Microsoft ends Game Pass $1 trial again
Microsoft gets rid of the Game Pass trial again, ahead of Starfields release.
It seems like Microsoft wants to avoid people paying $1 for Starfield as their $1 14-day trial is gone once again, conveniently right before the release of their biggest game of the year. It sucks for gamers who saved their $1 offer just for Starfield, but it makes sense that Microsoft would want more incentive for their other Game Pass offers for such a big release.
Microsoft had just brought back the $1 trial earlier this year and not only was the conversion ratio a bit worse, the trial had been cut in half from 28 days to 14 days. Anyway, I imagine Microsoft will eventually bring back the $1 trial every so often and use it sparingly.
Baldur Gate 3 is coming to Xbox Series X/S later this year!
The Xbox Series S is not keeping Baldur's Gate 3 from Xbox platforms any longer.
After being delayed because of split-screen difficulties for Xbox Series S hardware, it looks like Microsoft managed to get Baldur Gate 3 back on track for release later this year. It seems the compromise was for Baldur Gate 3 to not feature split-screen co-op at launch on Xbox Series S.
The news was announced via the official Xbox Twitter page. All hope is not all lost on split-screen for Xbox Series S as they also said they'd continue to work with Larian Studios to explore the addition of split-screen post-launch. This is great news for those bummed out on the missing feature and for those looking forward to the game in general. There is no official date on the release of Baldur Gate 3 at the moment, so stay tuned to Consoleloop for more info!
Sony files trademarks for Astro Bot
Sony recently filed trademarks for their 3D platforming franchise Astro Bot which could indicate a new game is coming soon.
On August 25th Sony Interactive Entertainment filed two trademarks for Astro Bot in Europe. The last Astro Bot game was a free game that comes with the PlayStation 5, titled Astro's Playroom. Though short, It was one of my favorite next-gen games that I played. Hopefully, this means a future Astro Bot game is on the way.
Maximum Football delayed to 2024
The first real football competitor to Madden, Maximum Football, has been delayed to sometime in 2024.
For the second time this year, Maximum football has been delayed. It was first set to be released in early access for PC in the Spring, they've announced you'll now have to wait till sometime in 2024 to get your fill of Maximum Football. They've also announced a planned beta at some point before early excess. For me, this is good news, as I'd rather have a good football game than a rushed-out mediocre football game. Hopefully, this leads to a better game, check out some questions they answered below.
Question 1: Why the delay?
Even though we’ve been pleased with the progress of development thus far, we feel that to deliver a title that meets or exceeds expectations more time is needed for development.
Question 2: What is Early Access?
Early Access is a place where games are playable in an alpha or beta state while they are under continued development. Games in Early Access should be considered unfinished. The reason for Early Access is it allows gamers to play and provide feedback to help shape a game and its features.
Question 3: When is Early Access available?
2024
Question 4: Why bring MXFB to Steam Early Access instead of releasing the full game?
We believe that providing access to players in an early state allows us to gather crucial feedback from the community to build the best possible experience.
Nintendo announced a Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct
Soon we will be getting another look at Super Mario Bros. Wonder, come check out the scheduled times!
It looks like we'll get a whole Nintendo Direct dedicated to Super Mario Bros. Wonder before its release on October 20th. The Nintendo Direct is scheduled to be live-streamed on August 31st, 7 AM Pacific Time and 10 AM Eastern Time. As a fan of the old-school, 2D Mario games, I can't wait to see more.
Sony is increasing PlayStation Plus prices substantially
It was only a matter of time yet the price increase came out of nowhere.
It's not looking positive for PlayStation Plus members as Sony has decided to raise the price of all three PlayStation Plus tiers starting September 6th. The Essential tier includes online access and monthly games which will now cost $80 vs. the previous price of $60 a year. The Extra tier includes a PS4 and PS5 game catalog on top of the Essential features will be increasing from $100 to $135. Finally, the Premium tier includes cloud streaming on top of the Extra features will be increasing from $120 to $160.
The last PlayStation Plus price increase occurred in 2016 going from $50 to $60. Unfortunately, as time passes inflation will certainly cause the price of services to increase and if we use a calculator the value of $60 in 2016 is comparable to $77 now. It seems Sony has decided to increase their prices based on the inflation rate rather than increasing the value of its offering.
What’s even more interesting is the possible reaction in the PlayStation community. In 2021, Microsoft faced a backlash for trying to increase the price of Xbox Live Gold to $70 but due to the negative reaction, it canceled those plans. Of course, the value of Xbox Live Gold only decreased in value until Microsoft replaced it with Xbox Game Pass Core. Will Sony be forced to scrap its plans as well?
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