- Microsoft’s gaming and platforms communications director defends new Xbox Game Pass prices
- Dustin Blackwell suggests Microsoft is trying to add more value to the game passes
- PC Game Pass remains the cheaper way to play new game day one
It is becoming more and more clear that consumers are not happy with Microsoft and its new Xbox Game Pass prices, with the ultimate level hike being the worst offender of $ 29.99 / £ 22.99 / AU $ 35.99 a month – and it doesn’t seem like Microsoft is supporting his decision.
As reported by TweaTown, Microsoft’s director of games and platform communication said Dustin Blackwell, Xbox Game Pass Price hiking trips are ‘never fun for someone’, but insists that more value is added to Game Pass plans, in a statement to The Verge. This attitude is in violation of the fan reaction that originated from its initial price increase, given the mass repellions alone.
I doubt that comments of this kind will sit well with consumers, regardless of Blackwell’s efforts to provide better reasoning for price increases. In fact, his comments suggest that Microsoft will not go back his decision, even if it means losing subscribers who are already happening.
With the new ROG Xbox Ally X price for $ 999 / £ 799 / AU $ 1,599, along with both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series consistent price increases, and now a Game Pass model that costs $ 360 a year, it is safe to say that Microsoft doesn’t make any favorite at this time.
Analysis: It makes more sense to play on PC over Sony or Microsoft’s consoles
With measures like this from Microsoft, PC Gaming becomes far more appealing to console players. Many will claim (including me) that it has always been. While none of the Xbox Game Pass Price hiking trips are good news, PC Game Pass stays the cheaper option over Game Pass Ultimate, to $ 16.49 / £ 13.49 / AU $ 19.45, which comes with new games on day one.
In addition to the PC Game Pass, the PC ecosystem offers several affordable game settings. Console stores, such as PlayStation Store, usually do not have steep discounts, but on PC it is much easier to find larger price cuts for PC games via marketplaces such as Loaded (formerly CDKEYS).
I’ve mentioned this in the past, but PC games also don’t ask you to pay for access to online multiplayer, and most of Sony’s exclusive Triple-A titles end up on PC one year or two after their first launch.
While Microsoft is feeling brown of setback now, it won’t be a surprise to see Sony raising his PlayStation plus prices soon. If this happens, it will only place PC games one more step up over console games and it will only be down in the decisions that Sony and Microsoft are dragging.
