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[Panajev2001a]

Wow. Huge value proposition there.




Definitely, will be interesting to see if Sony respond in kind for the discless SKU and PSNow which would also be nice.

Beside adding more games to PSNow, which they need to keep doing, how would PSNow respond meaning what would change?
When you pay for PSNow you can download the games and play them locally and you can play those games and the cloud versions streamed online multiplayer for free without paying for PS+.

Yes, this makes GamePass a lot more valuable, very good for them to do so!
They have the clear upper hand in terms of titles available, but not price wise yet.

Edit: re-read it again sorry, so this is for GamePass Ultimate only which is LIVE Gold features + GamePass.

 

[jshackles]

We're missing DanielsM's comments about how this is no different to renting a movie from Blockbuster.

Or how this is basically Netflix, for games. And it's doomed because Netflix is losing so much money.

 

[Clarissa]

Shit. How is Stadia supposed to compete with this??????

 

[Manwithoutfear]

Shit. How is Stadia supposed to compete with this??????

stadia seemed DOA to me. i have a feeling google will eventually abandon it. who knows.

 

[VincentMatts]

Shit. How is Stadia supposed to compete with this??????

serious sam 4!!!!

 

[Dr Bass]

I wonder if they eventually plan to make clients for PS, Switch etc? XCloud for Xbox and Windows seems like a waste of time so surely XCloud is meant for other platforms ...

 

[pesaddict]

Whats a stadia ?

 

[ManaByte]

I wonder if they eventually plan to make clients for PS, Switch etc? XCloud for Xbox and Windows seems like a waste of time so surely XCloud is meant for other platforms ...

There have been long rumors of them making a Switch client.

 

[yurinka]

This is why PS now annoys me so much.
Seriously Sony could have been ahead on this YEARS ago.
All they need to do is add phone / tablet support and add some more high profile games to it. And bam. And cheaper than what xCloud will be available for to start with too.

Sony is already ahead, they released PS Now back in 2014, and I don't remember when but Remote Play too around that time.

They also mentioned some time ago in an investors conference call about future plans that they were going to double down their bet on PS Now for the next gen by making it a platform agnostic product (PS5/PS4, PC, mobile, tablets etc) and improving the streaming quality (resolution etc), library and so on. They also mentioned something that wasn't clear but looked like in addition to buy a PS5 game physical or digital game you'd be able to buy it for streaming, like in Stadia. Not sure if they meant that it was going to be a different purchase than the digital game or the same.

In any case, Sony said that their stream to show the PS5 games was the first one they had planned to talk about next gen and that they were going to do multiple ones until the launch. So I assume they will do one of them (or multiple ones) relatively soon to talk about next gen PS Now, Remote Play and Backwards Compatibility plans.

 

[Ten_Fold]

Wonder if they will add Xcloud support on the Switch, that would be WILD. Anyways this is really cool. Microsoft ain’t playing around.

 

[Bladed Thesis]

Sony is already ahead, they released PS Now back in 2014,

Sony WAS ahead in that they were the first ones to the tech but I think a lot of people can agree that they've kind of stagnated on the tech and have not pushed it forwards.

Being the first person to the tech is sometimes the worst position to be in. Look at PC OS, look at cellphones, look at MP3 players, look at HD-DVD vs. Bluray. Tech industry is littered with companies that got their first and didn't know where to go with it or were slow to adapt it to the market as the market grew and demand increased. PSNow is not in an awful position and it helps they have the largest install base to pull from but that doesn't guarantee success.

 

[ShaikhCroft]

This is massive! Does this mean Microsoft 1-0 Sony?

 

[NullZ3r0]

stadia seemed DOA to me. i have a feeling google will eventually abandon it. who knows.

Stadia is #2 in a brand new market with tons of potential. Their tech is better than Microsoft's. The games will come. They just need to stick through this rough patch and build a first party or use some of that Google cash to fund exclusives.

 

[John254]

Here's where they can reach customer-wise. They just need those Xcloud blades in the datacenter.

And that's the point. I live in eastern Europe and I know Microsoft invested 2bn in Poland to build datacentre, but who knows when it will be completed and if we get support for xCloud until then

 

[itsjustJEFF]

This was the move to make. Does anyone know if XCloud is working better than Stadia? This could be very detrimental to Stadia.

