Great idea. They are shaping the Xbox as a version of the PC gaming systems in my opinion which is a good move because their operating system allows them to do things like this easier than Sony can. I like the idea of this and the demos before purchase is a great move too.
Mainly because people end up buying completely broken games that never get finished. At least with a free demo consumers can make a more informed decision whether to buy it or not.
Elite: Dangerous looks interesting. I'm not too big on the other titles but from what I saw of Eliteangerous it caught my eye. I think the idea of Early Access is a smart move on Microsoft's part. I feel like Sony had some great things but Microsoft just had my jaw on the floor a lot of the time. The three biggest Sony announcements that had me screaming at my television were the FInal Fantasy 7 Remake, Shenmue 3 and The Last Guardian.
But think about how this is working out on steam right now. It's been on steam for two years running so far. Some have been praising it. Others haven't been as kind about it.
Honestly, the whole early access idea is silly. Why did companies stop making demos in the first place? Because this is just a hyped up demo system that Steam created and xbox is now copying.
I guess this could work, as long as users are allowed to try the game before buying them then it is a great thing but its a double edged sword. Some people might take entitlement of this and use the preview of a game as an excuse to bash the developers without really knowing what they're getting into. Early access games are hit and miss on steam because you're buying into alpha and beta stages of games, and most people know this but for some reason expect a completely polished game while overlooking the fact that most triple A developed games release in just as of a buggy state as a indie developed game.
From that list of games however they are at least decently polished "early access" games that have mostly been "released/launched" so there shouldn't be a problem I think.
I'm not too big on the other titles but from what I saw of Elite
angerous it caught my eye. I think the idea of Early Access is a smart move on Microsoft's part. I feel like Sony had some great things but Microsoft just had my jaw on the floor a lot of the time. The three biggest Sony announcements that had me screaming at my television were the FInal Fantasy 7 Remake, Shenmue 3 and The Last Guardian.