Video game subscription services are rising in fame and Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now is turning into a debate. These services are owned by two major players in the gaming industry. While Xbox is making Game Pass its major selling point, PS Now is just acting as a substitute for a PlayStation’s subscription service. Originally, PS Now was a streaming service but now it is leaning more towards being a subscription service. Sony is yet to make it officially a pure game subscription service. On the other hand, Xbox is shifting the identity of Game Pass as a major part of the Xbox brand. In the 9th gen consoles, Game Pass is a must use with an Xbox console. Let’s discuss what Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now actually entitles.
Xbox Game Pass
In the 8th gen consoles, Xbox was on the bottom of the food chain for the entire generation. Things are changing for Xbox in the 9th gen console. Microsoft bought Bethesda at the start of this new generation. All of the games under ZeniMax Media (Parent Company of Bethesda) are now part of Game Pass. This not only extends the number of games on Game Pass but also adds some of the most iconic franchises of all time to Game Pass. For a year or two games will release on PlayStation but after that, all of the games under ZeniMax Media will only be available on all the Platforms where Game Pass is accessible. Phil Spencer has already made that clear.
The number of first-party Studios that Xbox owns is now 23 compared to 13 of PlayStation. This tremendously increases the amount of games Xbox can port to Game Pass. Games from all of the Xbox’s first-party studios are now part of Game Pass. Such a large number of games makes Xbox Game Pass the best deal in gaming. Games will keep on coming to Game Pass on regular basis. Microsoft has now more studios in the competition of Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now.
Game Pass is Getting Better or is It?
Even third-party games are now part of it. Outriders game is available on Game Pass on day one. The availability of third-party games on Game Pass makes it seem even more valuable. Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now is a somewhat competitive situation due to the quality of Xbox Games. However, things might be changing now that Bethesda and third-party games are part of it. Since the price of a single AAA game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S is $70. It means that you can only buy two games in a year for the yearly cost of Xbox Game Pass. The cross-platform nature of Game Pass makes it even better.
Despite all the perks that Game Pass offers there is one profound issue with it. In fact, it is the issue with every subscription service. A third-party game or movie in any subscription service can lose content over time. A movie or a video game from a third-party studio can disappear from service after some time. Depending on the deal, a video game can stay on a game subscription service for a couple of months or years. Even if a third-party game is available on Game Pass from day one there is no guarantee how long it’s going to stay on it. This situation is especially problematic for live service games due to their online nature.
None of the games on the video game subscription service are owned by the one playing it. However, that is a discussion for another day. The point is that the availability of a third-party game on Game Pass is temporary.
PS Now and PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Now is a game subscription service from Sony. The service is not as sophisticated as Xbox Game Pass but it is the only service that Sony is offering that we can compare to its counterpart. While first-party games are playable on Game Pass from day one, PlayStation Now only offers older games. Games on PS Now are only available for a couple of months and then they disappear. Some games do stay on the service for a long time but most are temporary. There is not a single game that is available on PS Now on the day of its release. In a sense, even Sony is not considering it a true competitor to the Game Pass, at least for now.
At present Sony is not even trying to make PlayStation Now a direct competitor. However, Sony is trying to make PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus competitors to Game Pass. It is now Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now and PS Plus. Game Pass Ultimate has both Xbox Gold and Game Pass so it’s a good comparison.
Some of the games are available on PS Plus on day one. The games that are available on PS Plus on day one are not as good as the one on Game Pass but it shows that Sony is taking it seriously. Sony is even throwing in the PS Plus Collection to everyone that owns a PlayStation 5 and PlayStation Plus. There are even talks of combining PS Now with PS Plus to make it a counterpart of Game Pass. However, until games starting coming to the service on day one none of it matters. Even first-party PlayStation games are not available on any of its services on Day one aside from few second-party mediocre games.
It’s Quality Vs Quantity (Xbox vs PlayStation)
The quality of games on Game Pass is not that good. Most of the games that are available on Game Pass seem as immature as the games that Sony has offered on day one on PS Plus. We have seen that the quality of games is not that good on Game Pass. The showcase of Halo Infinite shows that Xbox is deliberately putting less work into games. Though backlash from the community has changed the perception of Microsoft. The problem, however, is still there. Xbox has always been the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to exclusive games. Having the most powerful console (Xbox Series X) does not mean the best games.
Things start to look worse for PlayStation when you consider third-party games on Game Pass. MLB The Show 21 which was a PlayStation exclusive for a long time is coming to Game Pass on day one. It shows that Xbox is sparing no expense to make Game Pass the best subscription service. The same game is not available on PS Now and PS Plus which has redefined Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now.
PlayStation has the identity of having amazing exclusive games. The quality of games on Game Pass is not that good but the quality of PlayStation exclusives is top-notch. On Game Pass, you are getting a lot of games but their quality is low and you don’t own them. Buying a physical copy of games is always better because you really own them. These quality games become available on PS Now after a year of their release. The availability of third-party games, Bethesda games, and MLB The Show 21 on Game Pass might be changing even that.
Verdict
Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now is not a fair competition as things stand because PlayStation is not even trying. However, things might start to heat up from Sony’s side now that Xbox is releasing games from Sony’s first-party developers on Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft has now 23 studios that will be releasing their games on Xbox Game Pass. Along with these 23 studios, Microsoft is also making aggressive moves by releasing third-party games on Game Pass that costs $70 on PlayStation. There is no competition when it comes to Xbox Game Pass vs PS Now because PS Now is not even a proper counterpart of Xbox Game Pass.
