[Xbox] Game Pass - 10 million subscribers and counting

Synthesis

So not the last thread before ES 2020 TGS!

Months before next year's E3, it's another Xbox, console hardware and Xbox Live thread! Here we talk about teraflops, pre-release game launches, backwards compatibility, cross-platform play, enhancement patches and massive texture packs, why you can't use controllers from 14 years ago and whether or not you can swap out the batteries! Wow!

Games with Gold

As always, for those with "Xbox Live Gold" paid membership, four free titles are made available for download for limited timed--two on Xbox One (which require continued membership) and two on Xbox 360 (which are yours in perpetuity). Yes, you do need to actually download them within the overlapping four-week opportunity window. Yes, you can get Xbox Live Gold through a normal subscription fee, buying discounted months of membership, or jumping through inane hoops through Microsoft's Rewards Program. And yes, all Xbox 360 titles are among the backwards compatible (more on that below).

Xbox Game Pass for Console, PC, and Game Pass Ultimate

And here's where things get different and complicated! Like EA Access on Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass for Console is Microsoft's own subscription gaming catalog service ("Netflix for video games") with over a hundred periodically rotating titles, making it attractive for digital only libraries and people who want to try first party new exclusives (which will make the rounds on the service at the time of their launch). And now, it's been formally introduced for Windows 10 as Xbox Game Pass for PC, which includes a number of PC-only titles that can be installed through Windows 10's Store App or Xbox App. However, both services come with their own separate fees. If you want them both, you may wish to consider the new hotness that is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: for less than the cost of the individual services, you can have your Xbox Game Pass on Console and PC and Xbox Live Gold subscriptions in a single plan! Because nothing bad ever came from bundling services! Use the above link to see if you're still eligible for the absurdly cheap one-time charge to upgrade your Xbox Live Gold subscription to Game Pass Ultimate plus the span of your current Xbox Game Pass subscription time. Oh yeah, it's complicated.

In either service, there is no limit on how many games you can download and install from it, and access is for as long as the subscription holds--permanent purchases made from the catalog are discounted 20%, and DLC by 10%. It still does not require Xbox Live Gold (though that is part of Game Pass Ultimate).

Xbox Backwards Compatibility Library

It's not just for the Xbox 360 anymore! In addition to almost six hundred Xbox 360 titles, more than forty 'Original Xbox' titles are now playable on the Xbox One (all models), with some visual upgrades (such as resolution bumps to 1080p and beyond, not capable on the original console, and improved in-game performance). Sadly, Microsoft has formally announced that additions to the backwards compatibility library have been suspended for the time being, at least leading up to the next console launch, so you'll have to make due with a mere six hundred titles. Want a list without the box art? There's one!

"Project Scarlett"/Xbox Series X arriving in Holiday 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktN4bycj9s

https://youtu.be/0eBaPS3uj-A

https://youtu.be/S82YvCtwfHY

https://youtu.be/qcY4nRHapmE

https://youtu.be/4cmclCjS5jg

https://youtu.be/XCTPu1aUsTE

Project xCloud Game Streaming

(Probably) not brought to you by the people who made OnLive and Gaikai, Project xCloud takes you Xbox game streaming from the ancient era of streaming from a console over your home network to the future of piping your game in from The Cloud on your mobile phone! Play console-quality games! Take advantage of all the normal Xbox Live services! Drain your phone battery before you know it! Service now in (free) beta with the following games offered at no cost:

• ARK: Survival Evolved
• Absolver
• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
• Battle Chasers: Nightwar
• Black Desert Online
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
• Borderlands 2
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
• Children of Morta
• Conan Exiles
• Crackdown 3: Campaign
• Darksiders III
• Dead by Daylight
• Dead Island: Definitive Edition
• Devil May Cry 5
• F1 2019
• Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour
• Forza Horizon 4
• Gears 5
• Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo Wars 2
• Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
• Hello Neighbor
• HITMAN
• Just Cause 4
• Killer Instinct
• Madden NFL 20
• Mark of the Ninja: Remastered
• Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
• Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
• Overcooked
• Puyo Puyo Champions
• RAD
• ReCore: Definitive Edition
• SOULCALIBUR VI
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
• Sniper Elite 4
• Sea of Thieves
• State of Decay 2
• Subnautica
• Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
• Tekken 7
• TERA
• The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut
• theHunter: Call of the Wild
• Vampyr
• Warhammer: Vermintide 2
• West of Dead (BETA)
• World of Final Fantasy Maxima
• World of Tanks: Mercenaries
• World of Warships: Legends
• World War Z
• WRC 7 FIA World Rally Championship
• Wreckfest
• WWE 2K20
• Yoku's Island Express

