Do you think video game subscription services are worthwhile?

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A console generation or two ago, gaming subscription services might have been met with complete ire and disdain, perhaps indifference, at best. PlayStation Plus, in the time of the PlayStation 3, wasn’t even required in order to play games online. And yet, nowadays, there are so many subscriptions and monthly payments that you could easily spend more than the cost of a AAA game a month just to have access to all of them. Whether it’s the randomized collection of games you keep forever in each month of Humble Choice, subscriptions to access certain studio’s libraries on a month-by-month basis like Ubisoft Plus or EA Play, or rotating troves of games through Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now, there’s an almost endless amount of choice when it comes to monthly services for video games.

Some of them, such as Google Stadia or GeForce Now let you stream games, rather than play them on your own hardware. It lets gamers with lower-end hardware have the ability to still play major releases without feeling left out. For some, it’s a fantastic way to open the door to more casual gamers, but others see it as more tenuous; input lag can affect your perception of the game, and some countries still lack the internet infrastructure to handle, let alone the service itself entirely.

PlayStation Now initially operated on the same streaming-only basis, but quickly pivoted to also allow local downloads. The option of choice is always a good one to have, and perhaps best of all, you don’t even need a PlayStation system to stream them. Just having a PC and DualShock 4 is enough to access a library full of “PS4 exclusive” titles. On the other hand, having it separate from PlayStation Plus means those subscribed to both services at once, especially if they’re paying on a month-to-month basis, can see things get expensive very quickly.

nintendo_switch_online_features_chart.jpg

You’ve also got Nintendo Switch Online, which even compared to lesser-discussed services like EA Play, gives you perhaps the least overall features--just selective cloud saving, online access, and a handful of retro titles. Fortunately, it’s the least expensive option, but even still, it leaves many wanting more from Nintendo, especially with their history and backlog of amazing retro titles going to relative waste on the Switch.

And of course, there’s Xbox Game Pass, the most heavy-hitting subscription of them all. Bundling not only every Xbox first party game, but every first party game on launch, as well as random other games, Game Pass offers an incredible value. Plus, you can upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate for a little bit more, and have access to Xbox Live Gold. Given just how many free trials or $1/month promotions Microsoft has offered, plenty of gamers are locked into years of the service, especially after they were allowed to convert leftover Xbox Gold into Game Pass Ultimate for next to nothing.

Given all those options, which one is your favorite? And if it’s not Xbox Game Pass, why is that? Or are you the kind of person who prefers their games physically, opting for subscription services only because you need them to play online, if at all?
 

Phudou

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Consider even the prices, with the vpn trick 1 year of foreign gold is less than 30€, 1 month of gamepass (that converts all gold months in gamepass ultimate) is 1€ first time (xbox dashboard offer), or 5€. This sum of 35€ max can be divided by two friends that share 1 profile home (1 friend launch the profile, the other friend plant the home in his console and play with another profile). For less than 18€ for 13 months Gamepass Ultimate is cheaper than Nintendo Online (single user). Yes, is a "gray" solution, but can be valid for casual gamers or families with children...
 
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donaldgx

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no, and for that matter no "AAA" game is worth $60+, no regular game is worth $30
f2p or 80% discounts on steam, and piracy on offline pc for good measure
 
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Game Pass is a complete no brainer - of course I've got it! Paid for it since it launched, swapped over to Ultimate, worth every penny, amazing value for money! PS Now is a decent offering now too, not quite as essential as Game Pass but getting better. Plus and Gold feel less worth the money since the above 2 launched, GP in particular (but Ultimate sorts that out) - but still offer some value for money. Switch? Family membership across 4 households for me, all accounts used, splitting the bill between us - yeah again I'm cool with it! Would however baulk at the individual membership for sure.
The rest can royally fukk off... for me at least!

So a big yes from me, subscription services definitely worthwhile. Game Pass Ultimate easily offering the most, if I could only have one sub due to, I don't know, something like a moaning missus (not that far off the mark actually! :sad:), that would definitely be it! I still buy games too, particularly on Switch and 1st/2nd party Sony releases!
 

