Phil Spencer: It makes sense to bundle xCloud with Xbox Game Pass

[TheKidObi]

Microsoft has thousands of acres of trees that grow money.

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Ok but how does giving gamepass for $1 and people stacking up for 36 months help them make more money? untop of putting more money into the service to get more content on there? Good for consumer I guess so that's all that matter, can't see Sony doing the same thing lol.

I guess they just want as much subscribers as possible. Reminds me of wwe streaming service when they wanted the same by giving out their subscription for cheap/free

 

[Godzilla24]

Ok but how does giving gamepass for $1 and people stacking up for 36 months help them make more money? untop of putting more money into the service to get more content on there? Good for consumer I guess so that's all that matter, can't see Sony doing the same thing lol.

I guess they just want as much subscribers as possible. Reminds me of wwe streaming service when they wanted the same by giving out their subscription for cheap/free

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I asked that question same thing earlier. Others stated its a combination of additive community sales. Friends play it others join in and want to purchase. Microsoft have stated that some game sales have increased due to Xbox game pass. Microsoft is building their subscriber base. These incredible deals won't always be here. Games pass is around 2 years old but is constantly evolving. I think MS wants to expand their subscriber base as fast as possible. Same way they made windows 10 free for like a year.

 

[dom]

Bundling does not mean xCloud will be part of gamepass. Just means you could save money by owning both.

 

[DOT_mjo]

Bundled in as in no additional cost?

 

[Xerzix]

God bless Phil.

 

[TitanicFall]

Price is going up whether you want Xcloud or not.

 

[Skiptastic]

I know, no worries. I'm just looking at this thread and seeing people thinking that xCloud will only be apart of Ultimate...This ain't the model. I've said this last year, it will be apart of all gamepass tiers. It will just be certain things differentiating them.
GamePass: 1080p
GamePass Ultimate: 4k
People not realizing that it costs money to do these different bandwidth requirements, look at Stadia.

But you also look at things like what they did with office with their freemium version for mobile devices, but you have to pay for bigger devices. So you can see Microsoft doing something like (which I think is the most plausible thing):



And all of this backs up my reasoning that the multiplayer paywall for next gen is going to go away. I've been tooting the same horn for years since they introduced GamePass because gamepass is the next-gen of xbox's subscriptions. People here and on the other parts of the gaming net think so much about what they are used to and not what is coming. I've said it before but Microsoft is literally just making Xbox Game Pass a combination of the Office 365, and Netflix model (but perfected because they have "add-ons" like dlc/mtx).

When you look at what the MP paywall does, it literally negates a section of the population from playing a video game. They can't even get regular gamepass without ultimate, though they can, they can't take advantage of all the online games without ultimate. Once again making it less inviting. Right now, MS is just migrating everyone over with Ultimate...slowly but surely, that MP paywall will go away. What better way to get people into your ecosystem at E3 2020 than saying that you don't have to pay to play online...and their focus is gamepass. Well, now you have a streamlined approach to your offer that goes beyond just console gaming, you have an offer that is for PC gamers, Console gamers, Mobile-only gamers. It's about reaching out to as many people as possible.

But you know, I've been saying this shit for quite some time...

EDIT:
Also for those who doubt my pricing scheme...Google Stadia is free 1080p gaming with buying games. Stadia Pro is a sub that is 4K streaming with a sub that is trying to be gamepass. Microsoft has already stated that they will be competitive and this is what I figured a while ago. You need to have something that is competitive in the market...so people are going to compare what is the better value at $10...That's why you have streaming at $10 because that is what Google will be offering in the long run. MS just have more stuff than Google right now but they will try to upsell you to Ultimate, but they want to get as many people as possible at $10 because once you are in, it's easier to upsell.

Mark my words.

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I just did the $1 Game Pass Ultimate and have never had a recurring payment for Gold or Game Pass, but I'd almost certainly pay the $15 a month for this.

 

[Chromie]

"As an Insider benefit, when you join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to give feedback, we will apply any prepaid time you have on Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass or both toward Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, up to a maximum of 36-months.

