Consumers looking for an on-demand service wont find it with Game Pass.
Thats how I endedthis 2017 articletitled Xbox Game Pass isnt the Netflix of Anything.
Im happy to say that now, in 2021, it finally is.
Its three years later and Xbox Game Passisthe Netflix of Gaming.
And its all thanks to Microsofts excellent Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which recently entered beta.
Ive tested the service and ran it through some paces and, well, I have some thoughts.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
We should have trusted the Redmond company.
Back in 2017 when I wrote my first review of the Game Pass service, I was underwhelmed.
It was download-only and featured mostly older games and titles thatd already been given away free with Xbox Live.
To put it simply: it was a pale runner-up to Sonys PlayStation Now service.
And all it took was an internet connection and my Game Pass subscription.
All-in-all, a months worth of both is still cheaper than buying the game.
I dont think I can overstate the value of Xbox Game Pass for people whose hobby is gaming.
Xbox Cloud Gaming basically unifies the PC and console Game Pass libraries on a single platform.
Its the best of both worlds.
But its not perfect.
As you’re free to see, Ive got decent internet.
Unfortunately, the service was pretty spotty for me.
When I loaded upThe Show,I went straight to practice mode and threw about 30 pitches.
This portion of the game requires precise timing to reach high levels of accuracy.
The service worked perfect, when it worked.
And even then, its still too spotty for competitive play at the moment.
That may be location dependent, with users in closer proximity to servers having better luck.
That may help alleviate some of the stuttering, freezing, and lag problems.
Microsoft also claims speeds will increase over time, and theres every reason to believe they will.
After all, Xbox Cloud Gaming is, at its core,an Azure-based artificial intelligence product.
