We’ve talked about how we’re experimenting with other models, like what does it mean for advertising in games which is more prevalent in mobile – are there models of that that work well in PC and console? Are there other models where you might have timed slices of games and stuff like that? Providing creators with options and choice enables them to experiment and do what they like, and actually create more immersive and creative experiences without having to fit into a mould.”

As for advertising in games, it wouldn’t be too surprising—last year there was some noise going around the internet that Microsoft could start allowing ads in free-to-play games. There were also rumors of a cheaper, ad-supported Xbox Game Pass tier in the works. So far neither has become a reality.

Bond didn’t elaborate on what exactly was meant by “timed slices of games,” but it sounds like episodic releases for certain games, which has been done in the past with as with certain Telltale Games releases. Or it could simply mean paid game trials, as a way for gamers to try out a title at a smaller cost before going all-in on a full game purchase.

Wither way, better business model diversity can only spell a win for Xbox game developers.

Introducing ROG’s first gaming handheld console!
Taking your PC games out of your gaming room is no longer a fantasy!

Play wherever you are, whenever you want. With the #ROGALLY, you’ll never have to stop gaming again!

Notify me https://t.co/ljc2GNN0UU#ROG pic.twitter.com/6iqyGbTGa4

— ROG Global (@ASUS_ROG) April 1, 2023

The company further added it would cost you $699.99 in the United States and £699 in the United Kingdom to get your hands on the entry. Users can start to make their preorders now from retailers like Best Buy.

ROG Ally standouts out from its competitors like Steam Deck in numerous ways. Here’s everything we need to know about this entry:

First up, while making the announcement Asus indicated that users will get access to Xbox’s Game Pass Ultimate subscription for three months right out of the box for free.

Next up, the ROG Ally features an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor that’s built on AMD’s Zen 4 architecture bundled with AMD RDNA 3 architecture-based graphics.

The handheld console will run on Windows 11, which typically means users will have access to the same games they are used to playing on their laptops. The entry ships with a 7-inch screen display which features a 1080p resolution for your gameplay experience. Asus also indicated that the device ships with support for modern AAA gaming titles.

Similar to other handheld gaming consoles, the ROG Ally can also be connected to a dock which will help you enhance your gaming visual experience since you can link it to your TV or monitor.

The device comes with external GPU support, This means that users can enhance the ROG Ally’s performance by connecting it to the GPU on their computers.

It’ll be interesting to see how the device’s battery will perform. While making purchases of these handheld consoles, most users consider their battery life. And while ROG Ally’s competitors such as Steam Deck have been able to make hit incredible features as far as the device’s performance is concerned, the battery life still poses a big issue.

While getting started with ROG Ally, Xbox Wire’s Rubenstein indicated that:

As soon as I signed in, the ROG Ally seamlessly detected that I’m a Game Pass Ultimate member, and even automatically connected to my home Wi-Fi – it’s the little things! Of course, it’s the big things too, like access to all the games I’ve previously purchased from the Windows Store, seamlessly syncing my progress thanks to Xbox cloud saving, and access to Steam, Epic, Battle.net, Ubisoft+, EA Play and much, much more. If your gaming PC can play it, the ROG Ally probably can too.

You can make your preorder right now, or wait till the entry officially starts shipping next month. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Now Xbox has released a new ad for Game Pass, titled “Xbox Game Pass – Love what you discover.” Running at just under one minute, the ad highlights both recent and upcoming Game Pass titles including the aforementioned Minecraft Legends as well as Redfall (releasing tomorrow on May 2), Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, Forza Motorsport, and Starfield, along with others.

For the short term, May is looking to be another solid month for Game Pass, with seven forthcoming additions that we know of so far. See below.

• Redfall (May 2)
• Ravenlok (May 4)
• Fuga: Melodies Of Steel 2 (May 11)
• Amnesia: The Bunker (May 23)
• Cassette Beasts (May 25)
• Railway Empire 2 (May 25)
• Farworld Pioneers (May 30)

And no doubt there will be more announcements as the month moves along. If you don’t already have a Game Pass subscription, you can sign up here. To learn more visit the Xbox Game Pass FAQ page.

• Bugsnax
• Destroy All Humans!
• Dragon Quest Builders 2
• Tetris Effect: Connected
• Unsouled

The good thing is that Xbox Game Pass subscribers can buy these games at a discount of at least 20%. Xbox Store links are provided in the list. So if there is anything on the list you can’t live without, now is the time to act. Is there anything on the list you’re sorry to see go? Let us know in the comments. To learn more, head on over to the Xbox Game Pass FAQ page.

Loop Hero (Console and PC) – April 4 

The Lich has thrown the world into a timeless loop and plunged its inhabitants into neverending chaos. Wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero. Recover and equip powerful loot for each class of hero for their battles and expand the survivors’ camp to reinforce each adventure through the loop. Unlock new classes, new cards, perks, and devious guardians on your quest to shatter the endless cycle of despair.—From the Xbox Store description.

Iron Brigade (Cloud and Console) – April 6

Protect humanity from the evil Monovision menace in this Tower Defense Shooter from Tim Schafer’s Double Fine Productions. Join The Mobile Trench Brigade! Use a combination of mobile firepower and stationary defenses to turn the tide of war in our favor. Customize your trench with thousands of possible loadouts. March side by side with allies from around the world as you fight your way through Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. The Mobile Trench Brigade. Walk with us.—From the Xbox Store description.

Ghostwire: Tokyo (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 12

Face the unknown, uncover the truth and save the city.

