As Microsoft is making positive waves with physical gamers, cloud gamers not so much. In November, Xbox caps cloud streaming for its Game Pass service. Some people are not happy with it, yet others are. Especially if you read the piece from Kotaku. Look at how Xbox phrases the issue by only “affecting” a certain percentage of users.
Now, Xbox has capped each member of Game Pass with a certain amount of hours you can use with the service. Starting in November, these will be the new xCloud limits for each tier of Game Pass:
- Game Pass Ultimate: 15 hours
- Game Pass Premium: 10 hours
- Game Pass Essential: 5 hours
“We’re introducing this model because the cost of providing cloud gaming grows as more people use it and play for longer,” Microsoft explained in a blog post. “Moving to monthly limits allows us to keep offering the service while continuing to invest in its reliability and performance. We understand that for some players the practical result is a higher cost. In November, we’ll provide more information about pricing, purchasing additional hours, eligible games, market availability, and how players can check their remaining time.”
Also, if people that don’t have pay into Game Pass, they can purchase their own by-the-hour set. However, Microsoft has yet to say how much that will be. Given that it’s Microsoft, you can bet that the price will not be cheap.
Xbox Caps Cloud Streaming for Game Pass
The company claims that this “upcoming change to impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers,” Microsoft wrote on Thursday. What always cracks me up is that publications never dive into the numbers. But, given their bias, it isn’t surprising. Only 4 percent will be affected. Yeah, because four percent doesn’t sound like a lot.
When playing with percentages, you can make large numbers sound small. If you have 100 people, and four percent is affected, that is 4 people. Doesn’t seem like very much, right? Xbox Game Pass has roughly 30 million subscribers. Four percent of that is 1.2 million. Now, you’re getting into real numbers.
The other issue is what was said in the piece from Kotaku: “Metering the service makes sense. Why have Game Pass subscribers who never use the feature pay to subsidize those who use it almost exclusively?”
Regarding the first portion of the statement, how many services do you have that includes something you don’t use? I get YouTube Premium, not for the ad-free YouTube Music app. I get it because of YouTube and sometimes I watch music videos on the app. Your cell phone plan includes some cap on mobile hot spots. I don’t use mobile hot spots. It’s a lame attempt to bring up an opinion but not following all the way through.
Lame Attempt at False Equivalency
Then the last part: “At the same time, it’s not like this change is coming alongside a lower Game Pass price for those other folks. The service is losing a benefit while the price stays the same.” Sony charges the same price for their network, whether you play online services or not. This is where the false equivalency comes from: no one is taking anything away.
Xbox is not taking cloud gaming away. They are just putting a price cap on how much you can use. It would be different if they were taking it all away. However, people can pay for how many hours if they are not a member. Although that concept is doing some heavy lifting.
If you are not playing, you aren’t paying by the hour. That is similar as saying, “if Netflix adds a pay by the hour model, piracy will go down.” If you are pirating one show from a streamer, odds are no pirate will start buying.
But remember, if only affects a small number of you. So, if you’re part of those 1.2 million, you’re going to have a really bad time.
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