@IronMan30 @FraserG These are rumours. It could be two separate devices or a dock sold separately for the extra computing power, so not necessarily a handheld beast like Rog Xbox Ally X.
@Coletrain I know it's going to be Xbox for me and I admit I'm delighted to hear again that it will be a beast, although Microsoft confirmed that last year.
Besides, am I the only one that likes the codenames more than the actual names? Scorpio, Magnus...
@darylb24 That's a wonderful message and I agree. Besides that and legal terms aside, I was thinking that we don't own physical games because if they break no one's giving us a free replacement. I know we could say the same about any item, but discs are really just a surface where the intangible game is stored, and very often the whole game is just not there anyway, just like those Switch cartridges (cheap SDs) with half of the game. So what kind of property is that?
People are afraid about games being delisted or access revoked, but I can still download them on Xbox. Not on DSi, 3DS, Wii or Wii U. Nintendo is the one I trust the least in terms of digital rights, and Xbox and Steam the most, with Sony somewhere in between.
I watched this on Paramount, I subscribed one month for it and I loved both seasons although the second is better. I suspected that the reason for its moderate success was the platform of choice and its limited user base.
The combat and the special effects are amazing. The script isn't bad and not as "modernised" as I was fearing. It's quite focused and effective for the most part. The only chapters I didn't like were those that focused on Kwan Ha's story and revenge. My favourite characters and performances are John and Halsey's. They're so good. I would watch it again because of them, their interactions with the other Spartans and the combat.
The producers stated that they wanted to make a third season, I hope they do after this deserved success.
@themightyant The cancelled-before-being-announced handheld was supposed to launch sooner than the next generation. The current rumours mention a hybrid console launching along the next-gen Xbox. The only official confirmation is for the next-gen and backwards compatible Xbox, nothing official regarding the handheld/hybrid console. That said, the latest statement mentions consoles and devices in plural form, that are designed, engineered and built by Xbox", unlike the Asus Rog Ally X that was manufactured by Asus, with the gaming version of Windows being obviously engineered by Microsoft.
We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox. For more details, the community can revisit our agreement announcement with AMD.
@FrenchVaniIIuxe I was specifically replying to your comment about the site.
Rog Xbox Ally X is great as a gaming handheld, the best price with that chip, powerful and efficient, great ergonomics, Play Anywhere, third-party stores... Of course, that doesn't come cheap and most users here are console fans — not necessarily Xbox fans, as you can see on most threads — but even for Xbox fans, the part of Xbox that this device fully covers is Play Anywhere and Cloud. It's not backwards compatible with Xbox games and doesn't support the console version of the current-gen games.
Since Steam Deck launched, I've been wanting to get one of these. If I get one, it would be this, because of the specs and mostly because of Play Anywhere. I don't have a Steam account and, like other users said, the largest amount of money spent is not on the hardware, but on games and subscriptions. Here, you can play all Xbox games with a Play Anywhere version and, on top of that, all Game Pass tiers include console and PC games now. So, between starting a new library and playing Play Anywhere and Game Pass titles at no extra cost, I'd choose the latter.
That said, Microsoft confirmed that there will be a next-gen console that is backwards compatible and rumours mention an alternative, a less powerful hybrid that is a handheld Xbox that can connect to the TV. Those two options manufactured by Microsoft and backwards compatible with console games are more appealing to me.
@AverageJoseph Yes, Microsoft guaranteed that all the first-party games will be included in Premium within a year, Call of Duty excluded, so Premium is a pretty good deal. Regarding third-party games, each has a different deal, usually one year on Ultimate, but you won't know when and if they will join Premium. Feel free to switch between tiers depending on the current library of games.
The best option and the best deal, as long as it is not removed, is to let your subscription expire, subscribe to Essential the following day and convert it to Ultimate, getting 40% of the length of Essential.
@AverageJoseph They can't control how people will play the games they want to play on day one, but won't be the incredible deal it was until now. It's not the only factor, but Call of Duty makes the Ultimate tier more expensive and, as the only exception within a year in Premium, it also makes Premium "cheaper", being the same price as before but with Cloud and PC games added.
@Coletrain Yep, I couldn't be happier with my Series X, for both old and new games. It's supported by all third parties, it's powerful, efficient, quiet and has the best features of a console so far: Quick Resume, FPS Boost, Play Anywhere, free and enhanced backwards compatibility, free cloud saves and ergonomic controller!
@AverageJoseph Call of Duty is the star of the show, but I mean this strategy for all the major titles. Same as games get discounts after the launch period, they'll be added to Premium within a year. They probably expect people to buy the games they really want at launch or accept a higher price for day one access.
Putting the executive suit on for a minute, I think that the plan is, the people that subscribe one month for Call of Duty will pay more and the people who subscribe to the cheaper tiers will buy the games they want. In any case, they can't pay just a little bit for playing our most precious games on day one after becoming the most important publisher.
So it's profitable at $20 a month, why raise it to $30 a month?
Not defending the price hike and not saying that the most expensive tier is the best choice for everyone, as many users won't make the most of it and would rather just buy the games or subscribe to any of the other two tiers that have more perks now (Cloud and PC) at no extra cost, the price of new games was increased this generation on all platforms, including Switch 2 (last-gen technology in terms of technical capabilities and development) and PS5. Besides, Microsoft has more studios now, publishes more games and they stated that will include more third-party games in Game Pass from now on, increasing their investment. I believe that all these are the reasons why Ultimate is more expensive now.
@Weebleman It seems so and I'm happy about it! 😁 While I think that gaming in general is getting more expensive and that affects day one access to games (Ultimate), Call of Duty in particular is a big factor. It's the only exception that won't be on Premium within a year.
