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Xbox Game Pass - $10.95/Month, Get Access to over 100 Games (EG Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War: Ultimate, Payday 2, NBA 2K16)

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http://news.xbox.com/2017/02/28/introducing-xbox-game-pass/
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/03/microsoft-unveils-us10-mon…

Coming this autumn to the Xbox One, the Xbox Game Pass will give console owners access to over 100 Xbox One and backwards compatible games for $10.95 a month.
The Xbox Game Pass is not a streaming service, like PlayStation Now, but a game download subscription along the lines of EA Access. Subscribers who pay the $10.95 monthly fee will be able to choose from games like Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II (examples given in Microsoft's official announcement,) downloading them directly to their system and playing them as if they were purchased digitally. Subscribers will be able to purchase the games in the catalogue at a discount (20 per cent off games, 10 per cent off add-ons), adding them permanently to their Xbox library.

The Xbox Game Pass will start rolling out today to select members of the Xbox Insider program, with plans to launch exclusively for Xbox Live Gold subscribers before going live for all Xbox One owners this autumn.

Looking at the image provided above, we also have Saint's Row 4, The Mega Man Collection, Terraria, Mad Max, LEGO Batman, Fable 3 and several fading box arts to look forward to.

In the US, this is US$9.99 = ~AU$13
In the UK, this is £7.99 = ~AU$12.91

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closed Comments

  • +47

    1) Not a bargain- it's a new service that hasn't launched
    2) It's for Alpha ring testers only at this stage and not available for the public..

    I'll be testing it later on when it's available tonight/tomorrow, but it's definitely not a bargain, nor available (<10 qty available if you want to be technical!)

        • +26

          You are correct that is cheaper than buying all games outright, but it's not a deal.
          It would be the same as posting regular netflix pricing and saying its a deal because you dont have to buy all the movies and tv shows.

        • +1

          @memphisraynz:
          Exactly! You never actually own the games, so it's not comparable.

        • +3

          This is OzBargain, not OzNewServicesAtStandardPrices.

        • +2

          @memphisraynz: To be fair, Netflix is a deal in that regard. Before services like Netflix you would need to buy all the movies and tv shows separately to get legal viewing of that content.

        • @The Land of Smeg: Exactly. Before this, the RRP to play the games was a lot more expensive.

        • @CarbonTwelve: Some people are so pedantic about interpretation about the rules on this site, even if they are not even correct in their interpretation. All the company in question needs to do is offer a 1c off voucher and then it would undoubtedly qualify to be posted as a "deal".

        • @The Land of Smeg: Thing is, even if you look at the Deal Posting Guidelines (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/help:deal_posting_guidelin…), I don't see anything there that says a "bargain" must be below RRP, or even that it has to be less than it was previously. The only thing it says it that it needs to be the best price on the web. This qualifies.

        • +1

          @The Land of Smeg:

          Sime people don't understand the concept of a 'bargain' and cry when people correct their misinterpretation.

        • @FabMan: You say that yet there is a neg logo next to your name and you're saying in other comments that a good deal doesn't count as a bargain. What you're saying goes against the spirit on the site. There are set rules which you are trying to interpret and feel the need to speak up about instead of ignoring it, and there are those who appreciate members sharing news of good value deals which save them money and they might not have found out about if it wasn't posted.

          You know what, I'm just going to + the deal even though I don't like Xbox. Because it is a good deal, period. I hope everyone who is unfortunate enough to own an Xbox take Microsoft up on their offer and show how popular this can be so that it will encourage competing services on other platforms too.

        • +1

          @FabMan:

          It certainly belongs on the site, id just put it in the forums personally….especially since it's availability is exceptionally limited right now very very targeted if you want to stretch it

        • @The Land of Smeg: This is an advert, plain and simple. An advert for something that isn't available yet. What is an advert if not to advertise a product or service? This website is about getting a better deal for us, all those willing to help each other.

          Every time Netflix, Stan and Foxtel bring on new movies / TV shows do we get posts stating this is cheaper than buying every movie on a Blu-Ray.

        • +3

          @FabMan: Wake up, the whole site is adverts. Companies rarely do "deals" where they are actually losing money.

          OzBargain itself makes a tonne of money just from advertising, and in turn forwards a lot of that to charity at the end of every year, plus pays some salaries.

          Many reps post here specifically as a form of advertising. The consensus here is that this Microsoft Offer is a good deal.

          If a new streaming service came to Australia which is cheaper than competing streaming services, that's a deal.

