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Xbox officially launches Game Pass Standard

Jaybe

Member
I don’t see anyone buying the Standard tier, not sure why they bothered. They probably remove it in a year or so.
 

Mownoc

Member
I don’t see anyone buying the Standard tier, not sure why they bothered. They probably remove it in a year or so.
It's an awful tier. If you only want online multi get core, if you want games get ultimate. I also don't see this tier being remotely popular.

PC gamepass is by far the best value and MS are shafting their console fans by comparison.
 
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Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
I don’t see anyone buying the Standard tier, not sure why they bothered. They probably remove it in a year or so.

I imagine it's a bit like what Apple do, you get hooked in with one price and then by the time you've looked at the options you end up going through an increment or two and suddenly you're spending more than you'd like to be.

It doesn't really bother me, because I'll be sticking with Ultimate, but I guess you could make the case that if you want to play online and want a bigger selection of titles than core offers, then you can get the standard version. That might have been a better way to pitch it.

Core: Online and small group of titles
Standard: Online and a larger group of titles.
Ultimate: Online, First Party titles from day one, plus the largest collection of 3rd party games.
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
I think it’s good to give people choices (you know like a disc drive in your system) but this is getting ridiculously confusing. Two tiers was fine..
Not really. The typical trick is to make first tier dogshit, second tier what you want people to buy, and third tier for rich dummies. They also have the extra "PC only" tier so I would say the amount is just right.
 

rm082e

Member
It's an awful tier. If you only want online multi get core, if you want games get ultimate. I also don't see this tier being remotely popular.

They knew most people would settle for Core and decided they had to destroy the value of it to push people into paying for Ultimate, but they didn't want to eliminate it completely because they knew it would be worse PR.
 
Also with Ultimate you also have Console and PC games included, does not seems to be mentioned
I made a decent sized post explaining the rationale before. But basically the plan is to convert as many of the top-paying customers into PC Gamepass when Xbox as a console goes away.

Anyone who doesn't want to pay Ultimate can be ignored, as they don't pay enough to sustain Gamepass anyway. So the Ultimate customers are given mandatory PC gaming licenses now, so on the day Xbox pulled the plug, Microsoft can try to force as many of these customers as they can to play on PC and keep paying the Ultimate rate.

The PC licenses are not for the Xbox player's benefit, they didn't ask for it. it is for Microsoft's benefit in trying to retain customers in the long run.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Yes but they never announced that gamepass standard would not have access to old titles like Forza, Starfield and Diablo IV.

Expectations were this tier wouldn't get new day one releases. Not that they'd go back and remove titles that were released over 12 months ago.

Ok, yes just read that part and yeah that sucks.

Also, not sure what the point of having 2 very similar tiers like Core and Standard is. Just merge them into the same thing since they're already doing 90% the same things.
 

demigod

Member
XGP_Infographic_16x9_EN-cf249e82f94097e396f0.jpg

This infographic is really confusing/misleading. You’d expect the bullet point of “hundreds of high quality games” would be equivalent on both Standard and Ultimate, but they’re not?
Confused Always Sunny GIF by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
You get high quality AAA indie games mang.
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Over 40 games have been removed from gamepass standard including Starfield, Diablo IV, Hellblade 2 and Modern Warfare 3.

Diablo IV is over a year old but still got the plug pulled on it.


Oh this is bad. So GamePass Standard, really isn't GamePass as we know it. It's just Gamepass in name only.
 

DonF

Member
streaming services, subscriptions, compatibility...everything has become so fucking shitty! I hate this price discrimination saturation we are living. its like nothing is simple, buying now takes previous research. the focus is not on the consumer anymore. its feels like everything is a scam, really.
 

IronLich

Member
I'm the guy getting Standard because I hardly ever use the PC Game Pass and I really don't have any intention of playing much off the EA catalog but would still prefer to not lose out on games in the lower tier like Persona. It's mostly Game Pass Console in disguise and upgraded with online multiplayer. So if I can trim the fat off my sub, that's a win.
 
That's a price increase in disguise

Michael Douglas High Quality GIF


We all knew it was coming. I think the lack of mass adoption has just made them turn to short-term profit now rather than keeping Gamepass in growth mode. Microsoft just keeps making stupid decisions........oh well, glad I no longer give a shit!
 
