After the E3 Xbox Showcase consisted of 99% of the games being Day 1 Game Pass releases, I decided to take the plunge and sign up. There was a special deal to convert my Xbox Live Gold into Game Pass Ultimate…I didn’t realize it would convert and give me a WHOLE YEAR!

Now I have SO MANY GAMES to play. It is ridiculous. And with Ultimate, I can play on Xbox and PC. As I type this, Tim is downstairs playing MLB The Show 21 on the Xbox. I’m upstairs and could play any multitude of things on my PC that I have downloaded.

And then tonight I got the email telling me about the Cloud Gaming Beta! It’s only available as an app for Android users but Apple users can use the Safari browser to play.

This is dangerous. I was able to go to the site and log in and access my games. In a matter of minutes, I was able to click on Monster Train and it grabbed my save from the cloud. LIVING IN THE FUTURE!

Most of the games do require some kind of bluetooth Xbox controller, but I honestly don’t need to play Nier Automata on my phone (omg I can’t even imagine playing that beautiful game on that tiny screen) but deck builders and puzzle games? HECK YES! The touch controller will suffice.

It is still in beta so things aren’t quite as responsive as I would want. I found myself tapping the directional pad harder than I would ever tap an app on my phone normally.

But still…look, Slay the Spire is on there. This it, I love you all, but you will probably never hear from me again because that game is so addictive and I have it on Steam but resisted buying the mobile app version…but now…

So far, this is totally worth it. I have played Monster Train, Thronebreaker, Call of the Sea, Touryst…and many more are on my to-play list. I GET TO PLAY HADES LATER THIS MONTH!

My only concern is how the payment works for the indie developers. You hear about the struggle with services like Netflix and Spotify and how the money trickles down. I don’t want to rob any of these amazing small publishers of their money.

To date myself a bit, this reminds me of SEGA channel, which my parents subscribed to in the 90s. Lots of Microsoft games that will be on the list forever, and then other developers games that will roll on and off the service.

Have you subscribed to Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate? What games have you played? Did you try a game you would never have paid money for or just played games you were going to buy anyway? Do you feel like you’re getting a good value for your money?

Most importantly – what should I play next??