As long as there is value there it is worth subscribing.
The minute the value is gone you stop subscribing just like you would with Net Flix.
There is no contract here.
You guys make it seem like you're stuck if you subscribe which is simply not true.
This is quite simple. If you only subscribe, the second you stop subscribing you lose all your games. That is one hell of a lock-in, and you can't simply pretend it doesn't exist. That puts you at the mercy of future price increases versus someone who simply bought their games.
This is not like Netflix, because if you cancel Netflix, there are many other subscription services you can use like HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Sling TV. With Xbox there is only Game Pass. All these TV competitors know their viewers have this option so there is a check to keep them from price gouging that does not exist for Game Pass.
Back to Game Pass, the longer you stay subscribed, the more hooked you become. As an example, I don't have Game Pass and saw a great deal for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $24 late last year. I snatched it up and can now play the following games. Hooray for me!
- Halo: Reach
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Halo 2: Anniversary
- Halo 3
- Halo 3: ODST
- Halo 4
Someone on Game Pass would have passed on that deal because they can already play those games. Rinse and repeat for games as they go on sale. As time went by, I built a huge library of games that I can play at any time, where the Game Pass owner has built nothing. Just as a quick check, I've got ~30 games in my library not counting Halo that I want to play, and either haven't played, or only partially played. Just about every one of those I got on a great sale like the one for Halo.
Compare that to a Game Pass player. If they cancel, they have to spend a lot of money just to get where I'm already at, and that's on top of all the money already spent on Game Pass. There's no other subscription service for them to join. It's cheaper for them in the short term to suck it up and eat a Game Pass price increase. That's the lock-in.