This is too long sorry - but its a good discussion topic! No trolls, no fanboyism - but its an interesting topic we will have to wait a few years to see the result of -- is Sony in trouble with game pass going to Switch? I think NO. Just using logic, current 3rd party sales, and current streaming models. Unless MS does something crazy to change the entire idea of their service, or somehow makes you still want the Xbox 2 instead of the PS5, (that will be a nearly impossible sell except to die hard MS fans if Game Pass is so many places).. Maybe Microsoft makes some really good 1st party stuff and stops with the day 1 on Game Pass so you want to buy the console still? (But I doubt they care about the console enough to do that, they need to sell this service to be the biggest like Netflix is).

I think if Microsoft Game Pass becomes the main "Xbox Experience" that you have instead of buying an actual Xbox console - that could really end up helping Sony -- if current selection on Game Pass, or current movie streaming services are any indication - Microsoft will not have the newest 3rd party games on Game Pass. That's the deal breaker. No one's talking about WHAT GAMES WILL BE ON GAME PASS!!! Would you see the newest Witcher, Borderlands, Final Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Red Dead, GTA, Anthem, etc type games on day 1? I think no, those will still be on console. Who's the console? PS5 (or PC).

As Brad said - if i can get all of the Xbox exclusives on Game Pass and play them on stuff i already have (current Xbox, Switch, tablet) - why would I buy an Xbox? I'm going to do Sony console, Switch handheld, Xbox Stream. And they all survive that way. Perfect ecosystem.

So Microsoft is this service with its exclusive games just like Netflix does with movies and shows; leaving Sony to be the VR console with discs and physical media, (and full digital downloads too, Game Pass doesn't offer new games digitally now either unless they bundle Live with it right? But then I cant download those games to a Switch or tablet anyway can I?), and Switch as the handheld.

Go look at Game Pass right now, and you will see Crackdown 3 as a brand new game sure. But what new 3rd party games are there? Mostly indies. And that is the Netflix model to a 'T'. Yes MS may work out some deal with a specific publisher - say they drop a billion bucks and get all new THQ games day 1. (They already do that stuff now, so again, not too spooky for Sony). Well remember Netflix had the mega deal with Disney for their AAA movies, and that just ended with Wasp/Ant Man. Now Netflix brings you big indie movies like Roma, and then their own content. Still good and worth it; but you still have to go to the theater, or buy or rent or get those other AAA movies elsewhere. That's what Game Pass will be. Worth it, but not everything.

Again, they can drop a TON of money on getting exclusive 3rd party games and publisher deals (Sony can too) -- but i dont understand how Cyberpunk for example could possibly make its money back being exclusive to a streaming service unless Microsoft simply bought it outright, (like Netflix does with some movies). But then your probably talking what $300 million bucks to buy it? -- I'm not an industry guy so maybe how studios make their money is different than i realize. But if on disc/digitally they sell 5 million units at $60 a piece thats $300 mil. But on streaming if you are one of 60 games, I'm not sure how they split that revenue, (I guess half are old 360 games and Xbox owned games); but thats still a lot of money for MS to drop on exclusives. (They could do the Movie Pass thing and just drop a ton of money at a loss hoping to get enough people to sign up to make them money again, but that didn't work for Movie Pass...)

Last month the 2 best selling games were both 3rd party games RE2 and Kingdoms Hearts, on PS4. Metro was like #5 on PS4. So now you dont own an Xbox, those sales are basically guaranteed on PS4/PC if you are a pre-order person, or want to stream, or play with your buddies, or Twitch, yadda yadda. Or are in a territory with no Game pass. Those games will probably not be on Game Pass day 1. And they already are the best selling games for the month (using Sony as their main platform), why mess with that model? So the way I see it, Sony literally has to do nothing, and they will basically have all of these 3rd party exclusives which are already their bread and butter! At least as timed exclusives until a publisher lets it on streaming. And thats okay if you dont mind waiting - I guess people get excited at Saints Row 3 coming to Switch...(baffling)

So with 3rd party support, plus their VR push, plus their top notch exclusives, plus yearly online fee, plus Now. This generation logically I dont see Sony being too concerned? Unless Microsoft does something crazy to Game Pass as it stands.

Maybe MS does start paying a ton, and landing these AAA 3rd party games day 1 for Game Pass - (Madden, CoD, BioMutant, etc...). Will it be possible to stay at $10 a month? Doubtful. And we haven't even seen direct competition yet, (Google, Amazon, Sony). It could look like Epic and Steam. Those exclusives will be even harder to land once you basically have what movies have, (Hulu ,Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Disney, CBS, DC, etc).

I think Sony can then just say "hey we literally have it ALL on disc".

Not to mention people may want discs this generation because of poor internet (Game Pass games are downloadable on Xbox to circumvent this; but then its not streaming anymore, can Switch or your phone play a downloaded Xbox game!?).

Maybe MS can open some sort of digital store connected to Game Pass where they say "hey we have these 60 bundled games for the monthly fee, but if you want specific games like BioMutant you can buy that separate and unlock it digitally". Kind off like Amazon does. I can stream their Prime stuff (mostly garbage) but they always have those new movies to rent tantalizing me just below, that I click on not realizing they aren't included, (stupid Amazon)...... But I hate that with amazon and feel that deep down they dont pick up as many good movies as they could/should because they still want to sell me that shit, Netflix doesn't do that. Truthfully having new games for sale on Game Pass really completely ruins the spirit of Game Pass...

And lastly, Sony's games seem to stay up on Now (?) as a library; but Game Pass games cycle and go away like Sega Channel did. Ive got a huge CD collection I always thought I could dump when i got Spotify, but recently Ive been noticing that they have lots of missing albums by bands I love, or just entire artists not on the service. So like CDs, there are games I want to keep to know I have them whenever. Especially co-op, multiplayer, and party games. You could get an Xbox to do that, but will you?

People rag on Jeff about liking physical media, but especially if PS5 is backwards compatible, i have so many systems i have still hooked up just for this, (my PS3 plays PS1,PS2,and PS3 games - My Wii U plays Wii - Gamecube plays Gameboy Advance - Xbox plays 360...). With a disc I can go on ebay for $3 and get Fallout 3 now; on Game Pass that game might be on there, might not be.

So yeah - i think Sony is fine. I never want to see anyone fail. They make most of their sales on 3rd party games right now. At least for the PS5 generation I dont see that changing. The future? yeah they need to go streaming and digital and phones, and chips in your head... That will only continue as far as I can tell.

But for now, revenue wise - Xbox Live $$ will plummet if you just have Game Pass - Sony will have PS+ $$ and a ton of 3rd party games that already sell super well on their system. I think they will do okay for PS5.

What do you think?