Microsoft vs Sony Game Subscriptions

[Nomad1]

I have noticed how Microsoft X Box Game Pass was on a monthly trial for free and then also PC game pass on a monthly subscription for £1. So that's two months worth of gaming for £1. You would also get access to EA Play as well. Hat of to Microsoft X Box for that

However, PlayStation are so stingy with their games and subscription trials, are they attempting to hide something from us? On initial inspection their streaming services contain an huge amount of old PS3 and PS4 games and no main PS5 games

They can't even offer new PS5 users a trial of their subscription service? I had to pay £7.99 for PS Plus and I think it is substantially lacking in my opinion due to only having PS4 games on it ( a hand full have been upgraded to PS5). They added Dirt 5 to PS plus, so that was a good addition but not enough. I feel the PlayStation subscription are very aged and lacking for PS5 can't even compare it to Microsoft where they give you the latest exclusives.

What's with Sony PlayStation here?

 

[Cha1ky]

There's a PS5 game every month on Plus.

Plus is not a competitor to Game Pass. Its a competitor to Xbox Live Gold. IN which you pay for the ability to play online and they give you a couple of free games each month too.

 

[shoemaker666]

Xbox live gold =PS+

Gamepass =PSNOW

Gamepass Ultimate = Project Spartacus ? maybe ?

 

[ozzzy189]

Why is this guy trolling here?

 

[Stockpile Thomas]

Gamepass =PSNOW

Trolling or not, that there sums up how far behind Sony are on this.

 

[Rizvan]

Trolling or not, that there sums up how far behind Sony are on this.

I have to agree, I was very close to going the Xbox Series X route but I have been a previous PlayStation owner and really wanted Gran Turismo and other exclusive titles. No VR from Microsoft also was a factor.
Sony really need to scrap the two different subscription offerings and make them into one too.

 

[Darth_terra]

Trolling or not, that there sums up how far behind Sony are on this.

I wouldn't say they are far behind it's just a different service, Sony has far more games on PS-now than what is on offer with Gamepass which is a plus but Gamepass can offer day-one games where PS-Now is more for the back catalog and then adding the latest games a couple of months or so later, different things on offer, But it is said that Sony will be adding their own Gampass like service in the spring so will have to see if that turns out to be true.

 

[Kinetic Frenzy]

i don't think OP is trolling. Gamepass is superior in value & content vs any Sony offering. Just a shame the last time i had an xbox it was a 360...

 

[Caljo]

1. Isn’t PS Now about 1/4 the cost of XB Game Pass Ultimate?
2. I always thought PS Now has more than double the games of XB GP?
3. Aren’t the vast majority of current XB GP titles on PS Now too?
4. Almost all PS Now games still remain after 12 months, no?
5. Annual PS Now + PS Plus + EA Play subs = £80 i.e. less than XB GPU?
6. Hasn’t it already been confirmed that Sony will be merging PS Now and PS Plus over the coming months?

Of course it’s all subjective, dependant on which games float your boat. Also, some gamers aren’t that fussed about completing games, happy to just try out as many titles as possible before they leave the rental service.

Personally, I’ve always seen XB GPU as a try-before-you-buy rental service i.e. I bought Hollow Knight, Ori 2 and Hades in recent Switch Sales after trying them out on XB GPU.

It’s great that XB 1st Party titles are included in the GP service, but very few have impressed me enough to keep playing. (I’m probably in the minority here ) Hopefully that’ll have changed by the end of the year when the likes of Starfield has been released.

 

[Fe_man2000]

1. Gamepass Ulitmate is not PSNow - its the combination of GamePass Xbox, GamePass PC and Xbox Gold so its more expensive than PSNow, you mention this again in no 5.

2. True, there are a loads more games on PSNow but I cannot play everything on either service so its down to the quality over quantity and what you like / already own to judge on this and to be honest this is the real difference between the services and why Gamepass is so popular and PSNow is not.

The games on Gamepass are better/newer/save you more money. Its all about the Games as a Sony Fan you know this is Core to its success, same for GamePass.

PSNOW having loads of older games I already own or don't want to play isn't a bad thing but not worth as much has "it has more" sounds - lots of repeats on TV and I don't rate them much either.

