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Xbox Game Pass Takes On PlayStation Now To Become The Netflix of Gaming


Posted on May 24, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Microsoft has announced that Xbox Games Pass, its’ monthly subscription based games library service will launch today for Xbox Live Gold Members and will be available to the general Xbox Live population regardless of subscription status on June 1st.

Xbox Games Pass is the company’s attempt to compete with Sony’s PlayStation Now Service which offers PS4 owners a digital library of streaming titles to their PS4 and PC for a fixed monthly price. Games Pass offers subscribers over 100 Xbox 360 games that are backwards compatible on Xbox One from both Microsoft first party devs and third parties. Also included with the subscription are a limited number of Xbox One Games. The delivery method for Games Pass differs greatly from PlayStation Now – instead of streaming the video feed and uploading user inputs, Game Pass downloads games directly onto the users’ hard drive.

The two services also differ in terms of price – PlayStation Now is currently priced at $19.99 USD or $44.99 USD for three months and offers access to over 450 titles. Xbox Games Pass will be priced at 50% the monthly rate of Sony’s offerings at $9.99 USD per month but offers only approximately 1/4th of the number of games.

All of this brings to question: “What is the proper price range for a Netflix-like all you can play game subscription service?”. Both services offer a good variety of titles across a number of genres but in terms of quantity, it is clear that PlayStation Now has the upper hand. There is also the caveat that PS Now requires a very solid & stable internet connection for the product to be delivered. Whereas with Xbox Games Pass it doesn’t matter how fast your connection is as long as the download completes you’ve got access to your game until you unsubscribe.

Key to the success of either Games As A Service platform is the quality of the titles on offer and the continued delivery of new games to keep subscribers engaged. In a sense Xbox Games Pass and PlayStation Now are also competing with Games with Gold and PlayStation Plus – if GWG or PS+ are offering quality games that are duplicated on Now or Game Pass, why subscribe to both complimentary services?

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.


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Sony Begins Sending Out PlayStation Now Beta Invites


Posted on January 29, 2014 by Rae Michelle Richards

Last evening Sony began sending out invites for their upcoming PlayStation Now game streaming service, IGN.com has reported. The streaming service is entering a small closed beta period ahead of its official release sometime later this year and requires a 5MB internet connection and the use of a PlayStation 3 is recommended according to the invite email.

PlayStation Now is an online streaming service that will allow gamers to play titles from the console maker’s nearly 20 year history on the PlayStation 3, PS4 as well as Sony Bravia televisions and Smart Phones. The technology behind PlayStation Now based off of GaiKai’s streaming services, whom Sony purchased for $380 million dollars in 2012.

We don’t have a definitive list of launch titles for PlayStation Now but when the service was shown at CES 2014 both Beyond Two Souls and The Last of Us were both playable. We also do not have details on a pricing structure, launch window or whether or not PlayStation Now will tie into PlayStation Plus.

If you got into the beta, we’re super jealous!


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Sony Introduces PlayStation Now


Posted on January 8, 2014 by Jason Nason

Today Sony announced a new streaming game service at at CES 2014 in Las Vegas. The new service will be called PlayStation Now (PS Now) and is set to be available in the United States beginning this summer. Sony promises that with the new service you will be able to stream popular hits and classic games from the PS3 library, first on PS4 and PS3 systems, followed by PS Vita.

In addition to PlayStation platforms, most 2014 US models of Sony’s BRAVIA TV lineup are said to support PS Now with the service eventually expanded beyond PlayStation platforms and Sony devices. Sony announced that this will allow the ability to stream PlayStation games across a broad range of Internet-connected devices.

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