Feature: Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus?
Feature: Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus?
Which online subscription service fits your needs?
UI demos, JuJu, and understanding the offerings for the PlayStation and Xbox subscription packages.
Read time: 11 minutes
Quick Tidbits
Here are small and developing stories you should keep your eye on.
PlayStation UI: we finally got a chance to look at the UI for the upcoming PS5, and it looks great. In the 11 minute video, Communications Director, Sid Shuman, walked viewers through the UI while playing Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Destruction: All-Stars. In it, we got to see an in-depth look at the control center, which not only highlights the console’s ability for quick resume but also allows players to jump to specific parts of the game they’re currently enjoying. Users also had the ability to get tips from the control center and “stick it” onto their screens while playing. It was a neat feature, and it’s sure to be utilized once the console is out, especially for single-player RPGs. The big emphasis of the showcase, besides convenient gaming, was the ability to connect with other gamers. The PS5’s UI was built with that in mind, and there are multiple options to connect with your friends list, whether that’s hopping on a chat, sending photos, or even joining a game directly from the control center. The video left many people excited, myself included, and rightfully so. The PS5’s UI has been refined and streamlined for convenience, and it’s a great look into what people will experience come November.
Cyberpunk 2077 comes to Stadia: it’s been a while since we’ve heard from Google’s Stadia, and for good reason. With the hype around the next-gen consoles, the popularity around the Nintendo Switch, and the recent announcement of Amazon’s Luna, it’s been easy to forget about the ambitious game streaming service launched by Google. But there is some good news, as the highly-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on Google’s Stadia on the same day as the other platforms: November 19. This news is a pleasant surprise to many, as although Cyberpunk 2077 was known to be coming to Stadia, people weren’t sure when. The assumption was that the CD Projekt Red title would come later this year or in 2021, but that has clearly been debunked. As long as Cyberpunk 2077 lives up to most of its hype, this should be a great title to get if you’re looking to invest in a Stadia.
Xbox Series launch titles: despite all the criticism around the Xbox Series launch titles, gamers will have a massive list to choose from, as the console will be released with 31 games. Granted, a handful of these titles are games that were previously available on the Xbox One, but these games aren’t simply backwards compatible games. Titles such as Borderlands 3 and Gears 5 have been optimized for the Xbox Series consoles and will be provided via Smart Delivery. What does that mean? It means that if a person decides to buy/has purchased a title that was previously available on the Xbox One, they’ll get a free upgrade to an optimized version of that same game. So you won’t be playing an Xbox One version of Assasins Creed Valhalla, you’ll actually get a copy that’s specifically built for an Xbox Series console. This is a great, nifty feature that gives consumers time to upgrade, instead of asking them to do so immediately. Oh, and before we move on, here are all 31 titles you should expect, including those that fall within the Smart Delivery program:
Assassins Creed Valhalla (Smart Delivery)
Borderlands 3 (Smart Delivery)
Bright Memory 1.0
Cuisine Royale (Smart Delivery)
Dead by Daylight (Smart Delivery)
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
Dirt 5 (Smart Delivery)
Enlisted
Evergate
The Falconeer (Smart Delivery)
Fortnite
Forza Horizon 4 (Smart Delivery)
Gears 5 (Smart Delivery)
Gears Tactics (Smart Delivery)
Grounded (Smart Delivery)
King Oddball
Maneater (Smart Delivery)
Manifold Garden (Smart Delivery)
NBA 2K21
Observer: System Redux
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Smart Delivery)
Planet Coaster (Smart Delivery)
Sea of Thieves (Smart Delivery)
Tetris Effect: Connected (Smart Delivery)
The Touryst (Smart Delivery)
War Thunder (Smart Delivery)
Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition
Watch Dogs: Legion (Smart Delivery)
WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship (Smart Delivery)
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Smart Delivery)
Yes, Your Grace (Smart Delivery)
PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass?
Credit: TechRadar
In the weeks leading up to the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, I’ll be dedicating my “Feature Fridays” to answering consumer questions you may have. Gaming can be expensive, and nothing’s worse than investing your money in a console, game, product, or service that you find no value in. If you have any questions on what you should get or if you’re stuck between two choices, feel free to let me know, and I’ll make sure to answer it in this section.
Remember, you can reach out to me at anytime, and I make sure to reply to every message I receive. Simply reply to this email, and that ensures your message gets sent directly to my inbox.
There’s a lot to get excited about when it comes to the PS5 and the Xbox Series consoles:
Improved UI, quality performance, and access to some sweet console exclusives.
Looking at these things alone would make most fans and consumers excited. And in the past, that’s all we had to look at.
But it’s 2020, and the gaming industry is at the beginning of what will be a major landscape change. No longer will we be just looking at console performance and game exclusives to dictate our buying decisions. Responsible consumers will need to think outside of this mindset to find the right console for them, with the most important thing being this:
Online marketplaces, game streaming services, and subscriptions.
Yep, in an age where we’re littered with video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, and more, we’ll now be forced to make the same decisions when it comes to gaming.
Although there are more services out today (i.e. Google’s Stadia and Amazon’s Luna), what we’ll be focusing on is the two major players in the industry at this moment:
Microsoft and Sony.
When it comes to gaming in 2020 and beyond, it’s extremely important to think about the online marketplace each console provides and the streaming service it offers. Not doing so could leave you with a console that you don’t enjoy and *gulps* could even lead you towards purchasing and building a PC.
And we don’t want that.