I think it’s good to give people choices (you know like a disc drive in your system) but this is getting ridiculously confusing. Two tiers was fine..
What else do you expect from Microsoft though? lol

It's the same company that names their consoles Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
More choices are always better. Who cares if it's more confusing, more expensive, and also worse than it was before?

Or is it? I can't fucking tell what I'm even getting anymore, outside of some random PR noise about "when everyone plays, we all win!"
 

poodaddy

Gold Member
Jesus Christ. Imagine if some poor soul decides to try to get into gaming right now and they had no idea where to start.
 

kevboard

Member
I am still kinda baffled that Microsoft has the gull to charge money to play online MP when their games are all available on PC with free online play.

it's like they want to make their console the worst place to play their own games on purpose. worse graphics, worse performance, less choice, pay to play online... what exactly is their idea here?

getting rid of Gamepass Core, and with it the pay 2 play online model, would declutter their plans, and just the right thing to do
 
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I think it’s good to give people choices (you know like a disc drive in your system) but this is getting ridiculously confusing. Two tiers was fine..

They've just copied Sony's subscription structure but massively improved it since the day one games on ultimate are a better reason to get the premium package vs. some old PS and PS2 games. Honestly, I think console GP with no online was a more confusing product than GP standard. At least now if you have GP you know you have online play covered.
 

fatmarco

Member
I think it's insane that they'd take something like Starfield off when they're launching the major expansion in a couple of weeks. Isn't the whole point to get people into that game, then upsell them with the expansion?

The game is over a year old already, and it has a bad word of mouth. Isn't this precisely the opposite thing to do when you want people to experience the "New and Improved" Starfield and improve the perception of the game?

The price of standard is also awful, it shouldn't be anywhere near that close to Ultimate price wise.
 

ZehDon

Member
As someone who games on PC and Xbox, Ultimate is still terrific value and I'll always recommend it. Best deal in gaming by a wide margin.

But let's all just be honest on what their restructure - announced ages ago - actually is: putting Call of Duty onto the most expensive tier. They can't reneg on their "day one" marketing, but they also can't give away their biggest cash cow. Game Pass standard still includes online multiplayer, plus whatever's in the catalog, so that's good - but it doesn't include Call of Duty. You want the big games, you gotta pay more. For some folks, that'll still be a great deal, and obviously I'm in that bucket. But it's a price increase for everyone else.
 
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Topher

Identifies as young
I think it's insane that they'd take something like Starfield off when they're launching the major expansion in a couple of weeks. Isn't the whole point to get people into that game, then upsell them with the expansion?

The game is over a year old already, and it has a bad word of mouth. Isn't this precisely the opposite thing to do when you want people to experience the "New and Improved" Starfield and improve the perception of the game?

The price of standard is also awful, it shouldn't be anywhere near that close to Ultimate price wise.

Not sure what you mean by "take something like Starfield off". Starfield isn't leaving Game Pass. Existing console Game Pass subscribers will still have access to it. New "standard" subscribers will not.
 

fatmarco

Member
Not sure what you mean by "take something like Starfield off". Starfield isn't leaving Game Pass. Existing console Game Pass subscribers will still have access to it. New "standard" subscribers will not.
I guess I should rephrase it. They're launching a version of "Gamepass" without a game that probably needs a boost to player counts and perception before the launch of a major update is what I mean.

EDIT:

But also aren't they removing normal Gamepass for this? "New users will no longer be able to buy into the console-only tier, though existing users will remain on this plan for at least a year before migration".
 
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Nydius

Member
It's mostly Game Pass Console in disguise and upgraded with online multiplayer.

Nope. If you're grandfathered into Game Pass Console and ensure to keep it active, you'll still get day one games plus you'll keep access to all the games they're yanking out of the new Standard tier. You're right that it's adding the online multiplayer, but you're losing a lot more compared to what Game Pass Console offered.

Though given Microsoft's actions of late, I suspect they will eventually push GP Console holdouts to either sidegrade to the inferior Standard or do some time-conversion upgrade to Ultimate.
 
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