Differences In Library Variety and Availability
Firstly, comparing the two game libraries together, it’s clear both subscriptions are aiming at two very different purposes. PlayStation Now has a larger library of around 680 or so games, ranging from relatively new PS4 exclusives to legacy titles from the PS2. However, the ratio of older titles tonewer titles in comparison to Xbox Game Passis significantly different.
Xbox Game Pass gets first-party exclusives day-and-date on the service, and they stay there forever, among several other more recent third-party game releases. That’s without even counting partnerships like EA Play, which brings even more third-party games exclusively to Game Pass. It’s clearPlayStation Now acts more as a vehicle for backwards compatibilityon PS4/PS5, as a majority of the library includes older PS4/PS3 titles.
Xbox Game Pass also has wider availability and convenience for playing games, whether that’s downloading directly or streaming to mobile devices (and browser support coming later this year). When it comes to game streaming, Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now are basically polar opposites of one another. Every title on Game Pass is downloadable, but onlya certain amount of Xbox games are capable of streamingvia the cloud on mobile, with browser-based streaming still in beta. PlayStation Now streams all games available on the service to PS4/PS5, as well as PC, but only a limited amount of games are downloadable and playable offline on PlayStation (not PC).
Two Very Different Player Demographics
Xbox Game Pass added over 50 games in 2021 so far, including a ton of high profile releases:Several of the now first-party Bethesda games were addedon March 12,Outriderslaunched day-and-date on Game Pass, the rest of theYakuzafranchise,Octopath Traveler,Undertale,Final Fantasy 12,Dirt 5, among many more were added to Xbox Game Pass.
To be fair, both services are appealing to two very different demographics of players, but it’s pretty clear one gaming subscription is doing much more than the other.Even the free games on PlayStation Plusare arguably more enticing than the dedicated gaming subscription’s library updates are. Are Sony and PlayStation suffering without making PlayStation Now more ambitious? Absolutely not, but unless the service receives a more ambitious revamp, Xbox Game Pass will always be more popular.
