The games: Game Pass, backward compatibility, and remote play
The launch catalog of a console, at this point, has nothing to do with that of previous generations. In the particular case of Microsoft even less, since the Series X will hit the market without any brand new first-party title.
In this sense, the company has been clear about it for a long time: the Xbox Series X is a powerful console designed for those who want to get the most out of their games, one more option along with the rest of the devices and options,
but its main product is the Xbox Game Pass, the subscription service that gives access to more than 100 games and that doesn’t stop growing.
It is very interesting because Game Pass gives you the peace of mind that the Xbox Game Studios games are available on launch day at no additional cost, but in addition to that, a good handful of games enter each month, both large and indie,
which makes up a truly spectacular catalog. And after the purchase of ZeniMax, which includes studios like Bethesda, id Software or Arkane, and even more.
Taking into account that Xbox Game Pass is priced at 9.99 euros per month,
we would be talking about 120 euros per year, which is slightly less than what two games cost at a normal price. We are not going to discover now the benefits of the service, go.
Returning to the launch catalog, and knowing that Microsoft is totally committed to its Xbox Game Pass more than to the console itself, it is not surprising that it does not give a bit of the same to start the new generation without a new exclusive.
From day one, any Xbox Series X user subscribed to Xbox Game Pass has access to games like DOOM Eternal, Fallout 4, the entire Gears of War saga, Forza, and many more.
On the other hand, backward compatibility is guaranteed:
all Xbox One games are compatible with Xbox Series X, and also all games from previous generations that can already be played on an Xbox One can also be played on Series X from day one.
Not only that, but the power of the new console allows all games, optimized or not, to run more smoothly.
And since we are talking about optimized games, it can be said that they are those that have received or will receive updates to look better in Series X.
This can mean improvements in resolution, frame rate, or both, for example in Gears 5, that goes up to dynamic 4K and 60fps, while in multiplayer it can reach 120fps. Load times are shorter if anything because whether or not something has been done to improve them in particular, the Xbox Velocity architecture does its job.
The games can also be played remotely through the Xbox app on both iOS and Android. It’s as simple as linking the app to your console and selecting the remote play option to have the console menu appear on your mobile device or tablet just like it would on your TV. From there you can launch any game and play some games.
Of course, for the remote game, the mobile device must be connected to the same local network as the console since this does not go through the cloud. For now, xCloud is only available on Android, where it is possible to play the Game Pass catalog in streaming from anywhere using the data connection.
VidaExtra’s opinion
Surely many of you are wondering if it is worth making the leap to the Xbox Series X now or not. I don’t think there is a single answer and it will depend on each one’s needs, but what I can say is that having an Xbox One X in my possession, I have not noticed the change in a very clear and evident way. gaming headset