For example, if you have 3-months of Xbox Live Gold and 3-months of Xbox Game Pass already in your account and join Ultimate as an Insider, you will be charged $1 for your first month. For subsequent months, we will apply 6 months toward your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (up to a maximum of 36-months).

You can cancel your Ultimate membership at any time, and you will continue to have access to your Ultimate benefits until your prepaid time ends, at which point you will not be charged again. The upgrade of any prepaid time cannot be reverted back to Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass."

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Holy shit. I have three years too. Thanks!

 

[Masterspeed]

All this time and effort they've put into xCloud is making me think this is going to be really big and actually work.

 

[12Danny123]

Ok but how does giving gamepass for $1 and people stacking up for 36 months help them make more money? untop of putting more money into the service to get more content on there? Good for consumer I guess so that's all that matter, can't see Sony doing the same thing lol.

I guess they just want as much subscribers as possible. Reminds me of wwe streaming service when they wanted the same by giving out their subscription for cheap/free

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Because it keeps them inside the ecosystem, that's how Netflix works, it's so cheap and has good content that it's hard to leave it.

 

[Dan Thunder]

I'm thinking of picking up a One S this weekend and was hoping someone could point me in the direction of the best current deal for Game Pass (or even an Xbox One S if you know any good ones!)

From what I can see it's probably worth getting the ultimate pass even though I don't have a PC as GP is £7.99pm and it's only an extra £3pm for XBL Gold if you choose the ultimate plan. Does that sound about right or is there something better out there?

Also, I'm assuming that my son can set up his own account to play against friends? He's always used mine on the PS4 for Fortnite and I'm tired of getting friend requests from people I don't know!

UK member if that makes a difference.

Ta in advance!

 

[TechnicPuppet]

I'm thinking of picking up a One S this weekend and was hoping someone could point me in the direction of the best current deal for Game Pass (or even an Xbox One S if you know any good ones!)

From what I can see it's probably worth getting the ultimate pass even though I don't have a PC as GP is £7.99pm and it's only an extra £3pm for XBL Gold if you choose the ultimate plan. Does that sound about right or is there something better out there?

Also, I'm assuming that my son can set up his own account to play against friends? He's always used mine on the PS4 for Fortnite and I'm tired of getting friend requests from people I don't know!

UK member if that makes a difference.

Ta in advance!

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Not sure if it's still live maybe someone else will know but your best bet is to buy gold from cdkeys then convert to gamepass ultimate for £1. You could have 3 years worth of gold and gamepass for just over £100.

For best Xbox deal you could search for them on HotUKDeals. The one without disc drive is £170 at John Lewis for example.

https://www.johnlewis.com/xbox-one-..._792644b5a363565b4fb7e2abe4265fe4&tmcampid=48

 

[Dan Thunder]

Not sure if it's still live maybe someone else will know but your best bet is to buy gold from cdkeys then convert to gamepass ultimate for £1. You could have 3 years worth of gold and gamepass for just over £100.

For best Xbox deal you could search for them on HotUKDeals. The one without disc drive is £170 at John Lewis for example.

https://www.johnlewis.com/xbox-one-..._792644b5a363565b4fb7e2abe4265fe4&tmcampid=48

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Yeah cheers, saw the John Lewis deal but not sure I want to tie myself to the discless version as there's probably some older games I'd get on the cheap.

 

[jon bones]

i am hoping Ultimate stays at $15 and includes this

doesn't really make sense to roll out Ultimate and then raise the price 6 months later

 

[TheKidObi]

Because it keeps them inside the ecosystem, that's how Netflix works, it's so cheap and has good content that it's hard to leave it.

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That wasn't my question, question is how do they make money? With such cheap discount? Doesn't matter if it keeps them inside ecosystem when they ain't making anything people paying $15 a month compared to $1 or $6 will cut your renvenue espacally if it's millions of sub.

Imagine millions took advantage of the discount and stack it up for 2-3 years that's a lot of profit they just lost. Hard to imagine people locked up will spend more money towards Xbox Eco system when the whole point of gamepass is to save money on buying a lot of games

he'll if I bought gamepass with discount yeah I'm locked in Xbox ecosystem but u won't see me spend a dime until my pass is up cause why would I spend when shit ton of games are free especially the first party games day 1.