Tokyo is overrun by deadly supernatural forces as a dangerous occultist causes the city’s population to vanish in an instant. Join forces with a powerful spectral entity on their quest for vengeance and master a powerful arsenal of abilities to unravel the dark truth behind the disappearance as you FACE THE UNKNOWN in Ghostwire: Tokyo.—From the official Xbox Store description.

NHL 23 (Console) EA Play – April 13

EA SPORTS NHL® 23 is greater together. Get the best players in the world on one lineup with the introduction of mixed women’s and men’s teams in HUT. Currently planned for November 2022, the arrival of cross-platform matchmaking for players on the same platform generation in WOC means deeper player pools, shorter queue times, and more teams for your squad to square up against. And now, add to your highlight reel with over 500 new Last Chance Puck Movement gameplay animations that let you control how a play unfolds after any level of contact is taken, from performing passes out of stumbles to desperation shots from the ice. Plus, overhauled strategy systems allow you to easily gameplan and finetune your playmaking skills. So grab your friends and gear up for the most dynamic, connected, and visually rich version of Chel yet.—From the Xbox Store description.

Minecraft Legends (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 18

The piglins’ Nether corruption is spreading across the Overworld, scorching everything it touches. Are you the hero who will protect this gentle land? Plan your strategy and face the piglins in epic battles – but be warned: they always fight back. Take on piglin bases by day and defend your allies after dusk. Explore lush biomes filled with treasures and perils, meet new friends, and reunite with familiar mobs. With the allays by your side, all that’s left to do is save the world.—From the Xbox Store description.

Wrap up

April is already shaping up to be a great month for Game Pass subscribers, especially with two big releases already on the slate with Minecraft Legends and Ghostwire: Tokyo. And you can bet there is more in the works for Game Pass in April.

Featured image via Xbox Wire.

Anyway, it isn’t too often that Microsoft opts to pull its own first-party games from Game Pass. See below for the full list of Game Pass removals, round 1 for April 2023.

• Life is Strange: True Colors (Xbox, PC)
• Moonglow Bay (Xbox, PC)
• Panzer Corps 2 (PC)
• The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos (Xbox, PC)
• The Long Dark (Xbox, PC)
• The Riftbreaker (Xbox, PC)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Xbox)
• Quantum Break (Xbox)

Games are typically removed from Game Pass in two waves at the middle and end of each month. The good news is that discounts on these games are available for Game Pass subscribers before their removal. Anyone interested in Game Pass can sign up here. To learn more head over to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate FAQ page.

Featured image via Daily Star. 

Microsoft says it is “evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future,” according to head of global communications at Xbox Kari Perez. So it isn’t all bad news. What exactly these new promotional offers might look like remains to be seen.

Microsoft recently expanded PC Game Pass to new territories and is also rolling out, albeit slowly, the new Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family Plan, which allows subscribers to share Game Pass with up to five people under one subscription. Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family Plan is currently available in Colombia, Chile, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sweden.

Featured image via Gamespot. 

• A Memoir Blue
• Chinatown Detective Agency
• Clustertruck
• Double Dragon Neon
• Kraken Academy!!
• MLB The Show 22
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid

No doubt at least a few of these Game Pass removals will sting for some. However in the case of MLB The Show 22, the game is merely being removed to make room for the current follow-up: MLB The Show 23.

The good part is that these games are typically discounted for Game Pass subscribers, so if there’s anything on the list you can’t live without then now is the time to act via the Xbox Store links in the list. Which of these games are you most disappointed to see go? Tell us down in the comments.

• Guilty Gear -Strive- (March 7)
• Dead Space 2 (Xbox Cloud Gaming) (March 9)
• Dead Space 3 (Xbox Cloud Gaming) (March 9)
• Valheim (Xbox Game Pass) (March 14)
• Sid Meier’s Civilization IV (March 16)
• Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (The Prince’s Edition) (March 21)

Note that Dead Space 2 and 3 were both already available on Xbox Game Pass; their inclusion here notes that these survival horror games are getting cloud gaming access. And Valheim was already on PC Game Pass, but will now be playable via Xbox Game Pass soon as well.

No doubt JRPG fans will rejoice at the inclusion of another Ni no Kuni game alongside Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered. As a reminder for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, another 8 games will be removed from the service on March 15th.

Merge & Blade—February 28

Experience an addictive fantasy puzzler and a massive auto-battler in the world’s first puzzle auto-battler game!

Soul Hackers 2—February 28

Explore a supernatural RPG with stylish summoners and dark dangers lurking under cyberpunk Japan.

F1 22 (EA Play)—March 2

PC Game Pass & Ultimate members can get behind the wheel on March 2 as F1 22 joins The Play List with EA Play.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty—March 3

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a dramatic, action-packed story of a nameless militia soldier fighting for survival in a dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty where demons plague the Three Kingdoms.

Available day one on Xbox Game Pass: Atomic Heart

And don’t forget that a highly-anticipated shooter comes day one to Game Pass today (February 21st), that being none other than Atomic Heart.

Atomic Heart - Premium Edition (Pre-order) (Free, Microsoft Store) →

In a mad and sublime utopian world, take part in explosive encounters. Adapt your fighting style to each opponent, use your environment and upgrade your equipment to fulfill your mission. If you want to reach the truth, you’ll have to pay in blood.

Wrap up

What do you think of Xbox Game Pass so far in 2023? Is there anything on this list that’s got you excited for next week? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.

Via Pure Xbox. 

Featured image via Xbox.com.