Xbox Game Pass for Console, PC, and Android

mrlogical wrote:

I've played Xcloud on a Fire HD 10 tablet, significantly cheaper than an iPad of course but worked perfectly fine for Xcloud. They don't have an Amazon version of the app, but you can still download the apk and install it on the tablet.

That’s what I play on. Works well. I side loaded the play store and installed from there.

It is very convenient to just load Sea of Thieves on xCloud to finish the game pass weekly challenge rather than having to download 45GB and immediately delete again.

polq37 wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
staygold wrote:

So can I stream xCloud to my PC?

Annoyingly, no, unless there's some trickery that lets you run Android apps on your PC. Right now, xCloud is only on Android, but I really, really hope that they have PC and console clients for it soon.

FYI, I tried xCloud streaming to my kids' Chromebook. The video quality and framerate seemed very stable. Loading times were longer than I expected. Lag looked like it could be an issue, but I couldn't really tell because neither of the wired controllers I tried mapped correctly. Most of the button inputs were wrong and a bunch were missing.

So, overall, it was that all too common experience of, "Looked like it worked great, but was also unusable."

How did this work? I downloaded the Gamepass app to the Chromebook but it wants me to download the games?

Make sure your version of the app is up-to-date. Only the most recent version of the non-beta app will include a streaming option. Otherwise, it'll only offer to download it remotely to your Xbox or PC. The current version is 2008.353.831.

Weird it’s working now and I didn’t update but maybe it autoupdated....

pandasuit wrote:
mrlogical wrote:

I've played Xcloud on a Fire HD 10 tablet, significantly cheaper than an iPad of course but worked perfectly fine for Xcloud. They don't have an Amazon version of the app, but you can still download the apk and install it on the tablet.

That’s what I play on. Works well. I side loaded the play store and installed from there.

It is very convenient to just load Sea of Thieves on xCloud to finish the game pass weekly challenge rather than having to download 45GB and immediately delete again.

Awe. Nice pro tip!

I have to say that I’m pretty f*cking pissed at Apple right this moment. f*cking assholes.

I broke down and bought an android tablet (Galaxy Tab S5e to be exact). I love my iPad but really I use it to browse web sites at breakfast, play Word with Friends, and watch Youtube once in awhile So while I don't expect it to be as good as the iPad I figure the Tab will be fine and being able to play all Game Pass stuff will be wonderful.

RawkGWJ wrote:

I have to say that I’m pretty f*cking pissed at Apple right this moment. f*cking assholes.

I mean, they're doing the same thing they always do. They're just getting the spotlight for it now.

mrtomaytohead wrote:
RawkGWJ wrote:

I have to say that I’m pretty f*cking pissed at Apple right this moment. f*cking assholes.

I mean, they're doing the same thing they always do. They're just getting the spotlight for it now.

Nah, they're being particularly sh*tty lately. Once iPhone sales plateaued Apple realized they had to now push their own services on everyone. Anyone who they see a direct competitor is in their crosshairs - which baffles me because they are (rightly so) under a lot of anti-trust scrutiny.

Still having weird Chromebook problems. I can plug in a controller and verify that all that controller inputs are working correctly on a controller testing website, but then they are totally messed up when actually trying to play a game through the Xbox app. Every function is either on the wrong button, reversed, or non-existent.

PaladinTom wrote:
mrtomaytohead wrote:
RawkGWJ wrote:

I have to say that I’m pretty f*cking pissed at Apple right this moment. f*cking assholes.

I mean, they're doing the same thing they always do. They're just getting the spotlight for it now.

Nah, they're being particularly sh*tty lately. Once iPhone sales plateaued Apple realized they had to now push their own services on everyone. Anyone who they see a direct competitor is in their crosshairs - which baffles me because they are (rightly so) under a lot of anti-trust scrutiny.

I’m angry on a personal level because they won’t allow me to stream Xbox to my iOS devices; a feature that I want very much to have. Then I’m also angry about the antitrust issues because that’s just sh*tty. The spotlight on them has gotten very bright since their major competitors are now the target of their unscrupulous practices, but they’ve been screwing over small developers for years now. It’s NOT COOL.

Haven't you heard? "We have a product for people who aren't able to get some kind of connectivity from our competitors; it's called Apple One."

https://www.apple.com/apple-one/

My response to Apple One and my other grievances is to unsubscribe from arcade. I almost wish it was more than $5 per month. My minuscule boycott will certainly not be noticed.

GamePass is exiting Beta and going up to $9.99 a month.