 

[Agent X]

it's so much more than remote play though. with remote play you must have a console. now with xcloud you can either do streaming through a console(remote play) or completely independent of owning a console and stream directly from the cloud.

There are two different functions. One is streaming from a game console that you own, while the other is streaming from a cloud server that is maintained by the service provider (no console needed). My response to ManaByte was strictly referring to the former.

The difference here is that Sony uses separate branding for these functions--"Remote Play" for streaming from your own console, and "PlayStation Now" for the cloud service. By comparison, Microsoft uses "Xcloud" as a single unified brand encompassing both functions.

Since you brought up the subject of cloud streaming, I should also mention that Sony's PlayStation Now (which is not what I was discussing in my earlier response) also allows you to stream a library of games to your PC, completely independent of owning a console.

 

[yurinka]

Sony WAS ahead in that they were the first ones to the tech but I think a lot of people can agree that they've kind of stagnated on the tech and have not pushed it forwards.

Being the first person to the tech is sometimes the worst position to be in. Look at PC OS, look at cellphones, look at MP3 players, look at HD-DVD vs. Bluray. Tech industry is littered with companies that got their first and didn't know where to go with it or were slow to adapt it to the market as the market grew and demand increased. PSNow is not in an awful position and it helps they have the largest install base to pull from but that doesn't guarantee success.

I don't know what you are talking about. As of now Sony is the market leader of game subscriptions and game streaming markets in both revenue and number of users. They are not only the market leaders selling consoles, games and (non-mobile) VR.

And they said their investors to be working on a next gen version of PS Now where they will focus more on it, but still didn't publicly announce it.

Beside adding more games to PSNow, which they need to keep doing, how would PSNow respond meaning what would change?

As I remember when Sony mentioned some future next gen PSNow plans (not a response to xCloud) while ago to their investors they mentioned to be working on improving resolution/quality of image, latency, servers infrastructure, pricing, catalog and number of devices supported (mostly adding PS, phones and tablets).

They mentioned something related to being able to purchase next gen games for streaming, but it wasn't clear. They didn't specify if when buying any new PS5 digitally or phisically they will add it to your PSNow library or if (looking at the graph this one seems more likely) you'll have a 3rd option (others being digitally and physically) new to buy the game: to buy it for streaming only, like in Stadia.

In addition to this, we still have to see how this "Create" pad button works, and how all this is related to PSNow. Because if what you can create is shareable demos as hinted in a patent that can be played through streaming from PS Now servers without having a console. If that is the case, mixed with a potential 100M+ PS5 userbase it can be a huge win.

Let's wait until we see the PS5 streaming plans, and also let's wait to see is xCloud is a success instead of another Stadia/GeForce Now/etc.

 

[MadchesterManc]

Rolling Xcloud into GamePass really doesn't surprise me. I mean, Sony offers a game download & streaming service in a single package so it would look a bit daft of Microsoft to charge separately for them

 

[Forsythia]

I won't use this much myself, but it is very cool it's added to Ultimate. And I'd love it on Switch, but that's so insane I don't really see it happening.

 

[pasterpl]

Hmm, no mention of a Windows 10 client though. Wonder what happened to that.

i think it is still in beta, it might be over local WiFi only but I have tested it my surface pro x and it worked pretty well. You can download beta client online of windows pc and if I recall correctly you need to Xbox insider.

 

[pasterpl]

Shit. How is Stadia supposed to compete with this??????

so basically xCloud will launch with over 100 games day one and without a need to buy any additional hardware

 

[CatLady]

If I were Nintendo or SONY I would bring a suit against Microsoft with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and worldwide equivalent agencies, for anti-competitive monopolization.
Microsoft is taking financial losses by undercutting the market with a strategy that can only be financially viable, by leveraging the monopoly they have with Windows.

Unbelievable. The best deal in gaming just got even better, yet here you are actually complaining about it and even saying MS sued for it. Pitiful.

What are you doing on a gaming forum? You obviously HATE gaming

 

[Jigsaah]

No I love innovation, that's why this is a problem.
If Microsoft can manage to destroy its competition by taking huge losses from offering up entire libraries of games, then the entire industry will have to accept whatever crumbs Microsoft is willing to dole out. And then it's bye bye innovation.