3. I expect there is a lot of cross over but that's the same between Xbox and PlayStation generally most games are availble on each - its the exclusives/differences that make you get the console and similar the games on Gamepass you cannot get on PSNow make the difference - if that's only 20 titles a year difference its plenty if there there right titles. Often you pay for it on PlayStation and its included already on gamepass so there is value there.

4. GamePass games - some remain forever - 1st party, most remain for more than 12months I have only had a couple go I cared about so since its been launched. In think its the same on PSNow

5. Now personally I can always find deals on GamePass subs with minimal effort - I never pay £10.99 a month for GamePass Ultimate but I have never seen offers on PSNow - maybe they exist but I can beat the price you listed here no problem. its around half the listed price generally
I think this is another reason why GamePass is so popular thats not talked about much - its easy to get it much cheaper that list price.

6. Yes there is talk from Sony of revamping how there services are currently to combine them - they might change things a bit also when they do this - no details at this point but its widely believed to not change the content much for example - no day one 1st party titles coming in is likely.

7. Extra one I can get PC titles on GPU - which I like as I can play on the PC and my Son on the xbox at the same time or CO-OP on gamepass .

PSNow has just over 3 millions subs and Gamepass has around 7 x as many with 23 million as of end of 2021 so there doing something right. Peronsally I love it, where as I found PSNow only good for old games/PS3 titles I can no longer play due to lack of Back compat on my PS5. Not Saying PSNow has no good side , but for me its a non starter when I have GamePass.

 

[iwb100]

1. Isn’t PS Now about 1/4 the cost of XB Game Pass Ultimate?
2. I always thought PS Now has more than double the games of XB GP?
3. Aren’t the vast majority of current XB GP titles on PS Now too?
4. Almost all PS Now games still remain after 12 months, no?
5. Annual PS Now + PS Plus + EA Play subs = £80 i.e. less than XB GPU?
6. Hasn’t it already been confirmed that Sony will be merging PS Now and PS Plus over the coming months?

Of course it’s all subjective, dependant on which games float your boat. Also, some gamers aren’t that fussed about completing games, happy to just try out as many titles as possible before they leave the rental service.

Personally, I’ve always seen XB GPU as a try-before-you-buy rental service i.e. I bought Hollow Knight, Ori 2 and Hades in recent Switch Sales after trying them out on XB GPU.

It’s great that XB 1st Party titles are included in the GP service, but very few have impressed me enough to keep playing. (I’m probably in the minority here ) Hopefully that’ll have changed by the end of the year when the likes of Starfield has been released.

Gamepass is a library of games plus lots of brand new games entering the service every year on release. And they are series X/S versions. How many PS5 games are in now? Thought they hadn’t got any in.

For example this month you get rainbow six extraction. In gamepass on day of a release. A game I didn’t even know existed till the gamepass announcement. But I will play it. Because it’s another £40 game for basically nothing. And I did the same with B4B and really enjoyed it.

60 hours in Halo Infinite and FH5 too. That’s the thing. You basically get a new game every month with gamepass and often more than that. And I mean big games not indies. And they are the next gen versions. Sure some games you might not be that bothered by. Same for me. But I basically don’t need to ever buy games now. There is little point. I bought BF2042 and got it refunded after it was clear the game was borked. I don’t think PSNow is close to as good. But Sony want to sell people a massive game every 4 or 5 months or twice a year, Xbox want people hooked into a Netflix style sub. It’s just two strategies that are both popular.

 

[shoemaker666]

1. Isn’t PS Now about 1/4 the cost of XB Game Pass Ultimate?
2. I always thought PS Now has more than double the games of XB GP?
3. Aren’t the vast majority of current XB GP titles on PS Now too?
4. Almost all PS Now games still remain after 12 months, no?
5. Annual PS Now + PS Plus + EA Play subs = £80 i.e. less than XB GPU?
6. Hasn’t it already been confirmed that Sony will be merging PS Now and PS Plus over the coming months?

I use both PSNOW and gamepass ultimate

1. PSnow is £8.99 a month Gamepass is £7.99 a month
2. It does and Quantity doesnt always beat quality
3. Nope there is a bit of cross over but youd be surprised how different the lineups are
4. nope most new titles cycle out after 90 days
5. standard price for a year of PS+ is £50, PSNOW £50 a year and EA play £20 and as well all know none pays that. same with gamepass ultimate no one pays £10.99 a month they either do the gold conversion or use their rewards pints and get it for free.
6. there will apparently be three tiers ps+, PS+ and ps4 downloads, PS+ ps4 downloads ps1 ps2 ps3 streaming

 

[Caljo]

I too pay for PS Now and XB GPU.
I also pay for PS Plus/Collection and EA Play.
(The £80 I quoted above is what I paid for PS Ultimate in 2021 )

I always find these subscription service comparison threads interesting, not least because they inevitably end with ‘each to their own’. What’s certain is we all know the games/genres we enjoy (and how we like to play); we all like a bargain too.

