Games By Matthew Humphries Jun. 2, 2014 7:33 am
Both Sony and Microsoft have been offering free games to PS Plus and Xbox Live subscribers for a while now. On Xbox 360, having an Xbox Live Gold subscription gave you access to a selection of games for free that were yours to download, play, and keep even if your Gold subscription lapsed. For the Xbox One, that’s no longer the case.
Microsoft has confirmed that for Games with Gold on its latest console, you can only play the games with an active subscription. If you stop being a paid Gold member, the games remain on your Xbox One hard drive, but they are unplayable. However, if you start your subscription again they unlock.
In order for such a system to work, Microsoft will have to check your Gold membership is active. They may disable the games on the day your subscription lapses, or they could instead require a regular check and therefore a network connection in order to keep the games from locking. It’s unclear exactly how this check will be carried out at the moment.
While some may view this decision negatively, it does actually bring Xbox Live more in line with how PlayStation Plus functions. You will also remember the Xbox 360 Games with Gold service only ever offered older games for free. By tying the Xbox One free games offer to a subscription, it is hoped Microsoft will now have the ability to offer more recent titles for free.
When Games with Gold arrives this month on Xbox One, the first two games to be offered for free are Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Halo: Spartan Assault. They have a combined vale of $25. That value will soon add up over the months and outweigh the $60 yearly cost of an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
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Microsoft has confirmed that for Games with Gold on its latest console, you can only play the games with an active subscription. If you stop being a paid Gold member, the games remain on your Xbox One hard drive, but they are unplayable. However, if you start your subscription again they unlock.
In order for such a system to work, Microsoft will have to check your Gold membership is active. They may disable the games on the day your subscription lapses, or they could instead require a regular check and therefore a network connection in order to keep the games from locking. It’s unclear exactly how this check will be carried out at the moment.
While some may view this decision negatively, it does actually bring Xbox Live more in line with how PlayStation Plus functions. You will also remember the Xbox 360 Games with Gold service only ever offered older games for free. By tying the Xbox One free games offer to a subscription, it is hoped Microsoft will now have the ability to offer more recent titles for free.
When Games with Gold arrives this month on Xbox One, the first two games to be offered for free are Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Halo: Spartan Assault. They have a combined vale of $25. That value will soon add up over the months and outweigh the $60 yearly cost of an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
More...