Phil warned that if Sony didn't step up it's game be more platform based rather than console based they were gonna get left behind. This is one example of what he meant.

 

[IntentionalPun]

If I were Nintendo or SONY I would bring a suit against Microsoft with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and worldwide equivalent agencies, for anti-competitive monopolization.
Microsoft is taking financial losses by undercutting the market with a strategy that can only be financially viable, by leveraging the monopoly they have with Windows.

Gamepass Ultimate is $180 / year after introductory offers. Customers then spend secondary money on items; including buying games when they expire.

Where is your evidence that this represents a financial loss for MS? It's mostly old games they likely don't pay much for, and then their 1st party output. $180 a year is the price of 3 games, which is higher than the average gamer buys in a year.

They are loss leading with deals right now, which just about everyone in a subscription service does, but the service is designed to profit. It fails if they only get "whales" to use it to save money, it succeeds if it encourages MORE spending from customers who weren't spending $180+ per year. That's how all in one services work, and it's not an FTC violation.

 

[CatLady]

Sony is already ahead, they released PS Now back in 2014, and I don't remember when but Remote Play too around that time.

They also mentioned some time ago in an investors conference call about future plans that they were going to double down their bet on PS Now for the next gen by making it a platform agnostic product (PS5/PS4, PC, mobile, tablets etc) and improving the streaming quality (resolution etc), library and so on. They also mentioned something that wasn't clear but looked like in addition to buy a PS5 game physical or digital game you'd be able to buy it for streaming, like in Stadia. Not sure if they meant that it was going to be a different purchase than the digital game or the same.

In any case, Sony said that their stream to show the PS5 games was the first one they had planned to talk about next gen and that they were going to do multiple ones until the launch. So I assume they will do one of them (or multiple ones) relatively soon to talk about next gen PS Now, Remote Play and Backwards Compatibility plans.

Yeah they're so far ahead that with over double the install base of Xbox, PSNow only has one fifth the number (2 million) of subscribers of Game Pass (10 million). I would imagine with the introduction of Xcloud to the what is already the most post popular and best deal in gaming that gap with only continue to grow.

PSNow might have been first but it's WAY behind Game Pass.

 

[Three]

Wow. Huge value proposition there.




Definitely, will be interesting to see if Sony respond in kind for the discless SKU and PSNow which would also be nice.

Sony already do downloads and streaming with PSNow (it's already merged at no extra cost) . Unless you were referring to something else?

 

[Stuart360]

Yeah they're so far ahead that with over double the install base of Xbox, PSNow only has one fifth the number (2 million) of subscribers of Game Pass (10 million). I would imagine with the introduction of Xcloud to the what is already the most post popular and best deal in gaming that gap with only continue to grow.

PSNow might have been first but it's WAY behind Game Pass.

'Butz M$ are prcticly giving away GamePass, even putting it in serial boxes and on the back of milk carternz, it dunt count!!!'

 

[Nikana]

'Butz M$ are prcticly giving away GamePass, even putting it in serial boxes and on the back of milk carternz, it dunt count!!!'

I found 10 years at the bottom of a Pringles can. Pizza flavored.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Honestly I'm more curious when MS plans on having xCloud stream to something other than phones.

Is that next year or have they said?

I'm pretty pessimistic about cloud streaming future, but I'm particularly pessimistic about streaming to a cell phone a game designed for a controller and played on a TV.

 

[reksveks]

The FTC has much more important things to look at than whether Microsoft are abusing their power to undercut the market. They have to get through Google, Amazon and Apple for some much more provable harm.

fundamentally PSnow and Gamepass is the same however what Gamepass has over PSnow is better 3rd party support and first party support in terms of launch date.

 

[reksveks]

Honestly I'm more curious when MS plans on having xCloud stream to something other than phones.

Is that next year or have they said?

I'm pretty pessimistic about cloud streaming future, but I'm particularly pessimistic about streaming to a cell phone a game designed for a controller and played on a TV.

Internally they have already been testing streaming to windows 10 but not out for open beta yet.