          If there was a cheaper (legal) way to get an exceptionally popular TV series, that's a deal. ie. Foxtel exclusive Game of Thrones comes to much cheaper Netflix.

          If there was a subscription service to get Widgets a lot cheaper than buying them outright, that's a deal.

          It would be impossible to fit every single deal into a perfect criteria, that's why the Mods of the site call it deal posting GUIDELINES. If it fell out of those guidelines this post would already be moved to the forums. The fact that it has not (and plenty of +es) proves that it is in fact a DEAL and you are trying to play moderator with your Neg button rather than reporting it (which by the way, is also a rule).

      • +3

        Its a bargain compared to renting 100 games for a month each month. There. Is that justified now?

        • -1

          nope.

    • +2

      Yeh this isn't coming to the general public any time soon, not really worth posting yet.

      I'm in the alpha ring and have "subscribed" to it, but I own every one of the ~20 games in the preview so not really much I can test haha.

    • It's a bargain in the sense we actually pay less than the US version (down with the Aussie tax - huzzah!).
      And I think it's fair to call it out considering it's a new product/service and to bring it attention to folks.
      It offers a fantastic deal to all those who've been picking up an Xbox One for the first time (especially with all the crazy deals posted over the past few months), get a whole back catalogue of games to play instead of just one or two.
      Probably not so relevant for those (like me) who already own most of them though…

  • +4

    Is it still a deal if its the retail price?

    • +17

      If the retail price was $1.95 a month would you consider that a bargain? Or would it still not be valid because it's retail price?

      It's $11 for access to over 100 games; sounds like a good deal to me.

      • +9

        Not to mention, it's US$9.99, which should be AU$13… so we get it cheaper than the states :)

        £7.99 in the UK - ~AU$12.91

      • -3

        If it's retail then yeah, it's not a bargain. Doesn't matter what the cost. Retail is retail. Bargain is less than retail.

        • +2

          doesn't matter what the cost

          So no matter how cheap this is, it's not a good deal? What a silly, arbitrary rule.

        • @BTRaynes: Deal yes. Bargain no. Rrp is never a bargain. For rrp posts please use the new sister site www.ozrrp.com.au
          You can join in with the mini nes posts there.

        • +2

          @d1s34s3d:

          Statistics
          0 posts / 175 comments

          I guess nothing is a bargain to you really…

        • @Spackbace: So I have to post a bargain to recognise what one is or actually understand the definition in the retail world? I've up voted enough of your posts to know what bargains are. I'm just stating that the constant use of this site to tell people about products at their rrp is becoming annoying and becoming way too commonplace. There are forums for that. It isn't ozdeal or ozrrp.

        • +2

          @d1s34s3d:

          62 people say otherwise :)

        • +1

          Each to their own. Not saying it isn't a good deal. Just stating it's not a bargain as per the definition.

          bargain
          a thing bought or offered for sale much more cheaply than is usual or expected.

        • +2

          @d1s34s3d:

          or expected.

          In the US, this is US$9.99 = ~AU$13
          In the UK, this is £7.99 = ~AU$12.91

          Tick

        • +3

          @d1s34s3d: I would say that the ability to play 100+ games for $11 a month where previously it would cost thousands of dollars to do so qualifies as 'much more cheaply than is usual'.

        • @d1s34s3d:

          I think it's a great deal, but I agree it should be in the forums otherwise we just end up with every subscription streaming product at local RRP (tv/movies/music etc) cluttering the place as 'bargains' but that's a decision for the moderators maybe they want the Netflix etc posts too

        • -1

          @Spackbace:

          i love the way people bring this out every time theres one of these "its not a bargain" discussions. you know there are plenty of stupid people in the world, the fact you found a bunch of them doesn't really mean much.

        • @terminal2k: Actually in this case it does. This site is for the users. So far 74 of those users appreciated this being posted. There isn't really much of a better argument for whether this should have been posted or not.

        • +1

          @Spackbace:
          Childish

        • -1

          @FabMan:

          Thanks for your input, was truly well thought out and really helped the conversation.

        • +1

          @Spackbace:
          Okay "62 people say otherwise :)" is a childish response.

          Listing peoples posts and comments as a way of devaluing their comment os childish.

          Your sarcastic comment to me also added nothing to the conversation.

        • -1

          @FabMan:

          Your sarcastic comment to me also added nothing to the conversation.

          I know, I figured we were already down this path so may as well keep going :)

          Oh look you chose to vote on my comment, well done… that's not childish or anything!

          Okay "62 people say otherwise :)" is a childish response.

          I'd call it observational. Because those who believe this isn't a deal are clearly in the minority on this one.