That’s the price of 2 full priced games. Still a great price.

I've been playing a lot more Spiritfarer and I really love that game. It's often a little unclear what I should be doing and overall it seems a bit longer than it feels it needs to be (howlongtobeat says 22 hours for main story, 30 with side missions), but overall it's so relaxing and warm. Honestly, the thing I like best in it is hugging: the hugging animations are all so sweet and particularly for this time in the universe, it's just nice to walk around my ship and hug my little animal friends. One bit of advice for others: for whatever reason I didn't both buying the mailbox until many many hours into the game, and although the game never really prompted me to do it, after I finally did it, it became clear it had been expecting me to do that ages ago, which might have led to my progression being a little more awkward than it otherwise would have been--e.g., a few steps down the chain of events that opened up, I was given a tutorial about how to do something I'd already been doing for hours. So if you're starting new, maybe get a mailbox sooner rather than later?

I also played a bit of Hotshot Racing, and I really like its style. I am not a racing game guy, but it is a very arcade-y racer that looks like a blend of the styles of F-Zero and Virtua Racing--the former's wacky flair compressed into the latter's polygon-forward structure. I played 20 minutes or so and went from placing 8/8 in my first AI race to winning a few races in a row, knocking out 3 or 4 achievements in the process. That's probably the end of it for me, but I dunno, maybe I'll try online racing at some point? There is some interesting progression tracking, but it seems more like it's just a list of accomplishments rather than leveling up characters or moving through a battlepass like thing, which would appeal to me a little more (even if maybe it shouldn't!).

Did I miss any discussion about the thread being renamed from "Hidden Gems"? I don't object (obviously it is not and never really has been about 'hidden gems', it's all Game Pass discussion, though I get why it was titled that way in the first place), I was just surprised to see that happened without anyone commenting on it.

So far the biggest argument I've heard for buying an Xbox over a PS5 seems to be to be part of the gamepass ecosystem. But if I have a pretty good PC, which I do, is there any real advantage to getting an Xbox to get the gamepass ecosystem? It seems like I could just get a PS5 and then get gamepass if I want and use that on my PC and use the PS5 for PS5 exclusives.

jrralls wrote:

So far the biggest argument I've heard for buying an Xbox over a PS5 seems to be to be part of the gamepass ecosystem. But if I have a pretty good PC, which I do, is there any real advantage to getting an Xbox to get the gamepass ecosystem? It seems like I could just get a PS5 and then get gamepass if I want and use that on my PC and use the PS5 for PS5 exclusives.

That’s where I’m at right now. Presumably most of the big GamePass will be on PC. Since my PC is fairly new, I’ll be going PS5 (next year) and the cheaper PC only GamePass.

xCloud is compelling to me, but only to stream to Windows PCs around my home and there is no date on it shipping.

I think that approach makes sense. I really like the Xbox ecosystem so I’m thinking about a Series S for the fast load times When I want to sit on the couch. But I am also primarily a PC player and Gamepass and PC is for sure a good option with a PS5 for console games and Sony exclusives. Although it sounds like more of those may be eventually coming to PC as well so the master race may not have to stoop to console peasantry much at all.

jrralls wrote:

So far the biggest argument I've heard for buying an Xbox over a PS5 seems to be to be part of the gamepass ecosystem. But if I have a pretty good PC, which I do, is there any real advantage to getting an Xbox to get the gamepass ecosystem? It seems like I could just get a PS5 and then get gamepass if I want and use that on my PC and use the PS5 for PS5 exclusives.

There are some Game Pass games that are exclusive to Xbox consoles, which might make a difference?

FWIW, my current plan (and for the future) is to stick with Nintendo for consoles (100% entirely for their exclusives), with Game Pass for PC for everything else. If there's a game I really want that's not available on either, then I'd purchase the PC version.

With this method as it stands today, the only game I would like that I can't currently play is any of the EA UFC series. Which really isn't a big loss.

Docjoe wrote:

I think that approach makes sense. I really like the Xbox ecosystem so I’m thinking about a Series S for the fast load times When I want to sit on the couch. But I am also primarily a PC player and Gamepass and PC is for sure a good option with a PS5 for console games and Sony exclusives. Although it sounds like more of those may be eventually coming to PC as well so the master race may not have to stoop to console peasantry much at all.

I trust Microsoft more than Sony with their commitment to ship PC games. (I can’t believe I just wrote that!)

Sony has only shipped one(?) game that was an exclusive and it lagged by years.