Right, back to talking about the games......

 

[iwb100]

I guess gamepass is Netflix and PSNow is Britbox is the easiest way to think about the comparison.

 

[shoemaker666]

I paid £0 for my Gamepass ultimate Microsoft rewards paid for it

 

[Caljo]

I paid £0 for my Gamepass ultimate Microsoft rewards paid for it

For the whole year? That’s great!

Isn’t 10,000 reward points required for $10?
How many hours of gameplay etc does it take to achieve enough points for an annual XB GP sub?

 

[Stockpile Thomas]

It’s the day 1 AAAs that impress me about GP.

I have no interest in XB games over Sony games but I just wish Sony had a GP equivalent (PS Now isn’t remotely comparable IMHO).

 

[Caljo]

It’s the day 1 AAAs that impress me about GP.

Hopefully all the AAAs we’ve been promised by XB will be worth the wait.

 

[Nomad1]

I paid £0 for my Gamepass ultimate Microsoft rewards paid for it

For the whole year? That’s great!

Isn’t 10,000 reward points required for $10?
How many hours of gameplay etc does it take to achieve enough points for an annual XB GP sub?

Wow, that sounds like a real bargain. I would be interested in that if it's achievable

 

[Cloysterpeteuk]

For the whole year? That’s great!

Isn’t 10,000 reward points required for $10?
How many hours of gameplay etc does it take to achieve enough points for an annual XB GP sub?

Not many hours at all, but we don’t buy an annual sub. Rewards points some are earned through playing games, but not the majority. First time subscribing you would buy three years of Xbox Live and then convert it to Game Pass Ultimate.

There’s a whole MS Rewards thread in the Xbox section if you want more details.

 

[shoemaker666]

at the most basic level you can earn 12000+ points a month on rewards and 1 month of gamepass ultimate is 12000 points

it can can be had even cheaper than that if you buy more months or do a gold conversion

 

[King Tones]

It’s the day 1 AAAs that impress me about GP.

I have no interest in XB games over Sony games but I just wish Sony had a GP equivalent (PS Now isn’t remotely comparable IMHO).

I am hoping the new Sony offering in the Spring includes 1st Party games, then I will be buying a Pro or a PS5 Digital Edition and jumping in.

 

[Cloysterpeteuk]

I am hoping the new Sony offering in the Spring includes 1st Party games, then I will be buying a Pro or a PS5 Digital Edition and jumping in.

How silly would they price it though? Stupid cheap just to get it established or pay through your nose. It’s not like there’s a Sony first party game every month is there, if it was priced higher than Game Pass then it makes more sense for me to just buy the games I want later down the line on deep sale, or second hand disc from the classified.

Sony obviously want to bring in more coin, hiking up prices to £70 this generation, so I can’t imagine it would be super cheap but we'll see.

 

[King Tones]

How silly would they price it though? Stupid cheap just to get it established or pay through your nose. It’s not like there’s a Sony first party game every month is there, if it was priced higher than Game Pass then it makes more sense for me to just buy the games I want later down the line on deep sale, or second hand disc from the classified.

Sony obviously want to bring in more coin, hiking up prices to £70 this generation, so I can’t imagine it would be super cheap but we'll see.

I would assume it has to match the GamePass Sub Price for it to work. Not Ultimate Pricing but just the normal pricing which would be £7.99 a month but then PSNow is already priced at £8.99 a month. At least I think that Pricing Structure is correct, I know you can get PSNow cheaper if you buy a Years sub.

I would hope that Sony's Sub offering would include PS5 Games and 1st Party at launch the same as Standard GamePass which is £7.99 a month. I don't think they need to compete with GPU at the moment.

 

[King Tones]

But saying that most people value the PS games a lot higher than the Xbox Exclusives so Sony could get away with it being £9.99 a month as long as it included a back catalogue and new 3rd party games each month and the 1st party when launched.