"I’m Canceling My Subscription": Xbox Players Call to "Boycott" Game Pass "Hard" Over 50% Price Increase As Microsoft’s Website Crashes from Mass Cancellations

Comments

• ulu_mulu@lemmy.zip ⁨30⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

  Maybe I’m too old, but I never understood the appeal of game passes, you can’t play hundreds of games at the same time unless you have nothing else to do in your life, and most of them are garbage anyway.

  Only reasonable subscription model to me is MMOs, because those require a complex infrastructure to run, but non-MMO games? No thank you, I’ll just turn to indies that still sell games without any live-service bullshit.

  source
• Mvlad88@lemmy.world ⁨58⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

  I was planning to cancel it a while ago but this actually made me do it.

  Why?

  • because of life obligations I consider myself lucky if I can play something once per week.
  • with the money that I spend on the subscription I can buy a (more) older game(s) and keep myself entertained for half a year.
  • having the latest releases is nice, but I can wait one year and buy it on some sale and if not… mneh… Whatever…
  • sure you get hundreds of games with Game Pass, but most of them are either noise or not my type of genre.
  • fuck Microsoft.

  source
• ch00f@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  My wife and I have been slowly over the last few years finding ways to cancel our subscriptions and just own things. If I want to play a vintage game, I buy a physical copy and boot up an emulator. We also set up navidrome and started collecting discs to rip. My wife backed up her spotify playlists before cancelling and we’re trying to find a way to link them to music tracks that we own and make a list of what we’re missing.

  Not a terribly challenging task, but I looked around online to see if anyone else was doing it. What I found was dozens of projects going the other way. People saying “I’m looking to ditch my MP3s and move to Spotify.”

  It’s certainly less work, but I wonder how all of these people will feel when they’re locked in and their monthly costs for these services increases and there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it.

  source

  • brbposting@sh.itjust.works ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I buy a physical copy

    🫡

    You two sound great (would beer)

    source

    • ch00f@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Pirated enough games in my childhood. It’s the last I could do.

      source
  • scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Definitely not alone. For the music I’ve rediscovered record stores. They’re great ways to fill in the gaps of your music library while also discovering new music. I buy CDs and take them home now, happy to keep them on my shelf.

    source

    • Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I switched to music streaming because hi res is too expensive for the amount of music I listen to.

      Movies are Garbage quality in streaming though, buying a Blu Ray is so much better and I don’t watch many movies anyways.

      source
  • Caesium@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I canceled spoofy earlier this year and have been slowly building my library proper ever since. honestly I’ve always preferred direct downloading my music over streaming because I can access it all offline, I only started using Spotify when my sd card corrupted and I lost all my music on it. tbf it was all pirated cause I was a broke kid but now that I’m buying everything I’m making sure to have backups and physical CDs when I can get them so it never has to be a problem again!

    and honestly it’s been SO FUN looking up artists and albums, listening to songs Ive previously ignored or were part of like a collaboration and realizing I really like them. i even got the guts to email one of my favorite artists to inquire about songs he didn’t have on his bandcamp (he sold the rights to em so he can’t sell the songs 😔) and now I look forward to the monthly album I buy to bolster my collection.

    source

    • ch00f@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      My wife loves bandcamp. Especially the sales where they give 100% of the revenue to the artist.

      source
  • uberdroog@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    This is the way. The new quiet revolution where we dont buy the bullshit anymore.

    source
  • otacon239@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Back in 2015 or so, I noticed some of the movies on Netflix that I wanted to rewatch disappeared. I caught on pretty early that this was going to be the case where all the good stuff cycles out, so I took to building a Blu-Ray collection. Now all of my favorites are quick and easy to get to.

    At some point I’m planning on digitizing the whole collection because I know discs degrade, but I’ve been hesitant because I don’t want to cook my drive’s laser in the process.

    source

    • ch00f@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      You can get bluray drives used for like $30. The real issue is the 4k drives because only certain older models let you rip those. They’re harder to replace.

      source

      • -> View More Comments
    • Blaster_M@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      You can always get a stack of usb dvd drives, and use those.

      source

      • -> View More Comments
  • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I agree with everything you’re saying, however it’s a bit much to claim anyone would ever be “locked in” can always just cancel the subscription lol

    source

    • ch00f@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Go ahead and try to buy a copy of Klaus on DVD.

