The service formerly known as xCloud, one of the main draws of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, may soon expand, according to industry insiders.
After a 50% price hike for Xbox Game Pass, it seems Microsoft is not yet finished restructuring its gaming services. According to The Verge, a new free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently undergoing internal testing, with a public beta announcement expected soon. The trade-off for this free version is that it will be ad-supported. Players will be able to stream free-to-play games, a selection of their own titles, and a library of Xbox Retro Classic games. Ads will work as follows: players must watch two minutes of advertisements before launching a game, and they’ll reportedly only receive five free hours of gameplay per month, divided into hourly sessions.
The service will be available on PCs, consoles, and handheld devices. The first public beta is expected to begin soon, with a full release planned in the coming months. Previous hints suggest Microsoft intends to make its cloud service more affordable, which ties in with the recent Game Pass pricing changes. Although the service’s price has increased by 50%, subscribing to the Ultimate tier is no longer required to use Xbox Cloud Gaming — even the most basic tier (Essential) now allows cloud-based game streaming.
It’s worth asking whether one-hour sessions and a total of five hours per month would truly satisfy users. Such limitations are unlikely to appeal to those primarily interested in cloud gaming, and will probably push them toward paying for the Game Pass Essential tier for a more reasonable experience. Even if this tier is free, players are unlikely to welcome it enthusiastically.
The console price hikes, followed by the removal of cost-saving features and subscriber discounts (which we’ll discuss later), combined with the probable introduction of more ads for those who just want to play, are unlikely to be well-received.
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