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PS Plus and Xbox Live are great, you pay a monthly / yearly subscription and have games all month.

PS Plus recently been pleasing me a lot, we had games like Final Fantasy 7: Remake which was amazing, not to mention the Xbox GamePass which is basically a Netflix of games, is incredible.

Now Switch Online ?, I love Nintendo... but that sucks, we have access to the same NES and SNES games that have been re-released since the time of GBA / GC and that today are easily emulated on any device, without Switch games or exclusive promotions for users, nothing like that... we only pay for an online service that is inferior to the Wii U that was free and we received games from 30 years ago in return.

Nintendo really needs to give a complete overview of its online service, we don't even have a chat system, voice chat party, achievements, IDs or anything like that and these are things that Microsoft and Sony have put on their consoles since the PS3 and X360, even the Wii U with Miiverse had a better online system than the Nintendo Switch.
 

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I think Game Pass is very cool, especially because it makes games to be seen on a more positive manner. A lot of games trashed by critics on the internet I actually enjoyed when they were available on Game Pass and even bought many of them.
I prefer to buy my games, sure, but trying new games and new genres on Game Pass is more alluring than pulling the trigger on a completely new purchase, especially because now there are no demos outside of Resident Evil... Kinda similar to a rental service, it doesnt have to be one or the other when it is possible to use both fine.
 
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For Nintendo it depend, If you maintly play nintendo game online Smash or Mario kart or even Pokemon it suck (at least for me) cause they lags and I never played any nintendo game online again,
For non nintendo game it actually work fine.
I never had any issues with Diablo III and Overwatch, even in 4G using my mobile as modem :)
 

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The important question is 'do you think video game subscription services are going to increase in price, once everyone is on board?' Absolutely yes. Wait until Microsoft has the monopoly.

Please do never forget game preservation. Actually, art preservation in general. These companies do not care about the content, only the profits. There might be a point where there is no turning back.
It seems a very good deal now, but so buying second-hand, group buy or borrow from a friend. At least the ownership is within reach.
 
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SonicRings

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PS Plus and Xbox Live are great, you pay a monthly / yearly subscription and have games all month.

PS Plus recently been pleasing me a lot, we had games like Final Fantasy 7: Remake which was amazing, not to mention the Xbox GamePass which is basically a Netflix of games, is incredible.

Now Switch Online ?, I love Nintendo... but that sucks, we have access to the same NES and SNES games that have been re-released since the time of GBA / GC and that today are easily emulated on any device, without Switch games or exclusive promotions for users, nothing like that... we only pay for an online service that is inferior to the Wii U that was free and we received games from 30 years ago in return.

Nintendo really needs to give a complete overview of its online service, we don't even have a chat system, voice chat party, achievements, IDs or anything like that and these are things that Microsoft and Sony have put on their consoles since the PS3 and X360, even the Wii U with Miiverse had a better online system than the Nintendo Switch.
Even the Wii had a better online system than the Switch for that matter. I used to send Wii messages to my friends' Wiis all the time, and even to their emails. Sending pics over Wii messages was the best lmao
 
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Stwert

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Well, as anyone who knows me will know, I hate digital distribution with a burning passion. I like physical copies of my purchases. Though I do obviously make concessions for any excellent games, which don’t get a physical release.

These services on the other hand, I have no problem with at all. Because they’re not offering ownership of the games in any way, shape, or form, I consider them to be very different beasts from digital distribution (of purchased games).

Therefore, I actually subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate, which is awesome for my Xbox One X/Series X and PC, not to mention the streaming of some titles. I subscribe to PlayStation Now, fine for my PS4 Pro, less so for my PS5, other than playing older games on it I suppose. And I’m also a Founder Member of GeForce Now, which I’ve been using since the Beta began.

I know what you’re thinking - GeForce Now, but doesn’t like digital distribution? Still true. However, GeForce Now lets me play the multitude of free games I get from the Epic Games Store, along with those games I want, which just don’t get a physical release. Plus, I get to play them on my Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android tablet and later this year, my LG TV as well.

