PC Game Pass, now includes EA Play! [PCGP, XGP:PC]

[Silent_Buddha]

OK, finally got around to installing the Game Pass client. Uh, it'd be nice to be able to have games installed to a different location than my Microsoft Store apps. Hopefully this is something coming in the future. I guess I should be happy they at least let me choose which drive to install them to.

Also, just like most clients. They could really learn a thing or two from Valve about how to have a good and functional client. With so many games in Game Pass, it'd be nice to have the option for just a text list of the games I have access to...like Steam. As well as a way to easily filter games by owned, installed, recently played, and the ability to hide games so they don't show up in the default views.

Companies have Steam as an example of how to do things well. Why do they all insist on making pretty but barely functional clients? Steam isn't perfect, but god damn if it doesn't make everyone else look like a bunch of grade school amateurs.

Gah, this would be a nightmare if I owned as many games on here as I do on Steam.

[edit] Oh god, they have a list or filter for Game Pass Games I have Installed?

On the plus side, Slay the Spire is on here, heck yeah. Been waiting for that to go on a good sale on Steam, but now I can just play it.

Regards,
SB

 

[Silent_Buddha]

OK, now that I've used it a bit more...

There is an installed view. It's the side bar on the left. But it isn't in alphabetical order? I'm not sure how they determine how to order the games in the list.

There is an owned view. It's accessed from your avatar icon. Again, it's not in alphabetical order. And it's really slow to populate for some reason even though I only own 5 games in the MS Store.

You can view all games in Game Pass. But again...it's not in alphabetical order. Again I have no idea what rules they are using for displaying the games.

What is up with the client's aversion to putting things in alphabetical order to make it easier to find things? Or even better, giving me options on how I want to order things?

Why are things apparently scattered haphazardly around the client?

Why does the Store interface have user reviews for games, but the Game Pass interface not have user reviews for games?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Why does the Store interface at least borrow from Steam's Store front page layout by showing highlighted games, trending games, etc. But the Game Pass interface doesn't?

Why is it that this client is so schizophrenic?

Everyone has been able to look at what Steam does for over a decade now. Why aren't they using some of the better things that Steam does or improving on what Steam does? Why is every single freaking other store client out there so much worse than Steam? And Steam isn't even perfect, they could certainly do some things better as well. They have a template of features. USE IT for Christ's sake.

Gah, it's so frustrating. It shouldn't be such a chore to do things. And there are so many other things that are massive regression from what I expect from a Digital storefront.

[RANT]
Here's a hint companies that want to compete with Valve. Figure out a good way to manage a large library of games before you even think of starting a rival client. Until you do, you are never going to challenge Steam. Steam figured this out, even if it could be better. The fact that all other clients only focus on "Pretty Presentation" of a small library of games, means they are all failures, IMO.
[/RANT]

Just because of that, I'm still going to prefer buying games on Steam versus the MS Store. Just because I don't want it to be such a PAIN IN THE ARSE to manage my game library.

Oh and one more hint for other storefronts. Drop down menu's aren't a bad thing, they are actually pretty handy. Stop avoiding them! I'm looking at you Microsoft.

I haven't tried GoG's new version 2 client, so they might have figured this important detail out.

Regards,
SB

 

[AlNom]

Just keep spamming the Win10 feedback "make it like Steam, but better"

 

[Cyan]

Just keep spamming the Win10 feedback "make it like Steam, but better"

yes, feedback, it's a beta after all.

Game Pass Ultimate now available on Microsoft Rewards.

https://mspoweruser.com/xbox-game-pass-ultimate-now-available-on-microsoft-rewards/

 

[Cyan]

Microsoft Flight Simulator embodies Game Pass’ potential

Phil Spencer talked about things related to Gamepass in 2017 that make sense today and mentioned some interesting tidbits.

“If I look at the top games that people are playing on Xbox One today, many of those games are three or four years old,”. “That didn’t used to be the case. You would buy a cartridge, play it, and then swap it out for the new one.”

“So maybe I don’t want to spend $60 on a game that has a beginning, middle, and end,” he said. “I hope it doesn’t get to that point. But maybe there’s a different business model. I don’t know if it’s going to work, but we’re going to try. Because we want all kinds of games to be successful. We don’t want to see the death of [certain kinds of] games.”

“I see what’s happening in television, and there’s some great content being made,” Spencer said in 2017. “And it’s because the subscription model has enabled companies like Netflix and HBO to invest in some great television … and if that [model] can fund different kinds of games being developed, then I think that’s a great thing.”

t has Flight Simulator, the single-player Blair Witch horror adventure, and the side-scrolling Battletoads beat-’em-up. That’s on top of its traditional blockbuster projects like Halo Infinite and Gears 5. And that doesn’t include the online multiplayer battler Bleeding Edge from Ninja Theory, or whatever studios like Obsidian, InXile, and Double Fine end up making when they finish their projects they were already working on with other publishers.