      source

      • -> View More Comments
  • b34k@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Well, mp3s are crap. I’m sure if they had built a collection around flacs, they wouldn’t feel this way.

    source
  • BurntWits@sh.itjust.works ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    How are you liking navidrome? I’ve been using Jellyfin for everything, using the finamp app for music, and it’s been pretty good. I’ve heard good things about navidrome but I already had Jellyfin set up on my server so I just stuck with it for music too. I don’t have much music on there yet though so I’d consider moving over to navidrome if it was a considerable improvement. I did try to get it set up a few weeks back but couldn’t get it right away and got busy afterwards.

    source

    • ch00f@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      My wife is the music person, so I set it up for her. She seems to like it. I had funkwhale originally, but it doesn’t have nearly the features (though it does support multiple users’ libraries).

      The plan is to generate playlists in navidrome and match the filesystems so she can just drag them to her iPod. I haven’t looked into it all too much, but one annoying thing is that some things are kept in the database that I wish were plaintext. Like, I think you can rename files and whatever in the web interface, but it doesn’t modify the original files. I guess that’s okay if you’re nervous about busting your files, but I wish you had a little more control over it.

      source
• Supervisor194@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  This is the endgame of all subscriptions. I have not one. Purchase where they will let you purchase without DRM, for the rest: 🏴‍☠️

  source
• Dojan@pawb.social ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Right. Microsoft’s website is struggling. The same Microsoft whose core business model is selling server/cloud infrastructure? Yeah, I definitely believe that.

  source

  • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Counterpoint:

    Do you remember Xbox Live?

    source

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      The thing I hate the most about XBox live is it convinced Sony that they should make the PlayStation network paid for as well.

      Sure I know someone has to host all the shit, but man it sure would be nice to play games without having to pay for other services after paying for the game.

      The number of games you can play offline seemed to plumit after Microsoft/Sony made paid for network access.

      source

      • -> View More Comments
  • shalafi@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    They most likely, and purposefully, relegate few assets to a cancellation page.

    source

    • Dojan@pawb.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Yeah, that’s what was subtly hinting at.

      source
  • ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    This post tells me you’re not required to use Power Automate for work. It must be nice.

    source
  • TrickDacy@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    If you don’t believe Microsoft can fail at the things they’re supposed to be best at…lol …you 12?

    source

    • Dojan@pawb.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Right, they’re supposed to be best at letting you cancel their services. They could handle the traffic, I’m just sure they choose not to.

      source
• jjjalljs@ttrpg.network ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  It was always going to end like this. If you’re surprised, I hope you learned a valuable lesson.

  source
• Psythik@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Jesus Fucking Christ, it was $4.99/month a few years ago; what did Microsoft expect? Even at that price it was hardly worth paying for…

  I haven’t paid a subscription for entertainment for a handful of years now, but now I’m starting to understand why people are canceling streaming services en masse. Disney+ was $6.99/mo back when I had it but I heard it’s also $20-something a month now too. People just needed a good excuse to cancel, and now they have one.

  source

  • Gladaed@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

    At 5 euros a month it was a steal. It was an amazing value in the moment and games deflate quickly. Economic realities ended it. But that doesn’t mean it was shit.

    source
  • boonhet@sopuli.xyz ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Theoretically, now that Microsoft owns half the AAA studios, you could expect Gamepass to have a lot of day 1 AAA games.

    Unfortunately, they just bought all the studios and… ordered them to stop making games or something.

    I’d cancel if I hadn’t done it several years ago. Oh well.

    source
• Sonicdemon86@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  This was just the reminder I needed to cancel as I moved over to Linux and they don’t support Linux or have an app. Didn’t realize that it was going to go up again.

  source
• wideopenarms@hexbear.net ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Microsoft on BDS list: sleepi

  Microsoft make treat bigger price: treatler No more mr nice guy

  source
• theit8514@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Oh yea, I knew I forgot to cancel something after switching my gaming pc to Linux.

  source
• RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Just cancelled my subscription and 365 subscription. $360 back in my pocket every year.

  source

  • thingsiplay@beehaw.org ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Image

    source
• warm@kbin.earth ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  The inevitable, it was always going to rise, it was loss-leader to get market share.

  source

  • scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I tried telling so many people that and their answer was always either so what, or no it wont. Well, here we are. If you own a thing the price doesn’t go up

    source

    • Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      This is written like it was stupid of people to jump on game pass when it was cheap. I knew it would go the way of pretty much ever single online subscription eventually. Enshittification is inevitable. But it was absolutely a killer deal for a while there.