@Gabrie Exactly. The Xbox library is more guaranteed to be supported in the future because of the Xbox integration with PC. The architecture and OS/DirectX are basically the same and that makes things rather easy. Heck, they made PowerPC (Xbox 360) games run on x86 (Xbox One) better than on the original hardware.
Play Anywhere is not just supported by Microsoft and indies, but big publishers like Capcom, Sega and Square Enix, with Warner adding it to Hogwarts Legacy. Although we will play Xbox games without Play Anywhere on the next Xbox because Microsoft said that it will support backwards compatibility, Play Anywhere is crucial for gaming handhelds and the PC expansion. It started with Xbox One and it should be mandatory by now.
Phil is very nice, indeed. He's a gamer, a good person, a good boss — a bit too permissive, perhaps. Satya is basically the opposite. Phil does not seem to have control over the big decisions now, and Sarah seems to be a saleswoman. As a positive note, Xbox is more profitable than ever before and I believe that Xbox fans will be served well, but the price of gaming is higher now on all platforms, unfortunately.
@Questionable_Duck Right and this year is the same, because all the $1 trials I've seen are for Essential and Premium.
I said it a few days ago, the most precious feature is day one access, for users and for Microsoft, because the price on day one per game is €$70 at least (AAA games), more for deluxe editions. Thus, the most valuable perk for users (they save $70 per game) and for Microsoft (they lose $70 per game and user) is access to games at launch.
Of course, this is business, so they only had two options, remove day one access or make it more expensive. Removing day one access would have met much more backlash than a price hike, I tell you.
I don't think that Ubisoft Classics and Fortnite Crew are to blame here, because Microsoft would not potentially lose subscribers and collect cash for Epic and Ubisoft at the same time, so those deals must have cost peanuts.
That said, the other two tiers got better because they have Cloud and PC now for the same price. That is not news anywhere, but it's a great deal. However, I suspect that the cheaper PC tier will disappear.
We've been through these rumours so many times. Maybe, one day there won't be any more Xbox, PS and Nintendo consoles, but for now, Xbox consoles are one of the biggest income sources for Microsoft's gaming division. It makes no sense to drop hardware and they don't need to outsell their competitor in terms of hardware units when the users you have are engaged and spending.
However, because Xbox is the biggest publisher now, they need to diversify and release games and services for PC, handheld devices and other consoles if possible. Their next Xbox console might run PC games, after all. The console market is limited and it's not growing.
I completely agree with @darylb24, Xbox dropping hardware is the dream of many and that's why the negative things about Xbox are usually isolated, exaggerated and distorted when compared to the same — or worse — negative things about Sony and Nintendo. So, whatever Xbox does or say, it's going to meet greater hostility, no matter if many of the features are still more consumer-friendly when compared to the other platforms.
One thing that I don't get is why people think that their libraries are endangered. I've been playing Nintendo all my life and almost always I'm forced to buy the same games again, which I hate, and not even being able to use the same save files. Super Mario Galaxy, a Wii game, has two versions for the same console, Switch, with no cross-buy and no cross-save and it's not even news because this is the kind of thing people expect from Nintendo. PS is a bit better at this, but they still sell remasters with no cross-save nor cross-buy. Most of Xbox remasters are free upgrades, including the recent Oblivion and all the backwards compatibility enhancements. If anything, I'm sure that your digital library is safer on Xbox, because worst-case scenario, you'd play the PC version in the future for free with the same save file.
While plans change, that's also true for Sony and Nintendo as we've seen in recent years, with 180 degrees turns in some cases. Even Nintendo made fun of that with "Turn the tables" in Iwata Asks, and Sony has changed their strategy this generation several times regarding first-party plans and strategies. That doesn't mean that any of them are lying and can't be trusted, though.
@Gunbeld It's not Jez, Tom or Sneaker who debunked the dropping hardware rumours, but Microsoft, yesterday. These rumours are recurrent and baseless, so I wouldn't bother.
@miharin Right, most games are old and cheap, but Ubisoft already had Ubisoft Classics for old games (€$8). The other one is Ubisoft Premium (€$18). Game Pass Ultimate already had EA Play ($€6), not EA Play Pro (€$17), and now they added Ubisoft Classics, on top of Fortnite Crew (€$12).
@Ricky-Spanish The non-subscribers that are cancelling. 😜
Also, yes, like you said, the focus is on one of the tiers, when the other two have become much better for the same price and when you can buy every single game except the Retro Classics that use streaming. They could tell the truth for once. Ultimate is no longer cheap and, surely, is no longer a great deal for everyone despite its perks, but is there any other subscription with day one access and how much would it cost on PS, despite PS having much fewer first-party releases, using Sony's current pricing as reference? The bias there is so extreme, I haven't seen it elsewhere. Yes, Ultimate is more expensive, but it's not the only option for playing on Xbox as some suggest.
@Weebleman This started as a test with Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3 and it's much bigger now. It's not that it was not sustainable until now, but for Microsoft, Xbox has become macroeconomy, because they have all the Xbox business under the same umbrella: online services, subscriptions, store sales (including lucrative DLC), Play Anywhere, multiplatform releases...
In this context and because gaming is more expensive now on the three consoles, they decided that day one should have a higher price tag, while they are willing to give better value for Essential and Premium adding Cloud and PC for the same price — with the secret plan of discontinuing the PC tier, as AverageJoseph said. The good news is that there are more and better options than ever before. The bad news is that day one access, the top perk in the top tier, is no longer cheap. What they're doing for people joining Game Pass is another thing: the $1 trials are back.
@AverageJoseph That cheaper tier with fewer perks but day one access has its days numbered and you're right, all the other tiers include PC now, I hadn't realised.