So, I’m all for them. Subscription services grant me access to the majority of games which I think I’d quite enjoy, but which I don’t think I want to spend money on (outside of a particularly good deal in a sale.)

I don’t want them to replace actual physical ownership, though I do believe the days are already numbered for that particular passion. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the next generation of consoles were digital only. Which could well be when I stop buying games completely and just use the subscription services instead.
 
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SG6000

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I'm vehemently opposed to subscription models across all media and will never ever use them - although I admit, if I were an Xbox user Microsoft's Game Pass does indeed seem like a tough one to brush aside.

Control will always trump perceived convenience for me. Ownership over licenses, every single time.
 
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A console generation or two ago, gaming subscription services might have been met with complete ire and disdain, perhaps indifference, at best. PlayStation Plus, in the time of the PlayStation 3, wasn’t even required in order to play games online. And yet, nowadays, there are so many subscriptions and monthly payments that you could easily spend more than the cost of a AAA game a month just to have access to all of them. Whether it’s the randomized collection of games you keep forever in each month of Humble Choice, subscriptions to access certain studio’s libraries on a month-by-month basis like Ubisoft Plus or EA Play, or rotating troves of games through Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now, there’s an almost endless amount of choice when it comes to monthly services for video games.

Some of them, such as Google Stadia or GeForce Now let you stream games, rather than play them on your own hardware. It lets gamers with lower-end hardware have the ability to still play major releases without feeling left out. For some, it’s a fantastic way to open the door to more casual gamers, but others see it as more tenuous; input lag can affect your perception of the game, and some countries still lack the internet infrastructure to handle, let alone the service itself entirely.

PlayStation Now initially operated on the same streaming-only basis, but quickly pivoted to also allow local downloads. The option of choice is always a good one to have, and perhaps best of all, you don’t even need a PlayStation system to stream them. Just having a PC and DualShock 4 is enough to access a library full of “PS4 exclusive” titles. On the other hand, having it separate from PlayStation Plus means those subscribed to both services at once, especially if they’re paying on a month-to-month basis, can see things get expensive very quickly.


You’ve also got Nintendo Switch Online, which even compared to lesser-discussed services like EA Play, gives you perhaps the least overall features--just selective cloud saving, online access, and a handful of retro titles. Fortunately, it’s the least expensive option, but even still, it leaves many wanting more from Nintendo, especially with their history and backlog of amazing retro titles going to relative waste on the Switch.

And of course, there’s Xbox Game Pass, the most heavy-hitting subscription of them all. Bundling not only every Xbox first party game, but every first party game on launch, as well as random other games, Game Pass offers an incredible value. Plus, you can upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate for a little bit more, and have access to Xbox Live Gold. Given just how many free trials or $1/month promotions Microsoft has offered, plenty of gamers are locked into years of the service, especially after they were allowed to convert leftover Xbox Gold into Game Pass Ultimate for next to nothing.

Given all those options, which one is your favorite? And if it’s not Xbox Game Pass, why is that? Or are you the kind of person who prefers their games physically, opting for subscription services only because you need them to play online, if at all?

Honestly these subscriptions shouldn't exist at all, we already wasting money monthly on our bills including the internet bill so why the heck should we pay to access the internet on online games at all? another thing for these being useless, we are giving them *lots* of money by buying there games..and not to mention the hundreds of dollars spent on the consoles to hand held - these gaming companies are already banking in profit now they're getting bitten in their arse by the people that gave them money because of them screwing us all over royally.
whether you want to simp or accept these facts of how this isn't needed, - up to you.

i just wanted to point this out for those who haven't realized it..but eh
 
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Xzi

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The important question is 'do you think video game subscription services are going to increase in price, once everyone is on board?' Absolutely yes. Wait until Microsoft has the monopoly.
What makes you believe Microsoft has a monopoly within reach? XB1 came in third place behind PS4 and Switch this generation, and even despite Game Pass, Valve/Steam continue to own a much bigger market share on PC.
 

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