Newegg has
12-Month Xbox Game Pass Essential Membership (Email Delivery) on sale for $74.99
- $13 when you apply promo code
HAPPY628A in cart =
$61.99.
Thanks to Community Member
tunabreath for finding this deal.
Product Details:
- 'Essential' replaces the previous 'Core' terminology.
- Play a library of 50+ games like Fallout 76, Stardew Valley, Grounded, and more on any screen. Dive into legendary franchises
- Download and play games on Xbox console, PC, and supported handhelds. Skip the download and stream games (including select games you own) on any eligible device, including mobile, tablet, TV, and VR headset
- Join your friends to play, chat, and explore together with online console multiplayer
- Get in-game benefits in the biggest games like League of Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Rainbow Six Siege. Enjoy discounts on games, partner benefits, and more
- Play and earn up to $25 a year in the Store with Rewards.* Earn points when buying games and add-ons at the Store
- Find your community with Xbox and play anywhere you want
- Product is limited to US region activation/installation only, and is NOT eligible for Puerto Rico
- Conversion information can be found here
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Just buy it outright and "own" it. Why you feel the need to come in here and complain is beyond me.
If you think you "own" digital media from Xbox, PlayStation, Amazon, etc. Well I've got a bridge you may be interested in.
While owning DRM-free physical media is best, there are still layers of ownership that we're talking about here. Games Pass is among the worst and most anti-consumer, as once you stop paying the bill, you're completely cut off. With Steam/GOG, you pay for the license and get to use the product for at least as long as they reasonably exist.
The only real point where a rental service like this wins is if literally all you do is spend 8 hours + a day of playing throwaway games that can be completed in a few hours. If you go on to purchase games that you've essentially paid to trial, you have lost. If you continue to pay monthly for a game you could have purchased, you have lost. And I would argue the worst part is you are contributing to a system that subsidizes and encourages more developers to make low quality, throwaway games.
The value really ramps up if you have a family or kids that play. Saves a ton of money.
Steam and gog provide different services so it's a different use case.
The low quality thing is not true either. It's not incentivizing devs to make "low quality throw away games" is complete nonsense, and there's zero proof that is the case. Not a single dev has ever said "yeah we just made this crap game for gamepass, the quality don't matter and we don't care"
If the game doesn't draw users and keep them engaged, they don't get info gamepass and don't get paid nearly as much.
The "system" exists to get more indie games into the hands of gamers and drive engagement. Not "throw away titles"
Case in point, Expedition 33. Smashing success, won every award, tons of engagement, made for $10m and "gamepass fodder"
Pal world is another. Vampire survivors. Balatro, and on and on
That low quality nonsense is a Sony fanboy taking point really.
just because a studio or dev changed full price for a game doesn't make it high quality. there's tons of crap games that are full price and not in gamepass, so that argument doesn't hold water.
also with ps plus you lose all your "free" games once that expires too.
it's the nature of subscriptions.. I don't see people who sub to Netflix complain they don't own the DVDs of what they watch. or the Spotify subs who don't own the CDs they listen to digitally.. why a different standard is applied here is beyond me.
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The value really ramps up if you have a family or kids that play. Saves a ton of money.
Steam and gog provide different services so it's a different use case.
The low quality thing is not true either. It's not incentivizing devs to make "low quality throw away games" is complete nonsense, and there's zero proof that is the case. Not a single dev has ever said "yeah we just made this crap game for gamepass, the quality don't matter and we don't care"
If the game doesn't draw users and keep them engaged, they don't get info gamepass and don't get paid nearly as much.
The "system" exists to get more indie games into the hands of gamers and drive engagement. Not "throw away titles"
Case in point, Expedition 33. Smashing success, won every award, tons of engagement, made for $10m and "gamepass fodder"
Pal world is another. Vampire survivors. Balatro, and on and on
That low quality nonsense is a Sony fanboy taking point really.
just because a studio or dev changed full price for a game doesn't make it high quality. there's tons of crap games that are full price and not in gamepass, so that argument doesn't hold water.
also with ps plus you lose all your "free" games once that expires too.
it's the nature of subscriptions.. I don't see people who sub to Netflix complain they don't own the DVDs of what they watch. or the Spotify subs who don't own the CDs they listen to digitally.. why a different standard is applied here is beyond me.
