Game News Without Game Pass and the Xbox Series S, I would never have returned to video games intensively: they rekindled my passion!
The Xbox Series S, despite everything, bears the unenviable label of “ugly duckling” of the ninth generation of consoles. Due to its low power compared to other devices on the market, studios have to put a lot of effort into executing their creations. To delay its release, Xbox gamers are the first to be affected. Black Myth Wukong is the latest victim of the Series S, and before him it was the GOTY Baldur’s Gate 3. However, without the Xbox Series S and of course the Game Pass, I would never have played video games so intensely again. It’s the perfect combination to rekindle your passion for video games.
A two-year hypo video game regime
I arrived at JV (igamesnews.com) in mid-June 2015 and you will see that this information is important. I have now been working there as a journalist for more than nine long years. I have witnessed the end of the PlayStation 4 era, the birth of the mid-generation consoles, the arrival of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series, as well as the galloping dematerialization of video games. Most importantly, I ate, drank, and played “video games” so much that I felt an unpleasant feeling of satiety rearing its ugly head. No longer vibrating to the rhythm of announcements during an E3, a Gamescom or a TGS said a lot about my growing need to take a step back in the early 2020s.
It must be said that I did a series of tests between 2015 and 2021. During my first seven years at JV, 180 video games passed through my hands, not counting all the previews. Then I slowed down the pace out of desire but also out of necessity. Since then, only 17 titles have been tested by me, two of which will be in 2024 (so I’m approaching the 200 test mark). I consciously moved away from video games to turn to other horizons and explore other media, mainly cinema, series and anime.
I am thinking in particular of Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur’s Gate 3, which I restarted for the simple pleasure of rediscovering these two titles that are, in my eyes, masterpieces. However, As time went on, I felt a lack that gradually became more and more urgent. Then one day I gave in to the call of Game Pass, which in many ways fully meets my current desires and matches my new gamer profile. I am a curious person, but by no means a completionist who prefers discoveries, even if I always finish what I start.
Check out Baldur’s Gate 3 on GOG
The Xbox Series S: an affordable console, but…
I still don’t have a 4K TV, much less a so-called “gaming” PC powerful enough to run the latest AAAs in a video game industry that’s going full steam ahead. And I don’t plan on spending a thousand dollars (or more) on equipment in the next few months. Therefore, I have set myself the goal of purchasing a device that I consider affordable given my financial means and that will meet my needs as a gamer by the start of the 2024 school year. Spending 500 dollars on a console seems crazy to me and I have no desire to spend that amount of money on gaming.
Logically, I preferred to opt for a much cheaper hardware option without sacrificing my gaming experience. The Xbox Series S, which has a starting price of 299.99 dollars (512 GB version), had been in my sights for a long time and I finally gave in.
It even “prevents” Xbox players from playing major games (Black Myth Wukong, Baldur’s Gate 3) at the same time as others. The fault lies in bad hardware. Personally, I made concessions by getting the little sister of the Series X. I was aware of that. Then I’m not someone who lives for “day one”. I’m patient and I have no problem waiting to discover a game. You just have to cut yourself off from social networks to avoid spoilers and that’s it. However, the Xbox Series S is no longer even necessary to live out your passion. Microsoft has emancipated itself from the physical limits of our universe, to my greatest delight and that of millions of gamers.
Check out the Xbox Series S on Amazon
Game Pass: the “Netflix of video games”
Abundance is the word that best describes the video game offering that Microsoft makes to gamers. The Game Pass perfectly symbolizes this new way of consuming video games, with “free” access to an increasingly extensive catalog of titles. The subscriptions offered by Microsoft are aimed at everyone and, above all, at all budgets. If the “Core” option on consoles at $6.99/month is a great entry point and offers subscribers no less than 45 video games, I, for my part, gave in to the “Ultimate” offer.
For $17.99/month, hundreds of games (503 on consoles / 455 on PC) including some available “Day One” games represent a wealth of offers that have no real equivalent in 2024. With Game Pass, I am swept away by a new passion, a rediscovered passion for the 10th art. However, I am faced with a new dilemma. Which game will I play today? The offer is so crazy and my time is so limited that I have to make decisions. Then I always quit my games… I make it a point of honor. And I’m not talking about “success,” which I have no interest in.
In the last month I’ve had a number of experiences: Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Gears of War 4 and so on. And that’s without counting the thirty titles that I can browse purely for my enjoyment as a player (and not as a reviewer). Thanks to Game Pass and its dizzying catalog, I have rediscovered this simple and sincere love for video games. In addition, the ability to enjoy the catalog remotely through the Xbox Cloud Gaming service has radically changed my gaming habits.
It is very possible that at some point (by the end of 2025) I will definitely give up “physical” video games and prefer 100% dematerialized games. Meanwhile, I sometimes launch a video game (in this case Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn) on the PC in the JV editorial office via the Xbox cloud during my lunch break before continuing it at home in the evening. This saves me a quick but lengthy download, especially for an action RPG that can be enjoyed while streaming without compromising the experience. As soon as I have a mobile phone (iOS or Android) that deserves the name, there are no limits to playing video games for me. I know I’m opening doors, but it’s definitely worth crossing the threshold.
See Xbox Game Pass at Microsoft
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