Like I wrote under one of the 35 Game Pass articles 😜, I bet that Ubisoft's deal cost Microsoft peanuts, perhaps even Ubisoft's licence for Xbox streaming in certain regions is partially related to it. I don't really get the Fortnite deal, because you can play without a subscription and it's part of the most expensive tier, so I'd love to know the numbers behind this. Finally, the pricing that that fan designed doesn't make sense, because the most precious feature is day one access, for users and for Microsoft, because the price on day one per game is €$70 at least (AAA games), more for deluxe editions. Thus, the most valuable perk for users (they save $70 per game) and for Microsoft (they lose $70 per game and user) is access to games at launch.
The good news is that Essential and Premium get Cloud [EDIT: and PC] for the same price. It makes a lot of sense for This is an Xbox, which is great for casual gaming, but free cloud saves and backwards compatibility along Play Anywhere will be the best features for traditional gamers in the long term. It's also possible that they merge PC and console Game Pass eventually and make Play Anywhere mandatory. Right now, the PC plan appears hidden under an arrow on the Xbox site.
TL;DR, I believe that most of the extra cost of Ultimate was decided based on day one access to the greater number of AAA games that Xbox publishes and also because gaming in general (Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo) is getting more expensive. ABK is a factor, too, with Call of Duty being the only exception in the Game Pass plans.
I play new games on Game Pass, still best value in gaming for me despite the disproportionate drama, but I also love old games. If I only played old games I wouldn't subscribe to Game Pass. That said and like others here, this weekend is for a classic: Final Fantasy XIII Lighting Returns. I played the other two a few years ago. I hated this third entry at first, but once I got the hang of it, I started loving it. The world is wonderful to explore, looks awesome (on Series X) and the side quests are interesting and not overwhelming. It also adds more to the story of XIII which I consider great.
Before that, I started Crash Bandicoot 4, but no doubt it's made by a different developer because I liked the trilogy of remakes quite more. 4 is good, but it's too hard if you want to do 100% and also every minute seems over-the-top, so I took a break. Perhaps, it's because the levels are too long and don't seem cohesive but just challenging. I will go back to it when I have more patience. The problem is that what I've played so far hasn't motivated me.
@abe_hikura Exactly. If you try to expand your Ultimate subscription before it expires using a Core/Essential code, you get a warning with the conversion ratio for extending Ultimate, which is significantly lower. Thus, you need your subscription to expire first for the good deal.
Another important thing to know is that Microsoft codes don't expire, so you can buy them before you are ready to use them.
Also important: each code card has a region, so you need a code card for your region, unless it says "worldwide". On Loaded, this is very clear. I would buy the 1-year codes which are the best value. Example from Loaded: "Xbox Game Pass Core - 12 Month Membership (WW)"
@abe_hikura The codes I have bought are from CDkeys, but there are more stores that sell them. Eneba is one and Loaded I didn't know until now. Someone mentioned Shopto yesterday.
@abe_hikura I said this yesterday, but if you or anyone else is interested in Ultimate and want to pay less, subscribe to Core/Essential. If you are currently subscribed to Ultimate, first let your subscription expire. When you subscribe to Core/Essential, you can use third-party codes. Once you are subscribed, you can convert your subscription to Ultimate up to a maximum of 36 months. The conversion ratio used to be 50%. Now is 40%, so the difference is minimal and the price of Core/Essential has not changed, so it's an excellent deal!
@Scrubchub Sometimes, the easiest way is to read the official sources. These articles are fine because they highlight different things and I'm sure the engagement is extremely high right now, but so many of them can be confusing!
On the Rewards topic, until now you got the same points on all tiers, with Ultimate having exclusive perks, like the expansion of Persona 3 Reload. Now, if you choose Ultimate, you are getting more points by playing and purchasing games, which is also worth consider. Regarding purchases, you get 20-30% discount for purchasing games and 4x points (credit) for getting more games in the future.
Ultimate subscribers can now earn up to $100 per year (100k points globally) in the Store just by playing games. With our upgraded Rewards program, players can get up to 30% value on select Game Pass games, with 4x points on purchases of games and add-ons, 10% back in points on select Game Pass library titles and add-ons, and up to 20% off select Game Pass games.
You can sort by name and change the tier on the left side of the page. Important note: Premium will get all first-party games within a year except Call of Duty.
@Cakefish When you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, we’ll convert any prepaid time you have on Xbox Game Pass or EA Play subscriptions and apply it toward Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at the current conversion ratio, up to a maximum of 36 months.
Xbox Game Pass Essential conversion percentage: 40% of your remaining time will convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time and be rounded up to the next full day. For example, 90 days remaining of Xbox Game Pass Essential will convert to 36 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.
@AverageJoseph Great. Yeah, it think it's going to take a while to see Star Wars Outlaws (2024) there, although it failed to meet the sales target so who knows. It would make sense to add Immortals Fenyx Rising (2020) soon. We'll see.
@AverageJoseph I can't give you a definitive answer but, looking at this list, Assassin's Creed Origins (2017) is not included, so what you get is precisely the classics. However, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (2025) is included. Probably, their rule is no recent AAA games here.
I would start with the one you feel like playing, because I don't think they are removing old games they own, but adding more very slowly. If you haven't, play Rayman Legends, Prince of Persia or any Assassin's Creed game. I loved Syndicate and it's 60fps on Series X|S, like the rest of them except IV.
@Jsb5150 This addition beats me. It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft pays Ubisoft 10 cents from each subscription for Classics, but they must be giving a good deal for the subscription of Epic's evergreen hit that costs $12 separately. A few years ago, you had to subscribe to Gold/Core to play Fortnite, but not now and this is for the most expensive tier.