Yes, the nature of subscriptions; you own nothing and you'll be happy. Or will you? What do you do when you suddenly can't afford their subscription prices?
By the way, all of those great games you mentioned can be purchased instead. In fact, you'll actually be supporting the developer/publisher by buying their game, so they might actually go on to continue and make more great games. They make practically nothing after MS pays them for listing the game - just like with Spotify, the artist gets pennies for plays. Once again, you incentivize low quality games because devs can make a quick buck by putting minimal effort into a product and get a minimum payout by MS, then they can just let the game die and pump out the next slop. Most of the games on games pass are shovelware or ancient at this point and it's only going to get worse.
They lure you in with freebies and cheap deals, by the time you realize what has happened you'll have no other options.
Yes, the nature of subscriptions; you own nothing and you'll be happy. Or will you? What do you do when you suddenly can't afford their subscription prices?
By the way, all of those great games you mentioned can be purchased instead. In fact, you'll actually be supporting the developer/publisher by buying their game, so they might actually go on to continue and make more great games. They make practically nothing after MS pays them for listing the game - just like with Spotify, the artist gets pennies for plays. Once again, you incentivize low quality games because devs can make a quick buck by putting minimal effort into a product and get a minimum payout by MS, then they can just let the game die and pump out the next slop. Most of the games on games pass are shovelware or ancient at this point and it's only going to get worse.
I buy what I want and "rent" what I want from where I want.
Did you have the same complaint with blockbuster? or would you buy every movie you watched during the vhs days?
I doubt that was the case, I'm sure you went there plenty assuming you're old enough. If not, than you don't know what you're talking about. This practice has gone on forever, it's just digital now and more convenient. I didn't buy every nintendo game I rented in the 80s and 90s, I didn't buy every movie I rented from blockbuster or hollywood.
Your premise is way off base and your definition of anti consumer is wildly inaccurate.
and to your purcahse "support the devs" idea, it's the same crap, another sony fanboy talking point. the devs get paid plenty for putting games in gamepass, if they didn't they wouldn't do it.
It's SONY and square who screw devs out of $$ for games. I guarantee devs on xbox don't make pennies on the dollar. They negotiate a deal up front and if both sides are happy, what's the problem? you know better than the people who signed the deal and know what's better for them than they do?
I buy what I want and "rent" what I want from where I want.
Did you have the same complaint with blockbuster? or would you buy every movie you watched during the vhs days?
I doubt that was the case, I'm sure you went there plenty assuming you're old enough. If not, than you don't know what you're talking about. This practice has gone on forever, it's just digital now and more convenient. I didn't buy every nintendo game I rented in the 80s and 90s, I didn't buy every movie I rented from blockbuster or hollywood.
Your premise is way off base and your definition of anti consumer is wildly inaccurate.
and to your purcahse "support the devs" idea, it's the same crap, another sony fanboy talking point. the devs get paid plenty for putting games in gamepass, if they didn't they wouldn't do it.
It's SONY and square who screw devs out of $$ for games. I guarantee devs on xbox don't make pennies on the dollar. They negotiate a deal up front and if both sides are happy, what's the problem? you know better than the people who signed the deal and know what's better for them than they do?
Convenience. That's the word of the day. Convenience is what consumerists, especially in the US would trade anything for. US citizens are currently trading their rights away for convenience, but that's another topic and I know SD staff gets delete-happy when politics are involved.
Convenience is just another one of those things the corporations like to dangle in front of you to get your hooked. Once you're hooked and all the competition is gone, they give you the ol' rugpull and suddenly you're paying more for less. Look at Amazon, what happened to the "2 day guarantee" with Prime? Did you forget already?
I think it's hilarious that everything I'm saying seems to be this mythical "Sony" talking point. I haven't owned a Sony product since Playstation 2 lmao. Sony wants to do the same thing these other companies are doing to you. It seems like one of these companies has got you by the balls. Hook line and sinker. My hope is that they're paying you.
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