Xbox Game Pass Ultimate First Impressions

I have been toying with Xbox Game Pass and I really wanted to chat about it on my blog.

Okay.. So let me preface this post with a little history to emphasis my opinion. In my lifetime I have owned every PlayStation console at some point. PS1 all the way to today's power house the PS5. For Xbox, I owned 1 refurbished Xbox 360 long after its prime. Now don't get me wrong I am not one of those die hard PS fanboys you see starting wars on Twitter. I just ended up on the PlayStation side of the spectrum. When your younger your parents are only going to get you one of the new consoles and it ended up being PlayStation. All my friends had PlayStations. My last two consoles (PS4 and PS5) my wife got them for me as surprise birthday/Christmas gifts because my previous console was a PS3. So we can say I am a product of my environment. So what would I think of this Xbox Game Pass?

Well its no surprise that Xbox is miles ahead of its competition with the game pass. Most people would agree its the best subscription out of the big three at this time. I do not stray from that sentiment. I actually have PS Plus and Nintendo's Switch Online as I own those consoles. The fact that I do not even own a Xbox and I can access the service is absolutely amazing. I access the service on my PC and on my android device. In comparison to the competitors product I feel it is the top product. I know Sony is introducing a whole new system for PS Plus, but currently it doesn't compare. You get a couple free games and free in-game items and then discounts at the shop. Most of the time I do not care about the free games and opt to not even claim them. The only reason I got the Nintendo subscription was to be able to play classic NES and SNES titles without having to raise a black flag (Pirate Joke). Even though it is a cheaper service, I am honestly considering discontinuing it. You do not get the full Nintendo library (which I can understand as there is copyright and licensing to deal with) and if you want to play Sega and N64 you have to shell out more money. Kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth to have to pay for games you probably already purchased at some time in your life. It's like how many times do I have to re-buy Super Mario Brothers? I owned it on the NES, then SNES (Super Mario Bro's All-stars), then on the GBA, then the Nintendo Wii shop. I've literally been a customer of Nintendo for over 30 years and feel like they could do a bit more to reward their loyal fan-base.

Back to the Xbox Game Pass. I am really enjoying the service. You have this vast catalogue of games to play. I was really surprised at how many games you have access too. When I checked this morning there was 359 games available under cloud gaming. It's remarkable the amount of content that is at your finger tips with this service. All the Microsoft staples are here like the Halo Series, Gears of War, and Forza. There are several Xbox 360 titles to play, which I appreciate. I have been having a blast playing the Perfect Dark remake a title I missed out on being a PlayStation owner. Also, to supplement the Microsoft games are tons of third party games of varying genres from indie hits to triple A giants. If your a fan of EA's catalogue EA play comes included with Xbox Game Pass. Battlefield, Star Wars, Madden, all there to sink your teeth into.

With cloud gaming there is no downloading or updates you just jump into a game and play. It is actually magnificent. Being a guy who is always worried over hard drive space this is a godsend as the games take up no space on your system. The major caveat here is you need to have quality internet as you are streaming the game to your device. So if you do not have access to high-speed internet the cloud service or streaming to your phone may not be for you. Another great thing about Xbox cloud is that your device does not need to be very powerful at all. My phone is a very simple android device and not one of the big brand names. I am able to play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and it looks breathtaking. I get the odd lag as its streaming, but other then that I feel like I am gaming on a console and doesn't feel like I am playing on my phone. I was also impressed that some of the games I already own on Steam like the Masterchief collection had saved my progress via the cloud. So I could just pick-up right where I left off on the PC. One downside is on the PC for cloud it does not support keyboard and mouse. I did read recently that they are working on introducing keyboard and mouse for cloud. As a PC gamer mouse and keyboard has ruined me for playing FPS games with a controller.

When it comes to pricing it will hit your wallet a little bit. I originally just had the PC pass which was $11.99 CAD a month. To upgrade to ultimate to play on my phone the subscription cost is $16.99 CAD. Out of all my month subscriptions in my household (Netflix, Prime, Disney, PS Plus) it is the highest. I do think the value matches the cost of the service. I will usually pay more for convenience and to be able to play Halo on my phone laying in bed instead of sitting uncomfortably at my PC at 11pm is a big convenience. If you are a gamer on a budget then this might not be for you due to the monthly cost. I might not keep it forever, as I am parent with limited time to game and mouths to feed. For now it is something I am really excited about and have been enjoying on the daily.

Xbox Game Pass and The Xbox logo are the intellectual properties of the Microsoft Corporation

This article is subject to Fair Use (US Law) and Fair Dealing (Canadian Law) as it is informational in purpose and is a critique of the product. All rights and credits go directly to the owners. No copyright infringement is intended.