          Fact is this is actually the cheapest price worldwide but it seems you have a bee in your bonnet about the posting, for whatever reason I don't know, but it's a good thing I don't give a toss and continue to post anyway, despite a select minority (yourself included) wanting to bring down posters like me for no particular reason that I can see.

        • +1

          @Spackbace: It is not a conspiracy, so get off the cross.

          I typically don't neg posts, but your arrogant and chishish attitude made me want to highlight to you that some people don't agree with you and it isn't some kind agenda. If people want to learn about new gaming services, they can view ads or read tech websites (how I learnt) and not have a Bargain website filled up with non bargains.

          Fact is, it's the only price world wide. It's the only way to obtain this service. Do we promote hanging around EB Games with playable consoles as its the cheapest method of playing a game?

        • @FabMan:

          And 'normal price' is not a valid reason to neg and never has been.

          Find this deal cheaper. Oh that's right, you can't! But you know, feel free to be selective about which site rules you decide to follow.


          not have a Bargain website filled up with non bargains.

          Again, you're in the minority about calling this a 'non bargain'! What is so hard to understand about that?!

          Voting rules - if the deal doesn't interest you, move along.

          Feel free to report it to go to forums but others already have and yet it stays!

        • +3

          @Spackbace:
          Find this deal more expensive, oh that's right, you can't! You are just posting an advert.

          There is a neg option for people to neg vote it, I did. I thought it didn't bother you?

  • +8

    Stoked about this. I used the Game Pass service this morning and downloaded four games from the Test Catalogue. (including Gears of War Ultimate Edition)

    I normally buy at least one indie game every month for over $11. So with over 100 games at launch, this is absolute bargain for the thrifty gamer.

    I'm in.

    • +12

      The best selling point is for new people. You shell out $300 on a console and now you only need $10 to test out all the different styles of games.

      This means you can experience Gears of War and Halo, or even indie games without a huge investment. Good step in the right direction

  • +2

    Not sure about this being a bargain, i get the argument for, however this is just the normal subscription price i believe, its like me saying i stopped buying DVD's and netflix's $10 a month has saved me money .. lol yay for me but not really a bargain just the cost of the service.

    i dont buy games as often anymore so for me its 50/50 in terms of saving me money.

  • +1

    What I don't like about this is the games offered will be getting refreshed every month. This is good and bad, good because you get to play more games and but bad if they have a game you like it might be available the following month.

  • +3

    Interesting, seems they removed mention of Windows 10 from the FAQ that was present earlier today.

    • +1

      E3 announcement is my guess

    • The head of xbox has previously stated interest in having the xbox 360 emulator they developed for the xbox one available on PC in some format. This may be the answer, if so that's huge for pc gamers who skipped the xbox 360.

  • +10

    The services offered on Xbox absolutely crush Sony at the moment. Maybe there's an argument for this not being a bargain (and a bit premature). But, I think this is a bargain service, and i'm upvoting because Microsoft has kept the Australian price as low (or lower) as other regions, which is a rarity.

    • +3

      The services (and console prices) offered by Microsoft are to make up for their utter lack of new releases though to be fair. Sony is killing it with new releases and Xbox just keeps providing (admittedly great) ways to play old games. I'd like to see Microsoft produce some more quality exclusives for their console.

      • +4

        They're both great machines with strengths and weaknesses over one another.

        • +2

          Xbox has a great back catalog and PlayStation has a great current and upcoming catalog.

        • -3

          @Agret: Right and we all love playing old games.

          Not.

        • @Diji1: Not all that old. I recently began playing Stick of Truth (came out 2014 but not to newer consoles) on Xbone thanks to back compat. You cannot get that game on PS4, it is only on Xbox due to back compat, there are plenty of games in that window of 2013/14 that actually didnt come to the new consoles like this that if you missed out on last gen (i did and long since sold my old consoles) the only way to play them is xbox; that should be applauded and not discarded with a snarky comment "we all love playing old games". I also missed Catherine last gen, bought it for $4.50 on xbox store and played it through, it's great fan service to hack this feature.

      • +5

        I have 215 games in my library and another 30 in ready to download. Lets not pretend there is nothing to do on Xbox. Xbox has plenty of exclusives, somehow people seem to pretend GoW, Forza, etc don't count. Add in generally better GWG releases and EA access, people are covered with pretty much every genre. Oh no, there isn't Bloodborne or Neir, or insert generic retarded JRPG, what will I ever do? Yawn…

        • -3

          Because GoW, Forza and Halo are it for exclusive IP we have, the rest have bombed or are dead in the water. Sure the Xbox has all the 3rd party stuff a PS4 has, I'm not short of things to play. But experiences I can't have anywhere else? That's PlayStation. Gold is pretty decent, again, super reliant on old titles and Access especially so (EA are pretty slow to put BC titles in there too). If I'm a console buyer looking for the biggest range of new and exciting games from this gen, I'd be going for PS4 without hesitation. But it's really each to their own.

