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Xbox Starts 2025 with Rewards Overhaul and a PS5-Inspired Controller
The new year started fast in the Xbox land as Microsoft announced significant updates to its Rewards program. The program's key features will now extend to the PC Game Pass, starting on Jan. 7, 2025.
Once the update fully rolls out, PC Game Pass users will be able to earn points for completing various tasks like playing specific games. The rewards interface will also receive an interface change to make it user-friendly. Tracking tasks, rewards, and ongoing events will be much easier.
The rivalry between the Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus membership has been fierce over the last few years. At one point, Microsoft finally caused Sony to give in and feature a game collection with its membership, just like the Xbox Game Pass. However, Microsoft somewhat lost its edge with the constant tweaks to its system, which made the Xbox Game Pass somewhat confusing, especially for new releases.
Xbox Game Pass Core and Standard often missed out on "day one on Game Pass." Even Game Pass Ultimate skipped out on some releases, and this situation worsened the membership for users who've played the majority of its library. While the Game Pass is still an excellent tool for new players looking to go through its extensive library, active gamers looking to play new releases every year saw nearly no benefits. The rewards program could potentially revive the program for its churning users, but it also fails to address the complaints.
Beyond the rewards program, a new controller enters the market and looks almost identical to a PS5 controller. The controller is compatible with Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. This controller targets players who prefer PS5's DualSense button layout even when playing games on Xbox or PC. Hyperkin hasn't released any pricing details. However, pricing it around the same level as the OG controller, $60-70, could be a convincing factor for fans looking to make a change.
Overall, from a marketing standpoint, it could be wrong to rely only on the controller's PS5-like layout. While competitive players could value the form factor and button layouts highly, the majority of players will often prefer the most affordable choices in the market. This controller could see a sizable demand from long-time PlayStation fans who are looking for a PC controller.