@kmtrain83 If Game Pass is a good deal or not depends on how much you pay for the tier and how much you use it. It's true that it's not ownership, but you (and everybody else) don't replay most of the games you play once, and you can always buy those that you intend to. You can buy an Xbox game in the future, generally cheaper after 6-12 months, and your save will be waiting for free on the cloud (very underrated feature) and you won't need to buy the same game on the next platform. As far as digital purchases go, it's as user-friendly as possible. You have two options, ownership and subscription and you don't get penalised for switching nor stopping. You also get the PC version with Play Anywhere and I hope that more games join it. An "old" release like Hogwarts Legacy just did.
Wasn't Cloud exclusive to Ultimate until now? At least until last year it was like that. Standard and Premium getting it for the same price is a huge bonus and makes sense if they want casual users using Cloud.
@Scrubchub Isn't the Core-Ultimate conversion better than the EA-Ultimate conversion? I haven't checked recently, though. EDIT: I see you did the maths here:
@kmtrain83 The third-party codes are legal. They are not random codes nor stolen. I don't know why they are cheaper, though, and I don't know why Microsoft is the only of the three that let third parties sell subscriptions. They are more generous with free credit as well and have this conversion that I didn't expect to only be 10% more expensive now.
Yeah, the monthly subscription price of one of the three tiers is much more expensive now, no doubt about it and 100% of the users agree, but there are more options for everyone that has five minutes. It's true that they added extras, but the added value is more an excuse to make Ultimate more expensive. The Ubisoft deal for older titles must have cost peanuts. The Fortnite subscription is more surprising, as it's relatively expensive on its own ($€10).
Games are very expensive on day one now, on all platforms, including PC. The price is the same: $€70 for the standard editions. Even Nintendo's old ports are not much cheaper. Microsoft has more studios now, so they thought that people that want to play more games at a higher price on day one have to pay the price. Of course, it's not great for us that were paying little for Ultimate until now, and of course it's silly to say that they are giving more options, because that would have been Ultimate and Ultimate Plus. It's as simple as that gaming is getting more expensive for consumers across the board, and playing new games on day one is becoming a luxury.
If anyone is curious, I've been subscribed to Game Pass since it was some kind of beta that did not even have first-party game on day one. The price has increased progressively, the content as well, but I've never paid the full price. I've always used codes for Gold and Core and the conversion to Ultimate, and all the Microsoft credit that I earn even not doing anything but just playing games and using Bing has been used for buying games.
It’s even worse when you consider the $30 per month versus a $60 or $70 game
But let's get real, none of the people writing here (or very few) are paying full price for Ultimate. You only pay full price if you have a recurrent monthly subscription and don't redeem any of the Rewards points you inevitably get for Microsoft credit. If you do the Standard-Ultimate conversion, Ultimate is only 10% more expensive now. You can also buy third-party codes for Ultimate and the other tiers.
The best deal is Ultimate: the conversion ratio was 50% until now for Core/Essential whose price has not changed and the conversion ratio is 40% now. Granted, you need your Ultimate subscription to expire and then subscribe to Essential and upgrade, but it's something you just need to do once every three years.
Xbox Game Pass Essential conversion percentage: 40%
It was 50% until now and the price of Core/Essential has not changed, so this is a great deal, right? Granted, you need your Ultimate subscription to expire and then subscribe to Essential and upgrade.
@Cakefish Interesting question. Many think that online will be free next generation, at least on Xbox, because of Play Anywhere and the third-party stores reportedly being part of the same ecosystem. My guess is that it will be free indeed and every Game Pass tier is there for the games and cloud gaming.
Comments 7,952
Re: Xbox 'Magnus' Leak Suggests Next Console Will Be Powerful, Expensive & Maybe A Hybrid Device
@IronMan30 @FraserG These are rumours. It could be two separate devices or a dock sold separately for the extra computing power, so not necessarily a handheld beast like Rog Xbox Ally X.
Re: Xbox 'Magnus' Leak Suggests Next Console Will Be Powerful, Expensive & Maybe A Hybrid Device
@Coletrain I know it's going to be Xbox for me and I admit I'm delighted to hear again that it will be a beast, although Microsoft confirmed that last year.
Besides, am I the only one that likes the codenames more than the actual names? Scorpio, Magnus...
Re: New Silent Hill F Xbox Advertisement Makes It Clear You're Only Buying A 'License'
@darylb24 That's a wonderful message and I agree. Besides that and legal terms aside, I was thinking that we don't own physical games because if they break no one's giving us a free replacement. I know we could say the same about any item, but discs are really just a surface where the intangible game is stored, and very often the whole game is just not there anyway, just like those Switch cartridges (cheap SDs) with half of the game. So what kind of property is that?
People are afraid about games being delisted or access revoked, but I can still download them on Xbox. Not on DSi, 3DS, Wii or Wii U. Nintendo is the one I trust the least in terms of digital rights, and Xbox and Steam the most, with Sony somewhere in between.
Re: Talking Point: After Becoming A Surprise Hit On Netflix, Could The Halo TV Series Return?
I watched this on Paramount, I subscribed one month for it and I loved both seasons although the second is better. I suspected that the reason for its moderate success was the platform of choice and its limited user base.
The combat and the special effects are amazing. The script isn't bad and not as "modernised" as I was fearing. It's quite focused and effective for the most part. The only chapters I didn't like were those that focused on Kwan Ha's story and revenge. My favourite characters and performances are John and Halsey's. They're so good. I would watch it again because of them, their interactions with the other Spartans and the combat.
The producers stated that they wanted to make a third season, I hope they do after this deserved success.
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X Continues To Sell Out, While Standard Version Remains More Readily Available
@themightyant Rumours about Xbox tend to be extremely negative and biased, so I'll just enjoy my Series X in the meantime!
