Following Sony's footsteps in providing a subscription model for accessing hundreds of games, Microsoft is now launching a similar program.
Introducing Xbox Game Pass, the new subscription option that is now live via early access 14-day free trial for those Xbox Live Gold members. It will release for everyone else on June 1 of next week. The subscription will cost $9.99 for American gamers and will feature over 100 games to play.
Gamesradar spoke with Xbox CMO Mike Nichols to get a better idea of how this service works. First of all, Nichols revealed that the 100+ games includes a combination of Xbox One and backward compatible games of the Xbox 360. It does feature some heavy hitters such as Halo 5, Gears games, Saints Row, XCOM, Rare titles, etc.
The game breakdown seems to have been designed for a variety of consumers, as it's got quite a variety of genres included. The biggest difference from Sony's PlayStation Now seems to be that this Xbox Game Pass service allows for downloads as opposed to streaming. In other words, with Xbox Game Pass you will be downloading any of the hundreds of titles. Nichols seems to stress that once downloaded, you can play these games offline free of any network attack that might compromise your enjoyment of them.
This service is also suggested to be closer to Netflix than PlayStation Now, as Nichols suggests that the number and amount of games "will vary month to month." The intent is for Xbox gamers to discover new games each month. The needs of their fans will be evaluated closely as a result. Additionally, subscribers will have the ability to purchase the games downloaded at an exclusive discount.
Interesting development for what may become PlayStation Now's toughest competition moving forward. Follow the link below for more details from Gamesradar's interview with Microsoft.
Are our readers excited for this new program? Let us know in the comments below.