        • -1

          When is the last time Microsoft had a new IP? Its the same tired game series. Sony are killing them, and this is coming from someone with both consoles.

        • +1

          @Junior: recore, qauntum break, sea of thieves come immediately to mind

  • +3

    Great initiative, wish PlayStation had this.

    • see below :)

  • +3

    If you're allowed to post this then it opens the door to posting every subscription service at its retail price.

    • +1

      Ongoing that will be the case, but as it is a new service it is considered a good deal. What if there are some games on the list that people were just about to buy at full retail price? This will save them money so essentially it is a deal.

      • +2

        Same logic applies to any subscription service with media. E.g. What about content that's cycled onto Netflix?

  • +2

    as a self-confessed playstation fanboi, i wish PSN had this…. !!

  • +5

    OzAdvertiseWhateverTheHellYouWant.com.au

  • +2

    This is going to put a dent in EB secondhand sales. Conversely, trading in will be worth less also.

    Curious if it will have a longer term effect in devaluing perception of game values like the $.99 Apple model has done to mobile gaming. Will new games sell for less, will they drop price quicker? Interesting experiment.

    However, all you can eat plans are the way of the future, sooner or later.

    • +2

      Even more incentive for game developers to make sure games need DLC and in game add ons to keep the micro transactions flowing in just like it's done for mobile apps

  • +3

    It's the normal price, how is this a bargain?

  • +12

    Worth posting once to make everyone aware of the offering. All those grumbling go forth and give some of the usual positive votes to the usually crappy crap no one needs from some overseas drop shipment import house that takes months to arrive but is half price, bargain.

    Maybe keep busy by voting up some airlines point survey that nets you 50 cents or soo too while your at it. Score.

    • -1

      Haha great response!

    • +1

      Have you got a link to the crappy 💩 at half price? Sounds like a bargain!

    • +1

      Or the ebooks that you'll never open

      • I've got some awesome 'free' apps that aren't really free too,

  • +6

    Current Alpha Ring catalogue list below:

    A Kingdom for Keflings
    Banjo-Kazooie
    Comic Jumper
    Dark Void
    Defense Grid 2
    Gears of War: Judgement
    Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
    Halo: Spartan Assault
    Hexic 2
    Jetpac Refuelled
    Kameo
    Max: The Curse of Brotherhood
    Monday Night Combat
    Ms. Splosion Man
    Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
    Perfect Dark Zero
    Sacred 3
    Sam & Max: Beyond Time
    Sunset Overdrive
    The Maw
    Viva Pinata

    Also, home sharing policies apply to Xbox Game Pass, just as they do with Xbox Live Gold.

    • thanks, so is it expanding or is this all that will be for preview members? or have they not said

      • +1

        They've not said. Will update the list if they do (and remember to do so lol).

  • This is not available to anyone at this stage, unless you're part of a very select few Alpha testers (not even beta testers get access to it). The Alpha testers also only get access to ~20 games at the minute. Therefore this post should either be adjusted to targeted and only the number of games actually available, or not allowed up at all (until it's released) because no one can actually buy it at all at this stage (it's literally just a product announcement…).

    • There is a 3rd option, putting a later start date in, however given that it's effectively 'started', it's fine, and I don't know what the big issue is in that regard.

    • Really it's not all that select, lots of people on it. More than say a deal for an item that's only in stock at a songle store for instance….

  • Definitely I will buy a console only when this kind of services are available.Ain't paying $100 for one game.

  • -1

    Not a bargain.

    • It's not the cheapest, as its the only way of getting this service. This is not a product, such as buying a game, but a service.

    I think this is a great service by Microsoft and glad Microsoft are offering it, doesn't make it a bargain.

    • Anyone on the preview gets all these games free for a month of they bother to look for the alpha preview, that to me constitues a bargain.

      Perhaps if that hit the title it may assuage some critique, at least from the non fanboys

      • +2

        Problem is if you're not already in the alpha preview, which is a select group of the beta group, which in itself is a select group of the preview/insider group, you're not getting in.

  • Then this deal isn't for you then, simple enough really. Plenty of deals here for select groups.

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