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X Continues To Sell Out, While Standard Version Remains More Readily Available
@themightyant The cancelled-before-being-announced handheld was supposed to launch sooner than the next generation. The current rumours mention a hybrid console launching along the next-gen Xbox. The only official confirmation is for the next-gen and backwards compatible Xbox, nothing official regarding the handheld/hybrid console. That said, the latest statement mentions consoles and devices in plural form, that are designed, engineered and built by Xbox", unlike the Asus Rog Ally X that was manufactured by Asus, with the gaming version of Windows being obviously engineered by Microsoft.
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X Continues To Sell Out, While Standard Version Remains More Readily Available
@FrenchVaniIIuxe I was specifically replying to your comment about the site.
Rog Xbox Ally X is great as a gaming handheld, the best price with that chip, powerful and efficient, great ergonomics, Play Anywhere, third-party stores... Of course, that doesn't come cheap and most users here are console fans — not necessarily Xbox fans, as you can see on most threads — but even for Xbox fans, the part of Xbox that this device fully covers is Play Anywhere and Cloud. It's not backwards compatible with Xbox games and doesn't support the console version of the current-gen games.
Since Steam Deck launched, I've been wanting to get one of these. If I get one, it would be this, because of the specs and mostly because of Play Anywhere. I don't have a Steam account and, like other users said, the largest amount of money spent is not on the hardware, but on games and subscriptions. Here, you can play all Xbox games with a Play Anywhere version and, on top of that, all Game Pass tiers include console and PC games now. So, between starting a new library and playing Play Anywhere and Game Pass titles at no extra cost, I'd choose the latter.
That said, Microsoft confirmed that there will be a next-gen console that is backwards compatible and rumours mention an alternative, a less powerful hybrid that is a handheld Xbox that can connect to the TV. Those two options manufactured by Microsoft and backwards compatible with console games are more appealing to me.
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X Continues To Sell Out, While Standard Version Remains More Readily Available
FrenchVaniIIuxe wrote:
It's almost the opposite!
Re: New COD Sales 'Estimate' Helps Explain Xbox's Price Hike For Day One Game Pass Releases
@AverageJoseph Yes, Microsoft guaranteed that all the first-party games will be included in Premium within a year, Call of Duty excluded, so Premium is a pretty good deal. Regarding third-party games, each has a different deal, usually one year on Ultimate, but you won't know when and if they will join Premium. Feel free to switch between tiers depending on the current library of games.
There is a list with all the games that are included in each subscription.
The best option and the best deal, as long as it is not removed, is to let your subscription expire, subscribe to Essential the following day and convert it to Ultimate, getting 40% of the length of Essential.
Re: New COD Sales 'Estimate' Helps Explain Xbox's Price Hike For Day One Game Pass Releases
@AverageJoseph They can't control how people will play the games they want to play on day one, but won't be the incredible deal it was until now. It's not the only factor, but Call of Duty makes the Ultimate tier more expensive and, as the only exception within a year in Premium, it also makes Premium "cheaper", being the same price as before but with Cloud and PC games added.
Re: Fable's Peter Molyneux Describes Xbox Boss As 'One Of The Best People I've Worked With'
@Coletrain Yep, I couldn't be happier with my Series X, for both old and new games. It's supported by all third parties, it's powerful, efficient, quiet and has the best features of a console so far: Quick Resume, FPS Boost, Play Anywhere, free and enhanced backwards compatibility, free cloud saves and ergonomic controller!
Re: New COD Sales 'Estimate' Helps Explain Xbox's Price Hike For Day One Game Pass Releases
@AverageJoseph Call of Duty is the star of the show, but I mean this strategy for all the major titles. Same as games get discounts after the launch period, they'll be added to Premium within a year. They probably expect people to buy the games they really want at launch or accept a higher price for day one access.
Re: Fable's Peter Molyneux Describes Xbox Boss As 'One Of The Best People I've Worked With'
@Coletrain @BethesdaBoyz Yeah, sadly, if you want to enjoy your Xbox Series X|S, you'd rather not read the comments on Xbox sites.
Re: New COD Sales 'Estimate' Helps Explain Xbox's Price Hike For Day One Game Pass Releases
Putting the executive suit on for a minute, I think that the plan is, the people that subscribe one month for Call of Duty will pay more and the people who subscribe to the cheaper tiers will buy the games they want. In any case, they can't pay just a little bit for playing our most precious games on day one after becoming the most important publisher.
Re: Xbox Issues Statement Denying Rumour That Next-Gen Console Could Be Cancelled
@cross717
Not defending the price hike and not saying that the most expensive tier is the best choice for everyone, as many users won't make the most of it and would rather just buy the games or subscribe to any of the other two tiers that have more perks now (Cloud and PC) at no extra cost, the price of new games was increased this generation on all platforms, including Switch 2 (last-gen technology in terms of technical capabilities and development) and PS5. Besides, Microsoft has more studios now, publishes more games and they stated that will include more third-party games in Game Pass from now on, increasing their investment. I believe that all these are the reasons why Ultimate is more expensive now.
Re: New COD Sales 'Estimate' Helps Explain Xbox's Price Hike For Day One Game Pass Releases
@Weebleman It seems so and I'm happy about it! 😁 While I think that gaming in general is getting more expensive and that affects day one access to games (Ultimate), Call of Duty in particular is a big factor. It's the only exception that won't be on Premium within a year.
Re: It Looks Like The Silent Hill 2 Remake Is About To Go Fully Multiplatform
@Gabrie Exactly. The Xbox library is more guaranteed to be supported in the future because of the Xbox integration with PC. The architecture and OS/DirectX are basically the same and that makes things rather easy. Heck, they made PowerPC (Xbox 360) games run on x86 (Xbox One) better than on the original hardware.
