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We live in an age where people in the “higher offices” think that the “old ways are dead” and that we need “new ways to enjoy entertainment.” One of those ways is via subscription services. We have them in numerous forms on our televisions and PCs to get access to TV shows and movies, and now, we have them in certain prominent places in the gaming space. The one that most people think is the best is the Xbox Game Pass, but it’s not the only one out there. We’ll break down the three most prominent and discuss the pros and cons of each. Shall we begin?
#1 – Xbox Game Pass
It’s only fair that we start out with the Xbox Game Pass, as that’s the one that many think is the “standard” for game subscriptions of this nature. And to be fair, they’re kind of right.
The thing that makes the Game Pass so special is that it honestly is a bit cheap to get access to it, $11.99 at times for the bare minimum Core Pass package, and even if you want to get all the bells and whistles and go to the Ultimate pass, that’s only $20 a month. With that, you’ll get online access, cloud gaming support, and all manner of games to enjoy and play, and new games are added all the time.
The phrase “this is a steal” may come to mind at first, especially since Microsoft has gone out of its way to put new releases “Day One” on the platform to further entice people to come and partake in the pass. The problem, though, is the question of whether this is the “right move” for Xbox as a whole.
You may recall some articles we’ve written over the last year or so that note that while the Game Pass is a unique thing in the gaming industry, whether it’s profitable or not is heavily up to debate. So much so that many people intentionally don’t let their games on Xbox, or Game Pass, during its “Day One” opening because they’ll likely lose money via the act of NOT getting game sales from the purchase, as they’re not purchasing the game to play it, they just have to have an active subscription.
Xbox has been trying to say that it’s an “incredible thing” and that this makes “everything an Xbox” when you can put the Game Pass on it, but it might be hurting their business more than helping it. Not to mention, people aren’t exactly bursting forth to get the Game Pass in the numbers that Xbox is kind of teasing they’re trying to aim for.
#2 – PlayStation Plus
Now, we’ll move over to PlayStation, which is arguably the biggest rival to the Xbox Game Pass via its PS Plus program. To be fair, the service has had many controversies over the years, including with its content and its pricing, but it does offer things that gamers will enjoy, and due to its more “singular focus,” it’s not harmful to PlayStation or its developers like the Game Pass technically is.
First, let’s start with prices, as this is where things honestly get a bit wide-eyed right from the start. If you go for the most basic of plans, you’ll pay $9.99 a month, which isn’t too bad. If you go to the Premium version, you’ll get up to $17.99 a month. But, you can also do special plans to get special discounts to lower your costs, so, like with all things of this nature, you’ll want to go for the plan that you know you can afford.
Then, once you get your plan, you’ll get your typical things of having online access and getting cloud saving, but you’ll also get a new set of games to download every single month with no extra charge. These aren’t “Day One” titles like with Game Pass, but they are sometimes recent games that you might have missed or classic titles that you haven’t played in a while.
There is also the feature known as GameShare, which will let you literally share a game you have, or recently downloaded, and give it to another friend on their PlayStation so that they can play it. Or, if you know they have a game that you’d like to play, you can get it from their account.
In truth, the real Con here is that PS Plus has been a bit finicky over the years with what it wants to be and how it keeps swapping perks around. It’s annoyed gamers quite a bit, so it’d be in their best interest to stop doing that with a quickness.
#3 – Nintendo Switch Online
Last, but certainly not least, we have Nintendo Switch Online. This is the service that Nintendo fans started getting via the OG Switch, and recently transferred over to the Switch 2. Thus, it’s the youngest of the three subscription services, and arguably, the one with the “least amount of content” that you might want to get. However, it comes with some really good perks, depending on the one you get.
First and foremost, it’s the cheapest of the three subscription services…by a mile. You don’t pay per month, you pay per year. For the most basic plan, it’s only $20 a year, and you’ll get online access for the whole year, as well as a bunch of games to play from past Nintendo platforms.
Then, there’s the “Expansion Pack” form, which is only $50 a year; you’ll get even MORE titles from Nintendo’s past to enjoy. As of last year, the Nintendo Music service was also added to both packs, which will allow you to enjoy classic tracks from all types of games from Nintendo’s history. Trust us, there’s a LOT of music on the service, and it just keeps growing.
As for the games you can play, they come from the NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color eras, with the Switch 2 Expansion Pack recently adding GameCube titles to the mix.
For the Expansion Pack, there are also cases where you’ll get access to DLC for free, including with games featuring Mario, the Inklings, Link, and more.
In truth, this plan is arguably the best for the price, but if you were hoping to get access to more “recent games,” then you’re kind of out of luck. Yet, for those who have that “nostalgia itch” they want to scratch, Nintendo Switch Online has you covered. So, it really just depends on what you’re looking for when you game.