 

[Deleted member 15428]

Xbox Live Gold, game pass and xcloud as one subscription would be phenomenal

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What's the difference? That's so many services, I have no idea which one does what

 

[Droyd]

$20 per month?

Ultimate is already $15 and no way they allow you to stream from their hardware for free - they pointed out you can use your own console for free which implies xCloud is a cost.

Bundled with doesn't mean 'included at no cost with'

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I agree.

It's going to be confusing though. Game Pass Ultimate + an extra charge? Curious to see how they'll position it

 

[Droyd]

That wasn't my question, question is how do they make money? With such cheap discount? Doesn't matter if it keeps them inside ecosystem when they ain't making anything people paying $15 a month compared to $1 or $6 will cut your renvenue espacally if it's millions of sub.

Imagine millions took advantage of the discount and stack it up for 2-3 years that's a lot of profit they just lost. Hard to imagine people locked up will spend more money towards Xbox Eco system when the whole point of gamepass is to save money on buying a lot of games

he'll if I bought gamepass with discount yeah I'm locked in Xbox ecosystem but u won't see me spend a dime until my pass is up cause why would I spend when shit ton of games are free especially the first party games day 1.

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Except most people outside of the inner gaming sphere don't know this deal exists.

The people that have subscribed through this deal will use Microsoft's services for the next three years. These people will tell their friends about Gamepass and more people will subscribe.

As another user pointed out, they'll stay within Xbox's ecosystem, purchase from their store and probably stay for next gen too.

 

[Molecule]

I have 36 months of xbox live gold, xbox game pass and xbox game pass for pc due to the one dollar deal. I'm set for the next 3 years. If they can add xcloud to the mix. It will be Xbox Voltron confirmed.

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How did you do that and how much did you pay? $36 at $1/month?

 

[riotous]

he'll if I bought gamepass with discount yeah I'm locked in Xbox ecosystem but u won't see me spend a dime until my pass is up cause why would I spend when shit ton of games are free especially the first party games day 1.

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I imagine that's not what Microsoft's data is showing is the common behavior of a GP subscriber.

Beyond that they've said that they believe having people play games on GP can actually increase that game's sales (because people playing games = their friends buy it, or streamers stream it = people buy it.)

Not everyone is going to have your attitude; some might think that getting such a good value just leaves room for more money to spend on other games. MS's first party games probably eat a bit of revenue but if that leaves more money on the table for gamers to buy 3rd party games MS still makes a cut of that and has happier business partners.

 

[jon bones]

That wasn't my question, question is how do they make money? With such cheap discount? Doesn't matter if it keeps them inside ecosystem when they ain't making anything people paying $15 a month compared to $1 or $6 will cut your renvenue espacally if it's millions of sub.

Imagine millions took advantage of the discount and stack it up for 2-3 years that's a lot of profit they just lost. Hard to imagine people locked up will spend more money towards Xbox Eco system when the whole point of gamepass is to save money on buying a lot of games

he'll if I bought gamepass with discount yeah I'm locked in Xbox ecosystem but u won't see me spend a dime until my pass is up cause why would I spend when shit ton of games are free especially the first party games day 1.

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I imagine that's not what Microsoft's data is showing is the common behavior of a GP subscriber.

Beyond that they've said that they believe having people play games on GP can actually increase that game's sales (because people playing games = their friends buy it, or streamers stream it = people buy it.)

Not everyone is going to have your attitude; some might think that getting such a good value just leaves room for more money to spend on other games. MS's first party games probably eat a bit of revenue but if that leaves more money on the table for gamers to buy 3rd party games MS still makes a cut of that and has happier business partners.

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Companies also intentionally operate at a loss for years with stuff like this. All part of the sub game in 2019.

 

[@dedmunk]

The only way this makes sense is if xcloud is free across the board and you either sub to gamepass or buy games individually.

