Xbox Game Pass - An Xbox Fan's Dream Come True

     Microsoft recently announced a new way for Xbox One owners to take full advantage of their consoles - a subscription based game service known as Xbox Game Pass slated to release late spring of 2017.

     Xbox Game Pass will provide Microsoft loyals with access to hundreds of titles in a rotating catalog at a flat monthly rate.  Due to customer feedback, the Game Pass team decided that downloading the game in full is a smoother, more reliable way for players to access the games than streaming.  At the end of a game's life on the catalog, it is simply inaccessible to Game Pass players who do not own the full game.

     Though the price has not been officially listed on Microsoft's site, news outlets report a very affordable price point at $10 per month.  This is great news for those of us who find the often $50+ barrier to entry to simply try a new game to costly to justify.  Not only is the service inexpensive, but players receive 20% off of a game's base price should they choose to purchase it while it is still part of the Game Pass collection.  The service can quickly pay for itself for gamers who buy several games per year.

     Xbox Game Pass does not replace Xbox Live Gold.  Multiplayer titles on Game Pass requiring Gold access to play online will function the same way any other game would for non-Gold members.  In short, Game Pass is simply a catalog service that is separate but complimentary to Gold's network service.  More information on Xbox Game Pass and the anticipated launch catalog can be found at xbox.com.