Play Anywhere is not just supported by Microsoft and indies, but big publishers like Capcom, Sega and Square Enix, with Warner adding it to Hogwarts Legacy. Although we will play Xbox games without Play Anywhere on the next Xbox because Microsoft said that it will support backwards compatibility, Play Anywhere is crucial for gaming handhelds and the PC expansion. It started with Xbox One and it should be mandatory by now.
Re: Fable's Peter Molyneux Describes Xbox Boss As 'One Of The Best People I've Worked With'
Phil is very nice, indeed. He's a gamer, a good person, a good boss — a bit too permissive, perhaps. Satya is basically the opposite. Phil does not seem to have control over the big decisions now, and Sarah seems to be a saleswoman. As a positive note, Xbox is more profitable than ever before and I believe that Xbox fans will be served well, but the price of gaming is higher now on all platforms, unfortunately.
Re: New COD Sales 'Estimate' Helps Explain Xbox's Price Hike For Day One Game Pass Releases
@Questionable_Duck Right and this year is the same, because all the $1 trials I've seen are for Essential and Premium.
I said it a few days ago, the most precious feature is day one access, for users and for Microsoft, because the price on day one per game is €$70 at least (AAA games), more for deluxe editions. Thus, the most valuable perk for users (they save $70 per game) and for Microsoft (they lose $70 per game and user) is access to games at launch.
Of course, this is business, so they only had two options, remove day one access or make it more expensive. Removing day one access would have met much more backlash than a price hike, I tell you.
I don't think that Ubisoft Classics and Fortnite Crew are to blame here, because Microsoft would not potentially lose subscribers and collect cash for Epic and Ubisoft at the same time, so those deals must have cost peanuts.
That said, the other two tiers got better because they have Cloud and PC now for the same price. That is not news anywhere, but it's a great deal. However, I suspect that the cheaper PC tier will disappear.
Re: Xbox Issues Statement Denying Rumour That Next-Gen Console Could Be Cancelled
@PsBoxSwitchOwner That does not go against anything I'm saying, and I've seen retailers dropping Xbox since Xbox One.
Re: Xbox Issues Statement Denying Rumour That Next-Gen Console Could Be Cancelled
We've been through these rumours so many times. Maybe, one day there won't be any more Xbox, PS and Nintendo consoles, but for now, Xbox consoles are one of the biggest income sources for Microsoft's gaming division. It makes no sense to drop hardware and they don't need to outsell their competitor in terms of hardware units when the users you have are engaged and spending.
However, because Xbox is the biggest publisher now, they need to diversify and release games and services for PC, handheld devices and other consoles if possible. Their next Xbox console might run PC games, after all. The console market is limited and it's not growing.
I completely agree with @darylb24, Xbox dropping hardware is the dream of many and that's why the negative things about Xbox are usually isolated, exaggerated and distorted when compared to the same — or worse — negative things about Sony and Nintendo. So, whatever Xbox does or say, it's going to meet greater hostility, no matter if many of the features are still more consumer-friendly when compared to the other platforms.
One thing that I don't get is why people think that their libraries are endangered. I've been playing Nintendo all my life and almost always I'm forced to buy the same games again, which I hate, and not even being able to use the same save files. Super Mario Galaxy, a Wii game, has two versions for the same console, Switch, with no cross-buy and no cross-save and it's not even news because this is the kind of thing people expect from Nintendo. PS is a bit better at this, but they still sell remasters with no cross-save nor cross-buy. Most of Xbox remasters are free upgrades, including the recent Oblivion and all the backwards compatibility enhancements. If anything, I'm sure that your digital library is safer on Xbox, because worst-case scenario, you'd play the PC version in the future for free with the same save file.
While plans change, that's also true for Sony and Nintendo as we've seen in recent years, with 180 degrees turns in some cases. Even Nintendo made fun of that with "Turn the tables" in Iwata Asks, and Sony has changed their strategy this generation several times regarding first-party plans and strategies. That doesn't mean that any of them are lying and can't be trusted, though.
Re: Multiple Xbox Games Temporarily Delisted Due To Security Issue With The Unity Engine
@Gunbeld It's not Jez, Tom or Sneaker who debunked the dropping hardware rumours, but Microsoft, yesterday. These rumours are recurrent and baseless, so I wouldn't bother.
Re: Multiple Xbox Games Temporarily Delisted Due To Security Issue With The Unity Engine
@darylb24 @Questionable_Duck
Gunbeld wrote:
Microsoft responds to the rumour:
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/no-xboxs-next-gen-console-hardware-plans-arent-cancelled
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Ubisoft+ Classics Being Added To Game Pass Ultimate?
@miharin Right, most games are old and cheap, but Ubisoft already had Ubisoft Classics for old games (€$8). The other one is Ubisoft Premium (€$18). Game Pass Ultimate already had EA Play ($€6), not EA Play Pro (€$17), and now they added Ubisoft Classics, on top of Fortnite Crew (€$12).
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Ubisoft+ Classics Being Added To Game Pass Ultimate?
@Ricky-Spanish The non-subscribers that are cancelling. 😜
Also, yes, like you said, the focus is on one of the tiers, when the other two have become much better for the same price and when you can buy every single game except the Retro Classics that use streaming. They could tell the truth for once. Ultimate is no longer cheap and, surely, is no longer a great deal for everyone despite its perks, but is there any other subscription with day one access and how much would it cost on PS, despite PS having much fewer first-party releases, using Sony's current pricing as reference? The bias there is so extreme, I haven't seen it elsewhere. Yes, Ultimate is more expensive, but it's not the only option for playing on Xbox as some suggest.
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Ubisoft+ Classics Being Added To Game Pass Ultimate?
@Weebleman This started as a test with Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3 and it's much bigger now. It's not that it was not sustainable until now, but for Microsoft, Xbox has become macroeconomy, because they have all the Xbox business under the same umbrella: online services, subscriptions, store sales (including lucrative DLC), Play Anywhere, multiplatform releases...