I just received a code from Discord for a free 3-month PC Game Pass subscription. I'm ineligible to use it, though, as it's only applicable for accounts that have not ever had a Game Pass subscription. PM me if you're interested and meet that criterion.

Edit: taken!

Edit2: Un-taken! This key is still available. Anyone here interested, before I ask over on the Keys thread?

jrralls wrote:

So far the biggest argument I've heard for buying an Xbox over a PS5 seems to be to be part of the gamepass ecosystem. But if I have a pretty good PC, which I do, is there any real advantage to getting an Xbox to get the gamepass ecosystem? It seems like I could just get a PS5 and then get gamepass if I want and use that on my PC and use the PS5 for PS5 exclusives.

This seems very reasonable to me. If I were a gamer that likes the types of exclusives that Sony gets (single player action stuff) AND I had a gaming rig, it's an incredibly efficient solution.

I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a scenario where some gamer demographic is not served with this next gen and I honestly can't come up with one except the following...

If I could only have ONE system for gaming, I'd have a very hard time deciding on which path to follow. I'd think those gamers would need to be really clear on prioritizing their most important gaming needs.

Nintendo exclusives?
Single player exclusives?
Where do their friends play?
Volume/choice of games? (GamePass?)
Mobility? (Switch/Stadia/xCloud)
Cost? (Xbox? - don't forget all controllers, including my expensive fight sticks, will transfer to X/S; don't know if true for PS4>>PS5)
Other?

jrralls wrote:

But if I have a pretty good PC, which I do, is there any real advantage to getting an Xbox to get the gamepass ecosystem?

Not really. But think of it like this: Microsoft's new platform isn't the Xbox Series; Microsoft's new platform is Game Pass. They currently offer four mutually exclusive ways to access Game Pass: Xbox One, Xbox Series, Android streaming, and PC. They don't really care how you access Game Pass, just that you do.

The one thing that is pretty great about having an Xbox if you like console and PC is being able to pick the same game up where you left off in games that have that feature. I really love being able to do that.

My daughter really wants a Switch. That will most likely be a xmas gift for her. I will finally get to play some modern Zelda and Mario titles.

Really though. If I’m being honest with myself. I must concede that I don’t have enough time to play ALL of the video games. So gamepass ultimate is a great solution for me. MS has already shown me that there will always be more games that I want to play on gamepass than I’ll ever have time to play.

This will mean that other than some Switch stuff, I’ll be confined to the walled playground of gamepass, which isn’t such a bad thing. In fact, I kind of find it liberating. The older I get, the more I lean towards notions of minimalism. I’m really quite content to live my gaming life within that (not so) walled playground.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
jrralls wrote:

But if I have a pretty good PC, which I do, is there any real advantage to getting an Xbox to get the gamepass ecosystem?

Not really. But think of it like this: Microsoft's new platform isn't the Xbox Series; Microsoft's new platform is Game Pass. They currently offer four mutually exclusive ways to access Game Pass: Xbox One, Xbox Series, Android streaming, and PC. They don't really care how you access Game Pass, just that you do.

I don't have a Windows PC, nor an Android phone. I have an Xbox One S, but I would like to play those games on a better system, so I'm looking at the Xbox Series X.

Meanwhile, I love my PS4, but I don't have an incentive to upgrade that specific system. Miles is coming to the PS4, and while I do want to try Demon's Souls again after bouncing off of it years ago, I'm in no rush to do so.

Aristophan wrote:

I don't have a Windows PC, nor an Android phone. I have an Xbox One S, but I would like to play those games on a better system, so I'm looking at the Xbox Series X.

Meanwhile, I love my PS4, but I don't have an incentive to upgrade that specific system. Miles is coming to the PS4, and while I do want to try Demon's Souls again after bouncing off of it years ago, I'm in no rush to do so.

I'm in a similar boat. Miles Morales on PS4 doused cold water on an immediate want for the PS5. Demon's Souls, whilst intriguing, is a game I've already put a lot of time into, on PS3, and I could have it up and running again in a snap. This leaves Returnal, from Housemarque, as the sole PS5 must have. I'll wait and see.

Then I look over at all these games on Game Pass, even now, that I'd like to try, for a tiny wee monthly fee, not to mention the fantastic backwards compatibility, and Microsoft are gaining mindshare.

I've been looking at the Series S and Series X far more than I have the PS5! Game Pass is mighty.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Microsoft's new platform isn't the Xbox Series; Microsoft's new platform is Game Pass.

Truer words were never spoken.

Gears Tactics is coming to console (One, X, and S) on Nov. 10.