The Official "These Games Still Aren't Out" E3 2019 Roundup!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeYQ-kPF0iQ

Individual Showcase Trailers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReDDgFfWlS4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwZByksfC4s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtgzKBrU1GY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq-wlu2pwdw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAuEmR6EZB0

The Inside Xbox Presentation at X019 London!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPFPk5_OFs0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCBgO6St9ug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAbI0fewc7w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWpcUH-tKEU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obxd078UvPQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVMNY3RCMlc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga2i4RKSyD0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZVZ1s48m0E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVXqGQC9J2o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZWgPY6sluw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPNkDfampKY

Penny Arcade Forums' Game Clubs

Pax Arcadia
Arcade Squad (Gears of War series)
The Bees Knees (Halo series)

Additionally, you can find the forums Xbox Live gamertag list here, and the form to sign up here.

Dirtyboy

https://twitter.com/XboxGamePass/status/1184869186142527489

Synthesis

I....don't...get it?

Jazz

New Game Pass games? Jokey presentation? What's not to get?

Synthesis

Oh. I couldn't see the Game Pass logo (clearly) on my screen. I just thought they were old games since I already own Panzer Dragoon Orta.

Jazz

Orta should have been a GWG too.

Jazz

I played a bit of Thief of Thieves last night since it's going off Game Pass (and may have done by now with the new additions). It's a sort of stealth/thievery game with strong point-and-click adventure elements, with fixed camera angles that actually sort of work with the latter and also its hand-painted, comic book presentation (apparently it's based on a comic book). I liked the characters well enough, especially protagonist Celia, and it was definitely unusual, although the gameplay felt a bit clunky and unpolished a lot of the time. The social engineering moments were especially cool, not sure I've ever really seen it done that way in a game before.

Might keep an eye out for it if it goes on a decent sale.

Local H Jay

So Microsoft confirmed the Elite 2 will work on the Scarlett (and probably all other Xbone controllers, which is nice). I'm wondering if they'll change up the controller much at all for the next system. I do hope they don't adopt the integrated battery design they're using on the Elite 2...

Synthesis

Local H Jay wrote: »

So Microsoft confirmed the Elite 2 will work on the Scarlett (and probably all other Xbone controllers, which is nice). I'm wondering if they'll change up the controller much at all for the next system. I do hope they don't adopt the integrated battery design they're using on the Elite 2...

I see you've been reading my post! Yes, yes.

Yeah, I didn't think the Series 2 was all that worth mentioning again in OP even though it will be out next month. But yeah, continued hardware support makes it, and any other controller, a more attractive purchase.

Undead Scottsman

Yeah, it would have been real stupid to put out a nearly 200 controller for a console that has like a year of life left it in before the next big thing rolls around.

Local H Jay

I'm also hoping Microsoft finally lets us use Bluetooth on the machine, and also the support for USB devices like Mixamps for nice headsets is just not there. I'm tired of looking at nice accessories and only seeing PC/PS4 compatibility.

For instance right now I have a really nice HyperX headset but the mixamp is in the box because it doesn't work with the Xbox. So I just plug it directly into the controller but I lose that nice 7.1 surround sound

dporowski

I feel like BT to the console is a little iffy; most people sit pretty far from their TVs, and while BT is way better than it used to be, it still doesn't enjoy being far away, you know? That said, I've got a real nice pair of BT cans I'd like to try all that fancy Atmos shit with, so I would sure not be mad if they did something.

Maybe pair to the controller or something like?

Local H Jay

Bluetooth as a wireless connection has always been lackluster, unfortunately it's been widely adopted so until something better comes along, were kinda just stuck with it.

That being said I sit about 3-4 feet away from my 55in so I'm not exactly far away

dporowski

Yeah, I'm like, 8-10'+ from my 48", which is in a fairly crowded entertainment center thingie. It's why I figure BT to the controller, then whatever controller MS magic they use to pair it can carry audio as well from there to the console and back, since I'm fairly sure it's got more capacity/resilience than a BT connection and might have headroom for that extra data.

Synthesis

I'd like to see BT functionality on an Xbox console just like I'd like to see HDMI-CEC.

That being said, please don't make it crucial. If you're using an Xbox One controller, it should use the current RF standard, and not BT compatibility.

Jazz

Yeah, just have the BT between the controller and a BT accessory. Stick with the proprietary RF between the controller and console, for the simple reason that it's better.