In this context and because gaming is more expensive now on the three consoles, they decided that day one should have a higher price tag, while they are willing to give better value for Essential and Premium adding Cloud and PC for the same price — with the secret plan of discontinuing the PC tier, as AverageJoseph said. The good news is that there are more and better options than ever before. The bad news is that day one access, the top perk in the top tier, is no longer cheap. What they're doing for people joining Game Pass is another thing: the $1 trials are back.
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Ubisoft+ Classics Being Added To Game Pass Ultimate?
@AverageJoseph That cheaper tier with fewer perks but day one access has its days numbered and you're right, all the other tiers include PC now, I hadn't realised.
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Ubisoft+ Classics Being Added To Game Pass Ultimate?
Like I wrote under one of the 35 Game Pass articles 😜, I bet that Ubisoft's deal cost Microsoft peanuts, perhaps even Ubisoft's licence for Xbox streaming in certain regions is partially related to it. I don't really get the Fortnite deal, because you can play without a subscription and it's part of the most expensive tier, so I'd love to know the numbers behind this. Finally, the pricing that that fan designed doesn't make sense, because the most precious feature is day one access, for users and for Microsoft, because the price on day one per game is €$70 at least (AAA games), more for deluxe editions. Thus, the most valuable perk for users (they save $70 per game) and for Microsoft (they lose $70 per game and user) is access to games at launch.
The good news is that Essential and Premium get Cloud [EDIT: and PC] for the same price. It makes a lot of sense for This is an Xbox, which is great for casual gaming, but free cloud saves and backwards compatibility along Play Anywhere will be the best features for traditional gamers in the long term. It's also possible that they merge PC and console Game Pass eventually and make Play Anywhere mandatory. Right now, the PC plan appears hidden under an arrow on the Xbox site.
TL;DR, I believe that most of the extra cost of Ultimate was decided based on day one access to the greater number of AAA games that Xbox publishes and also because gaming in general (Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo) is getting more expensive. ABK is a factor, too, with Call of Duty being the only exception in the Game Pass plans.
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Ubisoft+ Classics Being Added To Game Pass Ultimate?
@Ricky-Spanish There are familiar faces as well, but not because they like Xbox. 😁
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 4-5)
I play new games on Game Pass, still best value in gaming for me despite the disproportionate drama, but I also love old games. If I only played old games I wouldn't subscribe to Game Pass. That said and like others here, this weekend is for a classic: Final Fantasy XIII Lighting Returns. I played the other two a few years ago. I hated this third entry at first, but once I got the hang of it, I started loving it. The world is wonderful to explore, looks awesome (on Series X) and the side quests are interesting and not overwhelming. It also adds more to the story of XIII which I consider great.
Before that, I started Crash Bandicoot 4, but no doubt it's made by a different developer because I liked the trilogy of remakes quite more. 4 is good, but it's too hard if you want to do 100% and also every minute seems over-the-top, so I took a break. Perhaps, it's because the levels are too long and don't seem cohesive but just challenging. I will go back to it when I have more patience. The problem is that what I've played so far hasn't motivated me.
Re: Poll: What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
@abe_hikura Exactly. If you try to expand your Ultimate subscription before it expires using a Core/Essential code, you get a warning with the conversion ratio for extending Ultimate, which is significantly lower. Thus, you need your subscription to expire first for the good deal.
Another important thing to know is that Microsoft codes don't expire, so you can buy them before you are ready to use them.
Also important: each code card has a region, so you need a code card for your region, unless it says "worldwide". On Loaded, this is very clear. I would buy the 1-year codes which are the best value. Example from Loaded: "Xbox Game Pass Core - 12 Month Membership (WW)"
Re: Poll: What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
@abe_hikura I see! Yes, no problems with Loaded in my experience.
Re: Poll: What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
@abe_hikura The codes I have bought are from CDkeys, but there are more stores that sell them. Eneba is one and Loaded I didn't know until now. Someone mentioned Shopto yesterday.
Re: Poll: What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
@abe_hikura I said this yesterday, but if you or anyone else is interested in Ultimate and want to pay less, subscribe to Core/Essential. If you are currently subscribed to Ultimate, first let your subscription expire. When you subscribe to Core/Essential, you can use third-party codes. Once you are subscribed, you can convert your subscription to Ultimate up to a maximum of 36 months. The conversion ratio used to be 50%. Now is 40%, so the difference is minimal and the price of Core/Essential has not changed, so it's an excellent deal!
Re: Poll: What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
@Scrubchub Sometimes, the easiest way is to read the official sources. These articles are fine because they highlight different things and I'm sure the engagement is extremely high right now, but so many of them can be confusing!
Re: Poll: What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
On the Rewards topic, until now you got the same points on all tiers, with Ultimate having exclusive perks, like the expansion of Persona 3 Reload. Now, if you choose Ultimate, you are getting more points by playing and purchasing games, which is also worth consider. Regarding purchases, you get 20-30% discount for purchasing games and 4x points (credit) for getting more games in the future.
Re: Poll: What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
@MKCustodial
There is a list with all the games that are included in each tier.
You can sort by name and change the tier on the left side of the page. Important note: Premium will get all first-party games within a year except Call of Duty.
Re: Xbox Reveals New Conversion Rates For Game Pass Premium & Ultimate
@Cakefish When you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, we’ll convert any prepaid time you have on Xbox Game Pass or EA Play subscriptions and apply it toward Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at the current conversion ratio, up to a maximum of 36 months.
