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Game pass by itself just let’s you download and play games the same as steam just via the Microsoft store. Ultimate includes cloud gaming which is streaming from the cloud. You don’t own the games via game pass or xcloud so if you cancel the subscription you no longer can play the games unless you purchase them individually.
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There's a reason digital downloads are now the default for game distribution, rather than just an option. You don't need to go to a store (though many of them will sell you the digital codes), or wait for a disc or cartridge to be delivered. You just buy the game, and you can play it as soon as it's done downloading. You generally don't have to worry about losing access to the game, unless someone steals your login information -- you're more likely to forget a Nintendo Switch cartridge on an airplane, or lose track of a PS5 game when moving to a new home.
Digital games aren't just replacements for single purchases, though. Publishers are increasingly ramping up game subscriptions, like Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play, which offer unlimited access to a collection of digital games for a base monthly cost. You might roll your eyes at the thought of yet another monthly subscription, but they can be an excellent option for some people -- especially when many publishers are releasing individual games that start at $70.
Digital games also sometimes receive more discounts than physical games, especially after the first few months of release. However, this depends on the exact publisher and platform -- for example, discounts of any kind on Nintendo games are rare.
There's also game availability to consider. Many games might still be playable long after the production run on physical copies has ended but might still be available digitally. This is especially helpful on platforms like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, where the backwards compatibility stretches back farther than the availability of new discs.
Digital games are more accessible, sometimes cheaper, and potentially a much better value if the ones you want are combined in a subscription service. Meanwhile, physical games have become worse over time. Many disc and cartridge-based games require additional files to be downloaded to play, either as "day one updates" or as subsequent patches, eliminating the advantage of not waiting for downloads that used to exist with physical games. Physical games also sometimes require some (or all) of the game's data to be copied to internal storage, so you don't save any internal storage by purchasing disc games.
So, do physical games still make sense to purchase? Well, it depends on the platform and use case. I bought many of my Nintendo Switch games as physical cartridges, partially because Nintendo's online game infrastructure isn't great, but also because Nintendo's first-party games usually have a decent resale value. The option to resell your games is still exclusive to physical copies, though you probably won't come close to getting your money back on individual sales or trades -- especially if you're selling the games online and need to factor in the cost of shipping.
The strongest advantage to physical games at this point might be the ability to share your games with friends and family. If you have a significant other or family member that uses the same gaming platform as you (or you share the same console), buying just one copy instead of multiple copies can save you a lot of money while still allowing save files and other data to stay completely separate.
Much of the demand for physical games at this point isn't based on practicality but on collectability. For some people, there's nothing more fun than having an entire shelf (or multiple shelves) filled with your favorite games, displayed in the real world instead of a console menu. It might not matter that physical games have few advantages over digital copies.
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Dec 23, 2022 · Total. $120. $180. $60-70. As a reminder, one year of XBGP is $120, one year of XBGPU is $180 and a physical copy of a new game is between $60-70. You could buy up to three new $60 games in a year ...
Jun 17, 2020 · Physical Games. PROS: – Once you have a physical game in your hand, it’s yours forever. No license issues or anything of the sort will prevent you from slipping a disc into your console and ...
- Jimmy Donnellan
Hard Facts: 1: Service is not as good as console, not even close. But it is still the best one out there for it's price. You will get not more than half of the games, and definitely less to nothing day one AAA drops from third party publishers. 2: Xbox Game Pass PC as a platform (not service), is crap.
Feb 17, 2023 · Most of the games provided through Xbox Live Gold are older titles or indie games, while Game Pass has dozens of major releases at any given time. Xbox Live Gold costs $9.99 per month in the United States, as of February 2023, and Xbox Game Pass is a separate subscription $9.99 per month.
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Feb 7, 2018 · Xbox Game Pass(Image credit: Microsoft) Over the last few weeks, Microsoft has heavily advertised the the Xbox Games Pass service, which allows players to pay a flat fee of $9.99 a month and get ...