 

[Dolomite]

Damn! I saw this happening but not this soon? And definitely not before launch. That's fucking amazing!

 

[Deleted member 740922]

We're missing DanielsM's comments about how this is no different to renting a movie from Blockbuster.

It's almost like his spirit lives on in others somehow....

 

[CatLady]

'Butz M$ are prcticly giving away GamePass, even putting it in serial boxes and on the back of milk carternz, it dunt count!!!'

Thank you, Stuart, someone had to say it since Daniels M is no longer here to troll every GP thread. This thread just doesn't feel like a Game Pass thread without him.

 

[The Alien]

So basically, Xbox next gen's strategy:

• Most powerful console
• Most affordable console (TBA)
• Portable game library across devices
• Continued excellence in services (Live, XCloud, GamePass)
• Significant strides in software development (studio acquisitions) and maybe more (WB Games?)

Xbox bringin' it.

 

[The Alien]

Wait Game Pass Ultimate is Game Pass for PC right? Which means...if you have a Microsoft Surface...oh my god.

....or even just a cell phone!

 

[Jigsaah]

....or even just a cell phone!

No KB N Mouse support on the phone.

 

[reksveks]

No KB N Mouse support on the phone.

Samsung Dex might suggest otherwise but nah, that seems like the 7th circle of hell. I am really hoping Apple and Microsoft can sort out the xcloud app issue.

 

[Nikana]

Thank you, Stuart, someone had to say it since Daniels M is no longer here to troll every GP thread. This thread just doesn't feel like a Game Pass thread without him.

Ooo ooo ooo lety me try!

Game Pass is a money loser and even if it wasn't being given away for $1, it's a small source of revenue. Your boy Phill is just buying time while Daddy Nadella tries to find a reason to not cut the Xbox just like:

Windows Phone
Game for Windows Live
Microsoft Band


It's a rental service. Like Hertz. Why are people so excited about a rental service that devs will make no money from?

 

[Lionel Richie]

If I were Nintendo or SONY I would bring a suit against Microsoft with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and worldwide equivalent agencies, for anti-competitive monopolization.
Microsoft is taking financial losses by undercutting the market with a strategy that can only be financially viable, by leveraging the monopoly they have with Windows.

Third time I'm asking this and I still haven't gotten an answer, but what it is with spelling SONY in all caps? I've seen it often, are you guys running a sect?

 

[CatLady]

Ooo ooo ooo lety me try!

Game Pass is a money loser and even if it wasn't being given away for $1, it's a small source of revenue. Your boy Phill is just buying time while Daddy Nadella tries to find a reason to not cut the Xbox just like:

Windows Phone
Game for Windows Live
Microsoft Band


It's a rental service. Like Hertz. Why are people so excited about a rental service that devs will make no money from?

Very good! It's like he never left

 

[jshackles]

So basically, Xbox next gen's strategy:

• Most affordable console (TBA)

Not to mention that they're really pushing Xbox All Access in their marketing this gen. Not only will they have an affordable console (probably) but with All Access it gives people a very cheap barrier for entry and combining all of Microsoft's services into one easy package.

 

[Nikana]

Very good! It's like he never left

I just wish people would listen to me. Xbox makes no money, everyone hates it in Microsoft. All Game Pass does is move money from one pocket to another. It's a money loser.

Look at their financials. The writing is on the wall. Xbox is Dead. A rental service isn't going to change it. Nobody is making money in game pass. All their subscribers paid $1 and are on free trials. It's a loss leader that will never make any money.

 

[CatLady]

I just wish people would listen to me. Xbox makes no money, everyone hates it in Microsoft. All Game Pass does is move money from one pocket to another. It's a money loser.

Look at their financials. The writing is on the wall. Xbox is Dead. A rental service isn't going to change it. Nobody is making money in game pass. All their subscribers paid $1 and are on free trials. It's a loss leader that will never make any money.

Man you've got his drivel down so good, either you're channeling him.......................................................

OR

You're his alt Mods Halp!!!!!

 

[Nikana]

Man you've got his drivel down so good, either you're channeling him.......................................................

OR

You're his alt Mods Halp!!!!!

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Insane. I was planning to go with PS5 next-gen but might consider buying ultimate gamepass just for lulz.