Xbox Game Pass Essential conversion percentage: 40% of your remaining time will convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time and be rounded up to the next full day. For example, 90 days remaining of Xbox Game Pass Essential will convert to 36 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.
https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/subscriptions-billing/manage-subscriptions/xbox-game-pass-conversions
Re: 'Ubisoft+ Classics' Joins Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Hugely Expanding The Library
@AverageJoseph Great. Yeah, it think it's going to take a while to see Star Wars Outlaws (2024) there, although it failed to meet the sales target so who knows. It would make sense to add Immortals Fenyx Rising (2020) soon. We'll see.
Re: 'Ubisoft+ Classics' Joins Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Hugely Expanding The Library
@AverageJoseph I can't give you a definitive answer but, looking at this list, Assassin's Creed Origins (2017) is not included, so what you get is precisely the classics. However, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (2025) is included. Probably, their rule is no recent AAA games here.
I would start with the one you feel like playing, because I don't think they are removing old games they own, but adding more very slowly. If you haven't, play Rayman Legends, Prince of Persia or any Assassin's Creed game. I loved Syndicate and it's 60fps on Series X|S, like the rest of them except IV.
Re: Fortnite Crew's $11.99 Subscription Is Heading To Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Members
@Jsb5150 This addition beats me. It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft pays Ubisoft 10 cents from each subscription for Classics, but they must be giving a good deal for the subscription of Epic's evergreen hit that costs $12 separately. A few years ago, you had to subscribe to Gold/Core to play Fortnite, but not now and this is for the most expensive tier.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Getting A Major Overhaul With New Names, Games & Price Changes
@kmtrain83 If Game Pass is a good deal or not depends on how much you pay for the tier and how much you use it. It's true that it's not ownership, but you (and everybody else) don't replay most of the games you play once, and you can always buy those that you intend to. You can buy an Xbox game in the future, generally cheaper after 6-12 months, and your save will be waiting for free on the cloud (very underrated feature) and you won't need to buy the same game on the next platform. As far as digital purchases go, it's as user-friendly as possible. You have two options, ownership and subscription and you don't get penalised for switching nor stopping. You also get the PC version with Play Anywhere and I hope that more games join it. An "old" release like Hogwarts Legacy just did.
Re: Xbox Cloud Gaming Expands With 'Unlimited' Usage & Special Perks For Game Pass Members
Wasn't Cloud exclusive to Ultimate until now? At least until last year it was like that. Standard and Premium getting it for the same price is a huge bonus and makes sense if they want casual users using Cloud.
Re: Xbox Reveals New Conversion Rates For Game Pass Premium & Ultimate
@Scrubchub Okay, I just read this. So basically, PC-Ultimate is the better conversion right now with those prices.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Getting A Major Overhaul With New Names, Games & Price Changes
@Scrubchub Isn't the Core-Ultimate conversion better than the EA-Ultimate conversion? I haven't checked recently, though. EDIT: I see you did the maths here:
https://www.purexbox.com/news/2025/10/xbox-reveals-new-conversion-rates-for-game-pass-premium-and-ultimate#comment8846951
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Getting A Major Overhaul With New Names, Games & Price Changes
@kmtrain83 The third-party codes are legal. They are not random codes nor stolen. I don't know why they are cheaper, though, and I don't know why Microsoft is the only of the three that let third parties sell subscriptions. They are more generous with free credit as well and have this conversion that I didn't expect to only be 10% more expensive now.
Yeah, the monthly subscription price of one of the three tiers is much more expensive now, no doubt about it and 100% of the users agree, but there are more options for everyone that has five minutes. It's true that they added extras, but the added value is more an excuse to make Ultimate more expensive. The Ubisoft deal for older titles must have cost peanuts. The Fortnite subscription is more surprising, as it's relatively expensive on its own ($€10).
Games are very expensive on day one now, on all platforms, including PC. The price is the same: $€70 for the standard editions. Even Nintendo's old ports are not much cheaper. Microsoft has more studios now, so they thought that people that want to play more games at a higher price on day one have to pay the price. Of course, it's not great for us that were paying little for Ultimate until now, and of course it's silly to say that they are giving more options, because that would have been Ultimate and Ultimate Plus. It's as simple as that gaming is getting more expensive for consumers across the board, and playing new games on day one is becoming a luxury.
If anyone is curious, I've been subscribed to Game Pass since it was some kind of beta that did not even have first-party game on day one. The price has increased progressively, the content as well, but I've never paid the full price. I've always used codes for Gold and Core and the conversion to Ultimate, and all the Microsoft credit that I earn even not doing anything but just playing games and using Bing has been used for buying games.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Getting A Major Overhaul With New Names, Games & Price Changes
@kmtrain83
But let's get real, none of the people writing here (or very few) are paying full price for Ultimate. You only pay full price if you have a recurrent monthly subscription and don't redeem any of the Rewards points you inevitably get for Microsoft credit. If you do the Standard-Ultimate conversion, Ultimate is only 10% more expensive now. You can also buy third-party codes for Ultimate and the other tiers.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Premium May Be The Best-Value Tier Right Now, With Almost 50 Games Added
The best deal is Ultimate: the conversion ratio was 50% until now for Core/Essential whose price has not changed and the conversion ratio is 40% now. Granted, you need your Ultimate subscription to expire and then subscribe to Essential and upgrade, but it's something you just need to do once every three years.
Re: Xbox Reveals New Conversion Rates For Game Pass Premium & Ultimate
It was 50% until now and the price of Core/Essential has not changed, so this is a great deal, right? Granted, you need your Ultimate subscription to expire and then subscribe to Essential and upgrade.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Getting A Major Overhaul With New Names, Games & Price Changes
@Cakefish Interesting question. Many think that online will be free next generation, at least on Xbox, because of Play Anywhere and the third-party stores reportedly being part of the same ecosystem. My guess is that it will be free indeed and every Game Pass tier is there for the games and cloud gaming.