12-Month Xbox Game Pass Essential Membership

DogAndPony

Dec 13, 2025 09:27 PM

7,612 Posts

Joined Sep 2008

DogAndPonyDec 13, 2025 09:27 PM

7,612 Posts

Quote from CleverMeerkat9202

:

I do not recall $80 VHS's in the $80's / 90's. I worked at Circuit C......

Which Circuit City did you work at? I grew up in the suburbs and there were no Circuit City locations anywhere near me. In fact, I never even heard of Circuit City until some point in the nineties when they opened a location in Jacksonville.

I recall the Suncoast store in the local mall sold vhs movies for $80. I believe Waldenbooks might have as well at similar prices. I do recall owning the Batman movie as a kid so that might have been when some vhs movies started to become more affordable. But probably most were not affordable until the mid 90s. Going purely off of memory, and then that was short lived when dvds came out which were affordable immediately. VHS tapes though...not so much.

BrandonB7066

Dec 13, 2025 10:27 PM

152 Posts

Joined Nov 2018

BrandonB7066Dec 13, 2025 10:27 PM

152 Posts

Quote from UrbanEric

:

Better deals out there if you want to go the the keys sites like G2A, CDkeys, etc.

When you talk like this, you at least have to drop one link bro.

1

jockovonred

Dec 13, 2025 11:50 PM

2,399 Posts

Joined Mar 2009

jockovonredDec 13, 2025 11:50 PM

2,399 Posts

Quote from blinksteen

:

Unless they just changed it, I've played a lot of free to play games with party chat on Xbox. It wasn't always like that, they added that a few years ago, it used to require Gold. I hate not being able to own any resalable game with PC, lets you play most games for the cost of shipping/ebay fees on console or you can get something back if you're sick of a game. But yeah, no free multiplayer on non-free-to-play. PS5 has the best physical library and their controller hurts my hands, lot of trade-offs.

CoD Warzone now requires Essential to use voice and text. For a free game, this pushes people away. Or they pony up the MS fee.

lifeatragedy

Dec 14, 2025 01:56 AM

1,726 Posts

Joined Dec 2003

lifeatragedyDec 14, 2025 01:56 AM

1,726 Posts

Extended my time slightly

"Your existing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription ends on 02/02/2027

After this code is redeemed, your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will end on 05/05/2027"

1

ScottProdigy

Dec 14, 2025 04:44 AM

357 Posts

Joined Nov 2007

ScottProdigyDec 14, 2025 04:44 AM

357 Posts

Quote from DogAndPony

:

Which Circuit City did you work at? I grew up in the suburbs and there were no Circuit City locations anywhere near me. In fact, I never even heard of Circuit City until some point in the nineties when they opened a location in Jacksonville.

I recall the Suncoast store in the local mall sold vhs movies for $80. I believe Waldenbooks might have as well at similar prices. I do recall owning the Batman movie as a kid so that might have been when some vhs movies started to become more affordable. But probably most were not affordable until the mid 90s. Going purely off of memory, and then that was short lived when dvds came out which were affordable immediately. VHS tapes though...not so much.

VHS tapes typically ran $20–$30 if they were still in print, but specialty stores like Suncoast often charged far more. I remember my mom paying around $30–$35 for a Disney title at Sears after seeing it priced higher at Suncoast, which once quoted over $100 for Taps.

When I worked at Hollywood Video in the 90s, new VHS tapes cost the company $80–$100 each. The business model depended on renting them out enough times to recoup the cost, then selling the "previously viewed" copies for $10–$20 depending on the title.

DVDs didn't just disrupt rental chains — the studios did. People blame Netflix, but that was only the final blow. Once studios slashed rental windows, sometimes releasing DVDs to retail the same day, the old 60–90‑day exclusivity that kept Blockbuster and Hollywood Video alive disappeared.

At the same time, store costs climbed. Rentals got more expensive, used discs got cheaper, and customers naturally chose to buy a movie for $15–$20 instead of renting it for $4–$5 plus inevitable late fees.

Madad33

Dec 14, 2025 01:15 PM

318 Posts

Joined Mar 2016

Madad33Dec 14, 2025 01:15 PM

318 Posts

Quote from nurrburt

:

It's true that you don't truly own digital media when you purchase a license. However, on Steam and GOG, for the overwhelming majority of games, you can back up the installers to physical media if you choose and run them offline. Steam even allows you 2 hours to demo/trial the games with a full refund if you don't want to keep it.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.

I finally stopped renewing. Same conclusion as you, even if I pay $5/mo, no point if I'm not using it. Can just spend that money to buy games that are worth playing.

2

jockovonred

Dec 14, 2025 06:02 PM

2,399 Posts

Joined Mar 2009

jockovonredDec 14, 2025 06:02 PM

2,399 Posts

Quote from Madad33

:

I finally stopped renewing. Same conclusion as you, even if I pay $5/mo, no point if I'm not using it. Can just spend that money to buy games that are worth playing.

The only issue is the multiplayer experience. Using a console today requires you to pay to play multiplayer games online. Except for maybe a few free-to-play titles, you won't get the full voice and chat experience unless you are subscribed. It doesn't matter if you already pay for Internet, you will still need a subscription to play multiplayer games on console. Sadly, that's the hook. Is a bummer.

Single player titles don't require a subscription. However, many games are focusing more on the online multiplayer experience, and not putting much effort into the single player game and story experience..

1

ccsoccer23

Dec 15, 2025 02:09 AM

413 Posts

Joined Nov 2012

ccsoccer23Dec 15, 2025 02:09 AM

413 Posts

Can this somehow be used towards the PC Game pass?

calisoldier83

Dec 15, 2025 02:12 AM

3,064 Posts

Joined May 2008

calisoldier83Dec 15, 2025 02:12 AM

3,064 Posts

Did Microsoft kill the ability to redeem keys purchased from grey sites?

WiseRiver2478

Dec 15, 2025 01:23 PM

4 Posts

Joined Dec 2019

WiseRiver2478Dec 15, 2025 01:23 PM

4 Posts

I've been thinking of downgrading to Essential from Ultimate and just buying the few games I play since I don't use Ultimate for more than like 2-3 games. My Ultimate conveniently expires tomorrow.

At $5.16/mo I think it'll probably the cheapest I can buy to stack 3 years and not have to worry about playing online since most of the games I play are multiplayer.

ChrisB5022

Dec 16, 2025 02:26 AM

9 Posts

Joined Oct 2017

ChrisB5022Dec 16, 2025 02:26 AM

9 Posts

Quote from WiseRiver2478

:

I've been thinking of downgrading to Essential from Ultimate and just buying the few games I play since I don't use Ultimate for more than like 2-3 games. My Ultimate conveniently expires tomorrow.

At $5.16/mo I think it'll probably the cheapest I can buy to stack 3 years and not have to worry about playing online since most of the games I play are multiplayer.

Dead!

12-Month Xbox Game Pass Essential Membership

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