But USB support for headsets (a la PC/PS4) is a must. Kind of silly that wasn't ever patched in, really - the hardware is very probably capable of it.

Jazz

Huh, Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox One just got an update. Wonder what that was.

emnmnme

I'm trying to play Killer Instinct with Game pass on the PC. Single-player works fine but the thing crashes every time I try any multiplayer mode. Same with Marvel vs Capcom. Are these crashes when trying multiplayer a beta problem?

Santa Claustrophobia

Jazz wrote: »

Huh, Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox One just got an update. Wonder what that was.

Plot fix?

Crippl3

Jazz wrote: »

Huh, Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox One just got an update. Wonder what that was.

This happens for backwards compatible games all the time, it's updates for the emulator and compatibility with the Xbone OS.

Jazz

Crippl3 wrote: »

Jazz wrote: »

Huh, Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox One just got an update. Wonder what that was.

This happens for backwards compatible games all the time, it's updates for the emulator and compatibility with the Xbone OS.

I thought that was the most likely. It just stands out to me when it's just one game.

BRIAN BLESSED

Always nice to hear they've still working on optimizing the emulator even if the actual program is finished

Dirty

I feel like every time Taco Bell does an XBox sweepstake, there's always a bunch of posts on r/xboxone over at Reddit from people who have won the console. I guess it's entirely possible that with a site with as many users, and the overlap between Reddit users and gamers, that it's possible that many winners are among them. But the cynic in me can't help but feel like the accounts are paid for, to make it seem like winning the big prize is more common than it is.

Crippl3

Dirty wrote: »

I feel like every time Taco Bell does an XBox sweepstake, there's always a bunch of posts on r/xboxone over at Reddit from people who have won the console. I guess it's entirely possible that with a site with as many users, and the overlap between Reddit users and gamers, that it's possible that many winners are among them. But the cynic in me can't help but feel like the accounts are paid for, to make it seem like winning the big prize is more common than it is.

To be fair, they're giving away 5,454 consoles, so I'm not surprised to see a lot of them out there.

rahkeesh2000

Reddit karma means any redditors that win will want to share it. We're at the point where you don't necessarily need to pay people a salary for them to shill for you on the internet anymore.

Ken O

I think if any of us won one we'd probably post about it here. While I might not care about the theme I'd be pretty excited to get a free X. I won my first console from a McDonalds when I was 6, so I used up all my luck early.

tastydonuts

Yeah, if I won one I'd post about it too.

Basically internet communities have become the social circles where people would show things they won, but without a physical limit.

Santa Claustrophobia

Which includes dick-eating bets.

tastydonuts

Indeed it does, Santa. Indeed it does.

Synthesis

I'm not a Reddit person, unless someone sends me a link, anyway.

Erlkönig

Crippl3 wrote: »

Jazz wrote: »

Huh, Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox One just got an update. Wonder what that was.

This happens for backwards compatible games all the time, it's updates for the emulator and compatibility with the Xbone OS.

I don't think it was a back-compat update. Fired up Origin just now, and Mass Effect 2 (on PC) downloaded an update.

Santa Claustrophobia

Music license lost?

BRIAN BLESSED

The only music I can think of in Mass Effect 2 that would be anywhere close to licensed would be the music tracks that play in the Afterlife club in Omega, which I believe were licensed for EA Trax or something?

Jazz

Fired it up and went to Afterlife. Music upstairs and downstairs is present and correct.

Dirtyboy

I ate a Taco Bell nachos and didn't win an Xbox. I'd probably end up being 500lbs before ever winning anything.

Santa Claustrophobia

As designed.

Synthesis

This being Taco Bell, even if you did win, you might not get a console, but something very console like made of entirely different parts that might not legally be called "Xbox hardware"...

Local H Jay

I'll take a box of death for the chance at a custom console

I only thank the gods that it's not a translucent console or I really would die trying to get one

Jazz

At E3 2001, my colleagues/friends and I were at the mercy of our manager who'd driven us all down there being a nervous driver who a) wouldn't let anyone else drive his POS truck, and b) was too terrified to try and navigate L.A. outside of a straight line. So since he would only drive in a straight line to and from the hotel, and then only as far as the first restaurant we got to, we largely lived at Taco Bell for several days.

Somehow, we did survive.

Dirtyboy

Streamer JP said MS has now sent him and gf a total of six XB1Xs and four series 2 elite controllers. The big influencers must get them by the pallet.

Jazz

I mean, that's cool if he's running giveaways and so on. But if they're just ornaments for him? Eff that.