 

[freefornow]

And here is mine: I had more fun this generation with games like Crackdown 3, Super Lucky's Tale, Ori 1 & 2, Quantum Break, and State of Decay 2 than I had with Bloodborne, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Days Gone.

I am disappointed that I can only "like" this post once!

 

[-Arcadia-]

We talk a lot about the Xbox Series S, but the entry fee for Xbox gaming is now just $15 a month + maybe a decent cheap controller.

Underrated aspect of all of this. Whether you're a casual, or you just want to experiment with Microsoft's offering for a month, the barrier to entry is impressively smaller than it's ever been. That's the kind of thing that ultimately wins you new console customers.

...Provided it works well under load, that upgrade to Series X capability doesn't take too long, and controllers like the Xbox 8BitDo are well promoted.

 

[McRazzle]

while you make a good argument, i'd say look at netflix. it was the streaming king. now we have so much competition it's getting obnoxious with the amount of streaming services available. i do not think microsoft does nor will have a stranglehold on it.

If anything i hope it forces sony/nintendo to evolve and grow with the times. I don't want to see laws and anti competitive red tape stop growth.

Yes, but unlike with Netflix, games take three to four tears to make. Imagine a company that's worked on a game for three years and then is told by a streaming company they're not interested in their game, if the traditional model is replaced they're completely fucked.
What would have to happen is the developer would have to pitch a game to the streaming service before it begins production, and agree on a deal before hand, and the streaming company would likely require certain content be added or removed , and the game developer would not be in a position to refuse.

And SONY and Nintendo can't evolve or grow past Windows.

lol the dumbest thing I have ever read on this site.. Congrats Tiny Tim

Thank you Scrooge McDumbfuck.

Below is an excerpt from an article from today regarding an anti trust inquiry by the European Union regarding smart assistants from Amazon,Apple and Google; what Microsoft is doing is far more anti-competitive than what these companies are doing.

"European Union regulators are inquiring information from 400 companies to find out if there is a need to start antitrust investigations into Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.
The reason behind this inquiry is for the EU to understand if the market shares and control of data by these voice assistants are hurting competitors from coming up with alternative solutions. Antitrust investigations take place against popular companies that become huge enough to gain control of the market in such a way that it does not allow competition to thrive.
If any of the companies are fined for antitrust behavior, they are fined 10% of their global revenue, which can be massive in the case of companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google."

https://wccftech.com/eu-launches-antiturst-probe-of-alexa-siri-and-google-assistant/

Unbelievable. The best deal in gaming just got even better, yet here you are actually complaining about it and even saying MS sued for it. Pitiful.

What are you doing on a gaming forum? You obviously HATE gaming

I love gaming, and it is a great deal and I intend to subscribe to it myself, but I know this is bad for the industry and is going to hurt gaming in the end.

Phil warned that if Sony didn't step up it's game be more platform based rather than console based they were gonna get left behind. This is one example of what he meant.

SONY's platform isn't comparable to Windows. They can't possibly compete with that monopoly.

Gamepass Ultimate is $180 / year after introductory offers. Customers then spend secondary money on items; including buying games when they expire.

Where is your evidence that this represents a financial loss for MS? It's mostly old games they likely don't pay much for, and then their 1st party output. $180 a year is the price of 3 games, which is higher than the average gamer buys in a year.

They are loss leading with deals right now, which just about everyone in a subscription service does, but the service is designed to profit. It fails if they only get "whales" to use it to save money, it succeeds if it encourages MORE spending from customers who weren't spending $180+ per year. That's how all in one services work, and it's not an FTC violation.

Yes the service is designed to profit,but it can only profit in the end due to Microsoft's monopoly with Windows being able to reach people all over the world, and they're taking a loss undercutting Nintendo and SONY.

Third time I'm asking this and I still haven't gotten an answer, but what it is with spelling SONY in all caps? I've seen it often, are you guys running a sect?

 

[IntentionalPun]

Yes the service is designed to profit,but it can only profit in the end due to Microsoft's monopoly with Windows being able to reach people all over the world, and they're taking a loss undercutting Nintendo and SONY.

Not what I said/meant.

It's designed to profit NOW.. or at least when they convert users to full price.