Re:Microsoft Launching $10/month Xbox Game Pass
by arantius on Wednesday March 01, 2017 @09:49AM
(#13764025)
> It's certainly in both the consumer's interest
I have to disagree. I dislike subscriptions for several reasons, especially in an area like video games where there is replay value. (I, at least, don't re-watch tv/movies the way I re-play video games.)
A) Subscriptions give me anxiety, a feeling that I have to maximize the value I'm getting from the fixed cost.
B) As a direct follow-on, it makes me feel rushed. My game play style is slow, I like adventure games. But if playing longer/slower costs more then I have pressure to hurry, rather than to enjoy.
C) For casual play, I can buy a game once and enjoy it in small bursts over a long window of time. With subscriptions, I have to pay $X/mo even if I only spend an hour in a given month consuming the subscription.
D) I have subscription overload. I still have cable, for a variety of reasons (including its attachment to the internet service I'd buy anyway), and Amazon Prime (mostly for the shipping). But I don't subscribe to anything else. If I did I'd feel like I need to subscribe to Netflix, and Hulu, and Spotify, and Google Music, and PS Now, and Xbox Game Pass, and .. and .. and ...
I have to disagree. I dislike subscriptions for several reasons, especially in an area like video games where there is replay value. (I, at least, don't re-watch tv/movies the way I re-play video games.)
A) Subscriptions give me anxiety, a feeling that I have to maximize the value I'm getting from the fixed cost. B) As a direct follow-on, it makes me feel rushed. My game play style is slow, I like adventure games. But if playing longer/slower costs more then I have pressure to hurry, rather than to enjoy. C) For casual play, I can buy a game once and enjoy it in small bursts over a long window of time. With subscriptions, I have to pay $X/mo even if I only spend an hour in a given month consuming the subscription. D) I have subscription overload. I still have cable, for a variety of reasons (including its attachment to the internet service I'd buy anyway), and Amazon Prime (mostly for the shipping). But I don't subscribe to anything else. If I did I'd feel like I need to subscribe to Netflix, and Hulu, and Spotify, and Google Music, and PS Now, and Xbox Game Pass, and .. and .. and ...