These games no longer have to convince players to spend $50-to-$60 in a couple of weeks to end up as successes. Instead, they just need to contribute to the reason a certain group of people continue to subscribe to Game Pass.

https://venturebeat.com/2019/06/17/microsoft-flight-simulator-reveals-game-passs-potential/

 

[Cyan]

at the 15 minutes 45 seconds mark of this relavitely old video -where the words of Phil Spencer come from in the previous post-, Phil Spencer mentions that "our investment is on Windows right now".

 

[eastmen]

Microsoft stores have a special $20 for 3 month ultimate deal going on. Its a one time activation on your account and you can't add multiple of the special deal. But its still pretty good just $5 more than the 1 month pricing.

Also game pass ultimate is part of bing rewards now

 

[Cyan]

The ever-growing list of GamePass for PC games keeps growing. Two games are going to be added June 27th. Games are Torment Tides of Numenera and Goat Simulator.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-xbox-game-pass-games-rare-replay-resident-evil/1100-6467893/

 

[Cyan]

has anyone here tried Everspace? A colleague of mine recommended it and I've never played it

 

[Davros]

I have it installed will get back to you

Edit its a quite fun arcade space sim

 

[AlNom]

space mining with a touch of combat. Pretty. I'd actually just prefer no combat tbh.

 

[Cyan]

thanks, ok, not sure if it is my thing, but I thought it was some kind of Afterburner. This is the list of Gamepass games I've installed, although I am playing them one by one, I started with Tyranny -what a game, I love it.

Slay the Spire
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Wasteland 2
Imperator: Rome
Vampyr
Mutant Zero Year
Tyranny Gold Edition
Hollow Knight
Halo Wars 2

 

[Malo]

OK, finally got around to installing the Game Pass client. Uh, it'd be nice to be able to have games installed to a different location than my Microsoft Store apps. Hopefully this is something coming in the future. I guess I should be happy they at least let me choose which drive to install them to.

First thing I did was look at Settings and it has an option to select which drive to install games to by default.

 

[AlNom]

I'd prefer a case-by-case option (which is oddly, Steam's default *cough*) .

It Just Asks.™

 

[homerdog]

I think most of these stores/launchers are not designed by people who play PC games.

 

[Cyan]

First thing I did was look at Settings and it has an option to select which drive to install games to by default.

It also helps that you can choose where to install Store apps by default in the Settings menu.
System > Storage > More Storage Settings > Change where new content is saved.

 

[AlNom]

I think most of these stores/launchers are not designed by people who play PC games.

On the other hand, nothing is seemingly worse than Epic Games Store's scrolling fest like it was designed for touc-

.....oh. :|

 

[Cyan]

At the moment, there are 37 games confirmed for the Game Pass for PC. Even if it's a beta there is a lot of potential. This could be HUGE for PC Gaming if they get it right.

• Afterparty - 2019
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – Autumn 2019
• Battletoads – 2019
• Blair Witch – 30th August 2019
• Blazing Chrome – 2019
• Bleeding Edge – 2020
• Creature in the Well – Summer 2019
• CrossfireX – 2020
• Dead Static Drive – No date
• Die for Valhalla! - Summer 2019
• Dying Light – Summer 2019
• Felix the Reaper – 2019
• Gears 5 – 10th September 2019
• Goat Simulator -- 27th June 2019
• Halo Infinite – 2020
• Ikenfell – 2019
• Killer Queen Black – 2019
• Microsoft Flight Simulator – 2020
• Minecraft Dungeons – Spring 2020
• Night Call – Summer 2019
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps – 11th February 2020
• Phoenix Point – 3rd September 2019
• Psychonauts 2 – 2020
• Riverbond – No date
• Secret Neighbor – No date
• Spiritfarer – 2020
• Star Renegades – 2020
• Supermarket Shriek – 2019
• The Good Life – Autumn 2019
• The Outer Worlds – 25th October 2019
• Torment: Tides of Numenera – 27th June 2019
• Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
• Totem Teller – 2020
• UnderMine – Summer 2019
• Unto the End – No date
• Wasteland 3 – Spring 2020
• Way to the Woods – 2020

 

[AlNom]

There is an installed view. It's the side bar on the left. But it isn't in alphabetical order? I'm not sure how they determine how to order the games in the list.

So just for lols, I tried clicking and holding, and lo and behold, you can manually sort your installed list by dragging each title one-by-one up/down the list. It's..... bizarre.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

So just for lols, I tried clicking and holding, and lo and behold, you can manually sort your installed list by dragging each title one-by-one up/down the list. It's..... bizarre.

I can't imagine it would have been so hard to just have a right click drop down menu to allow you to choose how to sort it. /sigh.

The more I use other game store clients, the more I understand just how good Steam is...despite all it's flaws.

The fact that a discussion board for each game is part of it, for instance. I can't even tell you how many times that alone has helped me resolve bugs in a game or find ways to work around them, without having to search the internet.

Or that a developer can leave patch notes on there. Or so many other little things that you take for granted until you use another game store client and they are just plain not there.

Regards,
SB