Iirc the server blades are XB1S spec, so you're not going to be streaming 4k games?

 

[UraMallas]

The only way this makes sense is if xcloud is free across the board and you either sub to gamepass or buy games individually.

Iirc the server blades are XB1S spec, so you're not going to be streaming 4k games?

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They are currently XB1 blades and they plan to insert Scarlett blades for next gen, from what Brad Sams has said.

 

[Diarrhea Day-Lewis]

So it's coming In October but to what? Xbox One and Android? Hoping for iOS or a TV platform like Roku

 

[Pasha]

That wasn't my question, question is how do they make money? With such cheap discount? Doesn't matter if it keeps them inside ecosystem when they ain't making anything people paying $15 a month compared to $1 or $6 will cut your renvenue espacally if it's millions of sub.

Imagine millions took advantage of the discount and stack it up for 2-3 years that's a lot of profit they just lost. Hard to imagine people locked up will spend more money towards Xbox Eco system when the whole point of gamepass is to save money on buying a lot of games

he'll if I bought gamepass with discount yeah I'm locked in Xbox ecosystem but u won't see me spend a dime until my pass is up cause why would I spend when shit ton of games are free especially the first party games day 1.

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Barely anyone knows this deal exists, and beyond that you needed to be an insider in order to get it.
I'd be absolutely shocked if they had more than 10k people who managed to sign up for it this way.

 

[bananas]

If you own a game digitally, you get access to the xCloud version for no additional cost (just like Stadia).

If you subscribe to Game Pass, you get access to xCloud versions of those games at no additional cost.

xCloud will be 1080p60 baseline (just like Stadia).

If you want 4K HDR streams you need Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate.

That's how it's gonna go down

 

[Deleted member 2254]

If Game Pass Ultimate throws in xCloud at no extra charge, it's game over man. That service is gonna be selling like hotcakes. At the same price of Netflix (more or less) you'd get hundreds of games, available to you regardless of the platform you're on basically (native on PC/X1/Scarlett or through streaming on a variety of devices), and unlike Netflix subs you can find deals and discounts easily to further lower the price.

 

[Deleted member 5028]

If Game Pass Ultimate throws in xCloud at no extra charge, it's game over man. That service is gonna be selling like hotcakes. At the same price of Netflix (more or less) you'd get hundreds of games, available to you regardless of the platform you're on basically (native on PC/X1/Scarlett or through streaming on a variety of devices), and unlike Netflix subs you can find deals and discounts easily to further lower the price.

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I don't think they're going to throw every game on xcloud into gamepass, just that you'd be able to stream and play anything included over the service.

 

[nekkid]

I don't think they're going to throw every game on xcloud into gamepass, just that you'd be able to stream and play anything included over the service.

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And any game you've purchased.

 

[Deleted member 5028]

And any game you've purchased.

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Well, yeah that too.

 

[Deleted member 2254]

I don't think they're going to throw every game on xcloud into gamepass, just that you'd be able to stream and play anything included over the service.

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That's what I thought as well, sorry if it came off differently. I think xCloud will be turned on for every game you are eligible to play: be that Game Pass, stuff you bought, free weekends, f2p, etc.. If they can keep me playing for 13 Euros a month on Xbox, PC and streaming on the tons of games I own, that's a huge win.

 

[12Danny123]

That wasn't my question, question is how do they make money? With such cheap discount? Doesn't matter if it keeps them inside ecosystem when they ain't making anything people paying $15 a month compared to $1 or $6 will cut your renvenue espacally if it's millions of sub.

Imagine millions took advantage of the discount and stack it up for 2-3 years that's a lot of profit they just lost. Hard to imagine people locked up will spend more money towards Xbox Eco system when the whole point of gamepass is to save money on buying a lot of games

he'll if I bought gamepass with discount yeah I'm locked in Xbox ecosystem but u won't see me spend a dime until my pass is up cause why would I spend when shit ton of games are free especially the first party games day 1.

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Microsoft has the patience and money to get Game Pass mainstream. Hence why Microsoft is okay with short term losses in order to gain users. The revenue and profit come down the line.