game is removed but you definitely want to continue playing it.
The biggest advantage, however, is that all in-house titles of Xbox Game Studios that appear new are fully available from day one. It does not matter whether it is the well-known titles such as Forza, Gears of War and Halo, or smaller titles that are no less popular, such as the animation wonder “Ori and the Will of the Wisps ”or the zombie cult game“ State of Decay 2 -Juggernaut Edition ”(to be released on March 15th). Xbox also promises that its own titles will remain permanently in the Game Pass.
Further information: Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
It is brand new since 2019 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
This offers what makes the most sense, the combination of Xbox Live Gold and the Xbox Game Pass.
The advantage of the Ultimate Pass is that it saves money. While gold costs € 6.99 a month and the game pass individually € 9.99, the combination costs you only € 12.99 a month. The volume of savings naturally varies depending on the term or taking special offers into account.
In addition, owners of this Ultimate Pass often have access to extended versions of Xbox titles, such as the Gears of War 5 – Ultimate Edition with more content than the Standard Edition. Another treat is that the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also includes the Xbox Game Pass for the PC.
Further information: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass for PC
At the same time as the Ultimate Pass, the “Netflix” offer was also extended to Windows 10 PCs. The Game Pass for PC, which can also be locked separately, offers all kinds of goodies. For example, there are formerly console-exclusive titles such as Halo Master Chief Edition, Forza Motorsport 7 and Horizon 4 or Gears of War, but also real PC gems like the revamped Age of Empires titles and point and click games optimized for PC such as “2 Point Hospital”. This spring, the strategy offshoot “Gears Tactics” is coming, and later this year the much-awaited Microsoft flight simulator.
Another great feature is that the Game Pass on the PC can also be used by several people. That means the dad has the passport active, can indulge in Gears of War and Halo, and when the kids sign up, they can use Age of Empires or Forza Horizon on the same PC. The separately available PC Game Pass is cheaper than the standalone Xbox Game Pass.
Further information: Xbox Game Pass for PC
Project xCloud
Project xCloud is not a subscription in itself, it is currently a beta test service that is not yet known exactly how it will be implemented later. When Phil Spencer took charge of the Xbox division in 2015, he had a vision and a mantra: “No Boundaries”, no restrictions.
Back then, shrugging and smiling, noted by many, it started when Xbox games themselves became “Play Anywhere”. Xbox games should be playable on the console, but also on the PC. Cloud save also keeps game progress in sync across the platforms.
The vision and the mission statement were taken up and so Project xCloud 2018 was presented to the world. This is the streaming of games from the cloud to all conceivable end devices. Currently, the primary target is smartphones. You connect a Bluetooth controller (preferably your Xbox controller, of course) to your smartphone or tablet and can then choose whether you want to stream from the cloud, i.e. an Azure data center, or from your own consoles.
The latter is an extension of what you already know from Windows 10 and the Xbox app. You activate streaming and the surface of the console is mirrored on your device. Big difference is that with Windows 10 you still had to be within the network and the console had to be on. With the new console streaming, it is the case that your console in instant on mode is receptive to requests from outside and you can wake up and stream the console from any point in the world with the appropriate connection.
I myself tested it in my hotel room in London and have to say that it worked relatively well. In addition to the download speed of your mobile device, the upload rate at home is also crucial. LAN or LTE is recommended on the go and 10-20 Mbit upload at home.
With real cloud streaming, the upload is irrelevant because you are streaming directly from the data center. 5G or LTE is recommended. Since all of these things are still in beta testing, there are still various restrictions.
Project xCloud is currently only available for the US, UK and South Korea, and the library of available games is constantly growing. Here there is a list.
Here in Germany there is access to the beta test of console streaming via the Xbox Insider program, where you can access your entire game library. With the Xbox Game Pass, this means almost endless gaming enjoyment.
I personally hope that Project xCloud will later be added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free, making Phil Spencer’s vision “Play Anywhere, at any time, on any device” a reality.
(Note: The console streaming has slipped in here, strictly speaking, xCloud and the console streaming are two pairs of boots. But as noted above, it is still not entirely clear how Microsoft will put the puzzle pieces together to form a business model.
Further information: Project xCloud
Xbox All Access
There is also a leasing offer for the USA Xbox All Access, it should also be mentioned here for completeness.
US users have the option to rent the console for a fixed 24-month term. They can choose between the Xbox One S All Digital, the Xbox One S and the Xbox One X with a rental fee of between $ 19.99 and $ 30.99. The special thing about the program is: In addition to the console, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is also part of this offer, and after 18 months you have the option to switch to the new Xbox Series X. It is unclear whether and when this offer is available from us.
Further information: Xbox All Access
I hope this overview of the various services around the Xbox helps you a little. And if you are curious, check the one or the other link, because for example the Game Pass Ultimate and the PC Game Pass have attractive entry offers from time to time.
Please have a look at the forum and read the great one _Sabine_’s Post with some more information.
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