If you’re like me and you are the owner of both a PS4 and an Xbox One, you may have noticed recently that both Sony and Microsoft are clamoring to establish their own “Netflix of Games.” You’ve probably heard a lot of people trying to tell you which is best, and there’s a lot of division over it, and I think that’s due to both services being so different from one another. I tried free trials of both services and have written up this review to help you decide which is best for you. I honestly don’t have any true complaints about either service, they are excellent on their own, but like I said they are just so different from one another that you’ll find you prefer one over the other. I thought about writing a “pros and cons” list but that won’t accurately reflect my opinions, because a con for you may be a pro for me and vice versa, so I’ll try and be as objective as I can:
Xbox Pass:
I tried Xbox Pass first. The number one difference that sets it apart from PSNow is that it isn’t a streaming service, it’s a monthly subscription to a library of games that you can purchase at a discount, and some are even available for free. The games you get via xbox pass are purchased, downloaded, and are yours to play. (I can’t speak for what happens if you cancel your subscription, although after the 14 day trial, I lost access to the games I had downloaded, so I imagine if you stop paying, you lose access.) To some people, being able to download the games you play is a pro because it means they get the game in full quality, no network interruptions due to streaming, and it never goes away (unless, I assume, you cancel your subscription). To others, it’s a con because that means less hard drive space, and download times can be a pain. It took me nearly 48 hours to download the 90GB Halo 5, so that was 2 days of my 14 day trial gone, so that was a bit annoying. Plus, that’s nearly a fifth of my hard drive. At that rate, I could only have a handful of full-sized games to play at any given time, limiting the amount of games I have access to. I think this is balanced pretty fairly though due to the amount of Xbox 360 games that naturally take up far less hard drive space, but the library is pretty small compared to PSNow. I didn’t count for myself but a google search reveals there are currently 118 games: 46 on Xbox One, 24 on Xbox 360 and 48 indie/arcade titles listed under “Xbox Live”. A pretty good amount of games, especially current gen, but it is a bit of a shame that for a lot of them you pay a monthly subscription, and still have to pay to buy them, even at a discounted price. Still, a $9.99 price tag is pretty slick compared to PSNow’s $19.99, but at the end of the day you’re paying for access to discounts and free games, not unlimited access to Xbox Pass’s game library.
PSNow:
Shelling out $19.99 a month is a bit of a hefty fee, but you get a lot more bang for your buck in my opinion. The PSNow library boasts a whopping 350+ PS3 games, and, regrettably only about 30 PS4 games. The big difference is paying the subscription fee means you immediately have access to stream every game on the list, no exceptions. To some this is a pro over Xbox Pass, but for others with less than ideal internet connections, this can be a problem. When you stream games via PSNow you are at the mercy of your internet connection. My download speed runs on an average of 32mbps, Sony recommends 25, and I average only about one performance issue per play session, where connection slows for a few seconds, then returns to normal. I have yet to be completely booted from a game for connection issues. Another downside to PSNow is that they have a limited amount of slots available for gamers. I’m not sure how it actually breaks down, but say there are 1,000 slots, if 1,005 people are trying to play at a time, you have to wait for 5 people to log off. Again, this may be a problem for some, but I never had to wait in line for more than 3-5 minutes as there are always people logging in and out every minute. There was a post on the front page of /r/gaming just the other day complaining about this, but I don’t see it as such a big deal. In my opinion, considering the unlimited access you have to such a huge game library, the short wait is always worth it. To people with short time to squeeze games in, this is less than ideal. Another thing to consider is the games stream at 720p. I’ve never been a stickler for graphics but that could be a problem for you if you are.
Conclusion:
All in all, both services are excellent in their own way, but odds are one will be more up your alley.
Xbox Pass is better suited for serious gamers trying to save money who buy and burn through games often. You pay your subscription fee, download great games at discounted prices or even free, and when you’re done delete it and buy another one. For $10 a month, the savings totally seem worth it. PSNow is more for casual gamers who bounce around between a lot of games. A little bit pricier, but at $20 a month you have instant, unlimited access to a massive library of games, but are at the mercy of your internet connection. Personally, I prefer PSNow. My connection is good enough for streaming, I don’t bother too much about graphics, and my Xbox One hard drive is too small to justify having to download all the games I want to play. I probably spend around $60 a month on games, so paying $20 instead is an improvement.
I hope that this analysis will help you make your decision, and help everyone realize it doesn’t always have to be Microsoft vs. Sony. Both services are great on their own, for different reasons! Happy gaming!
edit: Someone pointed out to me something I forgot; with PSNow you can actually also stream your games to your PC. All you need is a controller. It slipped my mind because I never got around to using this feature, but it sounds pretty awesome. Great for travelling with your laptop!!
Submitted by _Not_Bruce_Wayne_ | #Specialdealer Special Offer Online Shopping Store 2016
