xbox services confusion
January 31, 2024 1:14 PM Subscribe
My brother is having a hard time getting his head around what he should be paying for his xbox.
He pays both 11€ a month and also 65€ a year. As he explains it to me, the 11 covers free downloads but not online multiplay, and the 65€ covers online multiplay but not free downloads.
I feel there must be an all-you-can eat option that is a little cheaper? Or that there is some doubling going on here that is unnecessary? Help appreciated. He is also paying 125€ annually for playstation, if anyone knows a cheaper option there or what he is mainly paying for with it.
I feel there must be an all-you-can eat option that is a little cheaper? Or that there is some doubling going on here that is unnecessary? Help appreciated. He is also paying 125€ annually for playstation, if anyone knows a cheaper option there or what he is mainly paying for with it.
He is also paying 125€ annually for playstation, if anyone knows a cheaper option there or what he is mainly paying for with it.
Playstation Plus has three levels:
Essential (cheapest) - online multiplayer, a couple of free games a month
Extra - all the above plus access to more games
Premium (most expensive) - all the above plus even more games and features
It sounds like he's got Premium. Depending on if he's really making use of all the features of Premium it might be worth downgrading.
As for Xbox, these are the current Game Pass options. It sounds like he might be paying for Xbox Game Pass Console (free game library) AND Xbox Game Pass Core (online multiplayer), when it would be cheaper to just get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (both of those combined, for a lower total price).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:37 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Playstation Plus has three levels:
Essential (cheapest) - online multiplayer, a couple of free games a month
Extra - all the above plus access to more games
Premium (most expensive) - all the above plus even more games and features
It sounds like he's got Premium. Depending on if he's really making use of all the features of Premium it might be worth downgrading.
As for Xbox, these are the current Game Pass options. It sounds like he might be paying for Xbox Game Pass Console (free game library) AND Xbox Game Pass Core (online multiplayer), when it would be cheaper to just get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (both of those combined, for a lower total price).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:37 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Due to the vagaries of exchange rates you can save a substantial amount by subbing in another country like Turkey.
Yeah, no. Microsoft is cracking down on VPN use for this very reason. A similar situation has seen Steam jack up the regional pricing, screwing over people who actually live in countries like Turkey/Türkiye. Don’t be that person.
You can save a bit by getting a three-month pass for Ultimate from Amazon or wherever. It’s €14.99 per month here but the three-month pass from Amazon UK worked out as €38, and if you’re lucky they’ll tack on an extra month free.
posted by macdara at 12:57 AM on February 1
Yeah, no. Microsoft is cracking down on VPN use for this very reason. A similar situation has seen Steam jack up the regional pricing, screwing over people who actually live in countries like Turkey/Türkiye. Don’t be that person.
You can save a bit by getting a three-month pass for Ultimate from Amazon or wherever. It’s €14.99 per month here but the three-month pass from Amazon UK worked out as €38, and if you’re lucky they’ll tack on an extra month free.
posted by macdara at 12:57 AM on February 1
A legitimate way of getting GamePass Ultimate for cheaper, if you're willing to shell out in advance, is to purchase several years of XBox Live Gold, and then buy one month of GamePass Ultimate to convert the entire period into Ultimate. It's described fairly well here: https://forums.redflagdeals.com/microsoft-store-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-25-months-199-plus-taxes-regularly-459-taxes-using-core-conversion-method-2663101/
It used to be a really great deal when the entire period was converted exactly to Ultimate for $1, but even at the current 2/3 conversion rate it's a cheap way of stocking up.
posted by Gortuk at 1:02 PM on February 1
It used to be a really great deal when the entire period was converted exactly to Ultimate for $1, but even at the current 2/3 conversion rate it's a cheap way of stocking up.
posted by Gortuk at 1:02 PM on February 1
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Due to the vagaries of exchange rates you can save a substantial amount by subbing in another country like Turkey.
posted by onya at 1:32 PM on January 31