Ask Paul: June 9 (Premium)

After two straight weekends of being out of state, it's nice to finally be home for a while. And there's no better way to get the weekend started a bit early than some great reader questions.

Speaking of which, wildfires in Canada created a dangerous situation in my area this past week as the smoke descended into the Lehigh Valley, triggering our worst-ever air quality index (AQI) scores. That explains the weird sun image above.

PC gaming
helix2301 asks:

Just a question I was thinking about being a PC gamer myself and being a PC game pass member myself I like it because I get a bunch of games I like for free. Who do you think Microsofts competition is in this space? Steam? I cant think of any subscription based gaming companies for PC. Maybe that's why Microsoft doing well with it cause its different?

There are many advantages to PC gaming, and the diversity of choice is high on the list. If you think about Microsoft's response to the UK CMA trying to block its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it's really about the misunderstanding that game streaming is in some way a different or new market when in fact it's just another way to play games. (And more specifically, Microsoft doesn't actually sell a streaming-only subscription, so Xbox Cloud Gaming is instead a perk of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.)

The relationship of Game Pass to Steam, Epic Games, or whatever is similar: these are just different ways to do the same thing: play games on your PC. And each has its own pros and cons. Steam and Epic Games are what I'd call traditional PC game stores that offer games for sale, so you pay whatever the price and then own that game and can install it on various PCs you may own. PC Game Pass is a subscription service in which you pay a monthly fee and gain access to some library of games, but you must download and install each before you can play. And Xbox Cloud Gaming takes the PC Game Pass piece and adds game streaming. All different means to the same end.

But Microsoft doesn't have a direct competitor to PC Game Pass, I guess. There are competing services on consoles like PlayStation Plus from Sony, and that offering does offer PC game streaming too (so it's more analogous to Xbox Game Ultimate). GeForce NOW kind of turns things on their head by offering streaming of PC games you already own, but only multiple device types. Etc.

But to my original point, the nice thing here is that you can mix and match. You might have some game libraries across Steam, Epic Games, and whatever else, and still subscribe to PC Game Pass or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as well. You're well served no matter which you prefer. (And Microsoft is trying to consolidate access to your games across these services through Xbox Game Bar, which provides links to each.)
Tempted by the Apple
sabertooth920 asks:

Setting aside the hype and hyperbole, do you think Apple will be the one to get VR/AR right?  $3500.00 seems like a pretty serious barrier to entr...

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