Thanks, I had no idea, but even than, GamePass isn't a Streaming service. Its a gaming App. As someone mentioned afterwards, xCloud is the PSNow's future competitor not GamePass.

Thanks, I wasn't too sure if this was available on PC, but it does defeat the purpose a little if you have to own a X1 to allow it. 

That's a bit harsh, I mean if Sony wasnt serious like you claim than why did they recently start offering PS4 content? If they didnt care than wouldnt they have just kept it to previous systems?

It was once available on PS3, Vita, PSTV and select Smart TVs & Blu-Ray players but they trimmed the fat and got rid of it on devices where it wasnt being used hence why it's just on PS4 & PC now.

1. They will not be able to have Gamepass games running natively on PC or Switch, meaning Streaming is how that will work. So going forward, being able to natively download for non dedicated hardware is a moot point in this space.

2.And why would we/should we expect anything of the current status quo to change? Having a head start will definitely help them cement a foot in this space. And Hardware numbers of PS4 only tell part of the story of subscribers. This is supposed to be on multiple devices remember. 

Well I mean you just said it right ... they just recently started offering PS4 content ... that's ridiculous, lol. There was no technical reason to not offer that years ago. 

The whole point of streaming services, and MS gets this is about letting people play where they want, how they want, when they want. 

xCloud will be on smartphone, tablet, smart TV, PC, XBox, Switch ... Sony really didn't want to do this because they don't want a streaming service getting too popular. If it does, then really what does one need a PS5 for. They've held PSNow back/purposefully gimped it for years. 

MS simply isn't beholden to those rules. They don't have the same success with the traditional game market, so they don't really have much attachment to seeing it burn. 

I assume xCloud will be integrated into Game Pass.

My point is GamePass purpose is to eventually lead into Streaming(to be on more than just Xbox) which PSNow has beaten it to the punch in that regard. Not to mention, Sony added the ability to directly download a large portion of the games just like XB1 so that is a moot point.

The quality disparity could def be a big factor...but I question how much.  As Sony just said in their Keynote they had a week ago, average consumers do not look at games in pixel ratios. Sure, they latch on to the buzz words but mostly they just want to be able to have the experience for the cheapest and most unhindered.  Most of the kids playing on PC are using dated monitors and hardware by Elite Pro standards. Phones and Switch also are not sporting 4K visuals and why would they need to? People will go with what has more of perceived value, usually quality vs Price. 

PSNow can be the inferior performing streaming service....but if it is the service with more games and more exclusives on the devices that people predominantly own......then it can maintain it's lead. Not to mention no matter what MS does, their service will not have Sony exclusives which are likely a service seller and decider.

Youre missing my point. You're right that they could/should have added it earlier but if they didnt care and didnt want it to succeed than why are  they trying to add value to it? If they didnt care than they would have just left PS4 games off of it forever.

They also just announced last month that the service is coming later this year to Spain, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Finland & Sweden. Kind of weird to add regions to the service you dont want to succeed.

Sony is going to get trampled, if not by MS, by Amazon or Google. 

They are small potatoes compared to those companies and they have a major conflict of interest with streaming becoming too good. They can't make the service too good because then the problem is a lot of people will start to ask why they even need a PS5. MS doesn't really care if you buy a physical XBox or not. Obviously Google or Amazon don't care. That's a huge difference. 

For a 5 year old service PSNow is very poor. How is it they don't even have support for smartphones or tablets? What decade are they in? 2002? 

Because it keeps being said,

Is there any version of the universe where any of us expect Project xCloud and Gamepass to be two seperate entities? I am feeling like it goes without saying that they will be merged into each other. That seems counter productive to have them be separate.

xCloud will most likely will be integrated into GamePass and offer another option to play GamePass, however xCloud is MS's Streaming network. Once xCloud is integrated than we should be comparing. Right now with both services, its Apples to Oranges.

GamePass looks set to have a lot more potential in the long run than PSNow because it will be accessible to the world and not limited to countries. As well as offering a better Streaming experience with Cloud Computing plus the ability to be on more than just PC platforms like the rumoured Switch. PSNow will get bigger but what we are seeing with it right now is basically its full potential. They can only increase its regions but the actual service is average in terms of Streaming and limitations.