PlayStation Plus
When looking at PlayStation Plus, there are three great benefits to think about:
Options for one, three, and 12-month subscriptions
One Month: $9.99 per month
Three Months: $24.99 per month
12 Months: $59.99 per month
Two free games per month, as well as seasonal deals on the marketplace
The PlayStation Plus Collection
Unlike Xbox, which has packed its online services with its Game Pass, PlayStation users will still have options regarding what they want in their online services. Everyone’s situation is different, and the PlayStation Plus online service options can accommodate those situations. Granted, you will save more money if you opt for a 12-month subscription versus a one-month subscription, but knowing that you can go month-to-month is a big benefit.
As for the marketplace, a big advantage of owning a PlayStation Plus subscription is that you’ll get access to two quality games for free. And we’re not talking about some small indie games too, as the marketplace does offer some quality AAA titles from time-to-time. Earlier this year, players were able to download Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered for free, which was extremely popular in its day. This month, we’ve gotten Need For Speed: Payback and Vampyr, both of which are good titles in their own right. And when you pair that with great deals provided on the marketplace (I downloaded The Witcher 3 and all its DLC for $20 recently), PlayStation Plus gives you a great return on investment.
But for most PS5 owners, the big thing that will draw them in is the upcoming PlayStation Plus collection, and rightfully so. The collection is a curated list of “generation-defining” titles from the PS4 era. Here’s what you can expect to see:
God of War
The Last of Us: Remastered
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Battlefield 1
Monster Hunter World
Fallout 4
Final Fantasy XV
The Last Guardian
Ratchet and Clank
Infamous: Second Son
Days Gone
Bloodborne
Detroit: Become Human
Batman Arkham Knight
Mortal Kombat X
Persona 5
Until Dawn
Resident Evil: Biohazard
This is an all-star lineup, and the great thing about this selection is you won’t be overwhelmed with options. What you’re seeing is what you’ll get, and you can rest easy knowing that you’ll play quality games handpicked by the PlayStation staff.
Oh, and you won’t have to pay anything extra to access this list. All you need is a PlayStation Plus account, and these titles are yours to play (as long as you keep the membership active). So there’s a good chance you can play Resident Evil: Biohazard, Bloodborne, and God of War for only $9.99 (depending on how fast you go through games).
Now that’s a deal you can’t pass up.
Xbox Game Pass
Much has been talked about the Xbox Game Pass, and rightfully so. The subscription service is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in gaming, and it’s already shifting the way we approach games.
Gone is the Xbox Gold model, which allowed players to select the duration of their online services from one, three, six, and 12 months at a lower price point. It’s been replaced by the Ultimate Game Pass and traditional Game Pass, which costs more than the original model, but offers more as well.
Ultimate Game Pass (One Month): $14.99
Ultimate Game Pass (Three Months): $44.99
Xbox Game Pass (Three Months): $29.99
Xbox Game Pass (Six Months): $59.99
Xbox Game Pass (12 Months): $119.99
Are these expensive? Absolutely. What once cost $60 for a full year is now only giving you six months. But Xbox has made sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. And when you look at the service offerings, it might leave some guilty that they’re ONLY paying the amounts listed above.
What Xbox Game Pass offers you is not only online services and a robust marketplace. It also gives you access to a plethora of high-quality games from past Xbox consoles and current releases. Game Pass owners will also have access to games exclusive to EA Play. And with the recent acquisition of Bethesda Studios, owners are sure to get access to even more titles. Granted, you’ll still need to purchase the latest releases like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Cyberpunk 2077, but you’ll still have a vast library of quality games to choose from.
But that’s not the coolest thing about Game Pass.
Currently available (and in beta) for Game Pass owners is xCloud, the cloud gaming service that Microsoft has discussed for much of this year. xCloud gives players a chance to not only play their favorite titles through an Xbox Series console but also allows them to play on their favorite PC, phone, or tablet.
As long as you own a Windows 10 PC or Android phone/tablet, you’ll be able to play any Xbox game available in the Game Pass via its app. Although it’s currently not available on iPhones, Microsoft has stated that they’re working on a web-based-browser workaround for the issue, so iPhone users may not have to wait long.
Sadly, xCloud is only for Ultimate Game Pass users at this point, so you’ll need to invest a couple of extra bucks to utilize this feature.
So although you’ll have to pay at least $14.99 to access all these features, you’ll be getting a lot of value in return.
Xbox has made it clear that they want more people into gaming, regardless of their situation, and they’ve only added to that mission with their Game Pass.
So, what’s right for you?
Obviously, this depends on what console you prefer, but if you need some guidance, here’s my thought process:
You buy the PS5 for what it can give you right now.
You buy an Xbox Series console for what it can give you in the future.
As of this writing, and despite all the news generated from Xbox, the PS5 still has a stronger list of launch titles and games. With that said, all the moves Microsoft and Xbox have been making are positioning them as a must-have console and game manufacturer, which could be true as early as next year.
And if you’re looking at pure value, the Xbox Game Pass wins that race…
Easily.
With hundreds of titles at your fingertips and being able to play your favorite titles on the go, the Xbox Game Pass is a no-brainer.
What do you plan on getting? Let me know, and I may even share a few responses in the next feature!
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JuJu + Gaming
Credit: ESPN/Duane Prokop/Getty Images
It’s widely known that NFL wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is a big gaming fanatic, as he’s collaborated with FaZe Clan and has numerous gaming clips available on his YouTube channel.
Well, the Steelers’ star is taking his love for gaming one step further, and he’s doing so by creating his own gaming organization.
Called Team Diverge, Smith-Schuster hopes the organization becomes “a platform for others.” He’s already signed six gaming content creators and will be creating a content house for these creators in 2021. He’ll also be looking to get into Esports, so it’ll be great to see what games his team chooses to participate in.
Good luck, JuJu! Hopefully, I’ll see you on Warzone sometime soon.