      source
• Corridor8031@lemmy.ml ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  how about not having to pay for playing online on the console? i know this is about ultimate but i am still pissed that i have to pay everytime i want to play something else online then fortnite

  source

  • BombOmOm@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Paying extra just to have access to multiplayer is one of the core reasons I sold my 360 and haven’t bought a console since. PS2 and latest PC are both golden!

    source
• Cruxifux@feddit.nl ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  WHAT? I didn’t fucking know that. Shouldn’t they notify you of shit like that? Me and my wife are both cancelling ours for sure.

  source
• iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I used to think Game Pass was a good idea but more and more I rather owning my games.

  (yeah, yeah, I know, you’re only buying a license)

  source

  • MonkeBizNES@lemmy.cafe ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Unless its from GOG of course, because then you really do own your game

    source

    • Gladaed@feddit.org ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Even there you only get a license. You don’t get to resell the copies. Or claim ownership.

      source

      • -> View More Comments
    • plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Unless you have limitless storage, you still can’t access the title when their servers go offline. So no you STILL don’t actually own it.

      This is the worst perpetuation of the GOG program that keeps getting tossed around.

      source

      • -> View More Comments
  • Zephorah@discuss.online ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    GOG. It’s not all games, but you can own some of them. Steam, in spite of the CEO that keeps it decent, started this lease under the guise of buying model.

    That said, subs are much worse. If the Disney/Kimmel situation taught us anything, it’s that boycotts work.

    Subs are costing most Americans, on average, $300/mo. (More Perfect Union covered it.). That’s a monthly grocery bill for 1-2, if you buy right and cook. Subs are part of the “squeeze” that siphons money to the top 1%.

    source

    • baggachipz@sh.itjust.works ⁨5⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

      If the Disney/Kimmel situation taught us anything, it’s that boycotts work.

      Counterpoint: Colbert

      source
    • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Loads of steam games can be played in offline mode and stored in drives. That always been a feature and has never changed.

      They just don’t need to promote it, who needs it knows about it, but people love circle jerking that GOG lets you own your titles. Both do, and both aren’t available to download when their servers are gone, so they are functionally identical.

      source
  • BigBananaDealer@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    i use gamepass as like a preview, if i really like a game ill just buy it (like south of midnight)

    source

    • plantfanatic@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Paying $20 a month for demos and buying hopefully not only that single game is a horrendous idea.

      source

      • -> View More Comments
• thingsiplay@beehaw.org ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Today I purchased 4 games on Steam sale in one go: Elite Dangerous: Deluxe Edition, DOOM Eternal Standard Edition, Hades and Slay the Spire for 18,34€. I don’t need to repay to play them and “own them forever”*****(big asterisk, i know!).

  The part of Game Pass that gets the the wrong the the most is, if I stop paying monthly, then I loose access to all games I played so far too. Yes, that’s the point of a subscription and I dislike it. To be honest, the price of Game Pass was really good in the past. But I usually focus at max a few games in a month anyway, including free to play, so having such a big library to choose from is not that big of a deal.

  source

  • winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨20⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

    Some games on steam are actually DRM free and you do ‘own’ them once downloaded. I think slay the spire is one but I could be remembering wrong.

    source

    • thingsiplay@beehaw.org ⁨12⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

      Right, there are lists for: steam.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games and pcgamingwiki.com/…/The_big_list_of_DRM-free_games…

      I can find Slay the Spire in the second list.

      source
  • GammaGames@beehaw.org ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Eternal was fun, I only got to it a few months ago!

    source
• Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I stopped subscribing when they first went up from $1/month.

  source

  • warm@kbin.earth ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    They used to constantly offer $1 offers, I'd take that for a month and try a game I was interested in. I got value there, but I'd never pay more than that and certainly not on a recurring basis.

    source
  • knatschus@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    For about a year I could cancel my 1€ subscription and renew it every other month 6€ for half a year was worth it. But the app lacks so much no way I’m paying more

    source

    • Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      That’s basically what I mean. I gamed the system until they closed the loophole. I found ONE game through it I would not have normally known or played. And that was Void Bastards.

      source
• TwinTitans@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Subscriptions are a scam and always have been. This was expected. I wouldn’t be surprised if they raise it again within 2026.

  source
• Korhaka@sopuli.xyz ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Never had it wanted gamepass

  source