MS will bring Game Pass to iOS in a browser solution

https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-xbox-game-pass-apple-iphone-ipad-2020-10

Well that is one way around Apple's app store :D

I hope the browser support is not limited to IOS.

I though they settled that?

I thought so to but I guess they still believed they needed another option.

MS is doing a lot of things while Sony does what? Charges for an upgrade of a game that just came out 2 years ago.

Kept telling everyone don't poke the bear but did anyone listen? Nooooo! lol :P

yep and I see nothing preventing other app developers from using HTML5 and developing their games entirely for a web browser and all microtransactions are done through their own website

Amazon are already doing the same thing with Luna. Amazon would have had the iOS market all to themselves had Microsoft not responded. The fact they're moving quickly to do this is a sign they think the threat is serious.

Another sign Microsoft bought Bethesda primarily to compete with Amazon, not Sony.

@madrocketeer: Fun fact Bethesda was almost bought by EA until Microsoft stepped in.

Still wouldn't use it. Ipad for work mostly.

@BlackShirt20:

And EA have their own subscription and cloud gaming services, so it would have made sense for them too.

That said, now that EA are joining their subscription service with Game Pass, it appears they are switching to seeking a partnership with Microsoft rather competing with them. I don't think it's just Microsoft who fears the arrival of Google and Amazon.

Windows PC too, I hope

Yep! But, I believe it would have a dedicated app.

Will be odd seeing an apple dedicated app in Windows store? I haven't seen what's there recently, so it could be "normal"

No! I meant they will have a dedicated app for Windows for Game Streaming.

@madrocketeer: I think MS is so far ahead as far as a streaming service. It was vital for them to start as early as they did. Otherwise Xbox could have died.

Yeah, Microsoft have been preparing for this for a long time. It's as much about defending their turf as entering a new market. I'm sure they breathed a sigh of relief when Google flopped out with a baffling business model and making publishers port their games to Linux, but Amazon looks to be learning from those mistakes, and taking on Game Pass head-on and running their games on Windows servers.

@girlusocrazy: It’s not really debatable. Xbox is far ahead as far as a streaming service. Even though XCloud is in beta and not officially released. It is so far ahead by the simple fact Xbox has Game Pass and 23 Game Developers working on games for Xbox, Game Pass, X Cloud. The idea your games you buy on Xbox can be played on Xcloud as well as Game Pass is a huge advantage. Especially with the footprint Xbox will have/has.

So, yeah. It was important for Xbox to move on this as early as they did and now with Bethesda in their pocket, it’s a huge win. Sony is gonna have to come up with something as well.

Amazon will struggle. They're big and powerful, but getting the games and exclusives to differentiate themselves will be trickier for them. And without decent exclusives to their service, they have nothing unique. Sony and MS could swoop in with PS Now and Gamepass anytime and gobble up their market share near any time.

I think Sony are foolish in not promoting PS Now more. I have it on the PC, more people should try it too.

As for what you said at the end, I think Gamepass is MSs focus now. And this is the point of the Series S, an affordable way to get the most out of Gamepass. I think if MS market it right so people understand it as a Gamepass companion, it could be sell a lot to a certain type of gamer. But if they continue not to market the Series S, it's clear people don't get it and it could go the way of the Wii U.

Epic purposefully trying to weaponize their fan-base with preemptive false propaganda attempting to present these billion dollar companies who view you as nothing more than a resource to be harvested as some Robin Hood helping the unassuming fellow of the world was nothing short of risible masturbatory nonsense.

Hope Apple fucks them all.

I think both Google and Amazon are in something of a toe-dipping mode right now, but we've seen this same lull before the storm in the video streaming market. If game streaming begins to take off, you'll see the same mad rush for acquisitions and exclusivity deals.

And that's why I said Microsoft bought Bethesda to ward off Amazon, not compete with Sony. Sony is valued at around $45 billion, while Microsoft is valued at over $1 trillion. Microsoft could have signed exclusive deals like Sony did with FF16 and such and get much of the same result for much less money. The only reason Microsoft would go all-out and buy Bethesda outright is because they fear someone else might do it first. Sony would struggle to buy Bethesda, but it would be chump change for fellow trillion-dollar companies Amazon, Google and Apple. Microsoft are not waiting around to see if game streaming takes off; they're getting ready for it.

Absolutely, the Bethesda acquisition is about Game Pass stuffing - they're not even waiting for the acquisition to be completed to put Doom Eternal on Game Pass. Microsoft's goal is to be the Netflix of gaming, and the keys to the Netflix model is scaling and content portfolio. This is why expanding accessibility, such as through budget hardware and uncoupling the software from the hardware through streaming, makes sense in the context of this goal.

I think Sony are hedging their bets, such as cooperating with Microsoft on streaming and beginning to port some games to PC, but are rather stuck in a comfortable status quo right now. Again, a $45 billion company would struggle to match the resources of trillion-dollar juggernauts in pursuit of scaling, but they do, however, have the content portfolio. I don't expect them to compete head-on; less Netflix of gaming and more like... ...HBO.

Sony needs ps now to do better 2 million subscribers on a 120+ million user base is pathetic. They need to put 1st party exclusives in there more often possibly 6-12 months after release.

Personally, while I think services like Gamepass are the future, I don't feel like game streaming is the future.

Your online experice would have to be high performance and nearly completely reliable all the time. While we all use the net, even at it's best it's not highly reliable 24/7. And these service would require both the servers and the ISPs be highly reliable to millions of gamers all the time.

@HalcyonScarlet: This is why its complementary and not standalone. It's the main advantage Xbox has at the moment.

Can’t imagine that providing a positive user experience. Cloud gaming already has enough of a poor reputation and any technological shortcomings will only further sour the initiative.

Yeah, I agree that streaming is not THE future - I just think streaming is A part of the future. Which is why ultimately, I think Microsoft have the right approach and will ultimately win on this; they're treating streaming as a supplementary service to, not a replacement for, local hardware gaming. That's where I think it will always be.

That said, Amazon are trying to compensate for that through a more attractive business model, and should mount a sterner incursion than Google did. Microsoft are obviously trying to avoid complacency, as they should.

safari is the new ie. they've got their work cut out

@girlusocrazy: it’s not debatable. Again, it’s in beta. And they have confirmed your entire Xbox library will be available.