Ever since the MLB 2K series' cancellation in early 2014, Xbox owners have been either without a baseball title or relegated to a second-tier game like RBI Baseball or a non-licensed product like Super Mega Baseball.

Beginning later this month, Sony's top-tier MLB The Show will be available for the Xbox family of consoles. That availability is a major win, but that's not the main reason an Xbox Series X|S are now the best next-gen consoles for baseball gamers to purchase over the PlayStation 5.

On Friday, Xbox announced MLB The Show 21 would be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one for Series X|S, Xbox One, and Android phones and tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) for Ultimate members.

Game Pass is an Xbox-exclusive service that costs $9.99 for console owners. It includes access to a vault of titles (of which MLB The Show 21 will be included), Xbox Game Studio titles the same day they release, and discounts on content for members.

The Ultimate version of the service is $14.99. Naturally, it includes everything in the basic package, but the free games access extends out to some PC and Android mobile titles. The aforementioned Beta-testing Xbox Cloud Gaming feature allows gamers to play on their Android phones and tablets.

Lastly, it includes a subscription to EA Play (a similar service exclusive to EA titles) and Xbox Live Gold.

It's a relatively safe bet; there are a good number of baseball gamers who also play Madden, NHL, FIFA, and NBA 2K. If they are on the fence about which system they should purchase, this is the kind of deal that might push them toward an Xbox.

The Xbox Game Pass is a decent deal on its own, but including a brand-new sports release–especially one like The Show making its Microsoft debut–is a difference-maker.

As an owner of Xbox and PlayStation next-gen consoles, I can tell you the real-feel specs on the systems aren’t all that noticeable at this point. The PS5 controller is built well and feels a lot better in my hands, but I wouldn’t say that supersedes getting one of my favorite games as a part of an existing subscription service. If you’re a hardcore baseball video game fan, and/or a holdover from previous generations of Sony consoles, this should be an attention-grabber.

Considering The Show is developed by Sony San Diego Studios, it will be interesting to see if there are any PlayStation Plus-related deals for The Show 21 or if Xbox users are receiving an exclusive welcome-to-the-party offer.