Microsoft is About To Launch Free Xbox Cloud Gaming With Ads

An anonymous reader shares a report from The Verge: Microsoft is getting ready to announce an ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The Verge that the software maker has started testing ad-supported games streaming internally, allowing employees to play select titles free without a Game Pass subscription.

I understand that the free ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming will include the ability to stream some games you own, as well as eligible Free Play Days titles, which let Xbox players try games over a weekend. You'll also be able to stream Xbox Retro Classics games. Sources tell me the internal testing includes around two minutes of preroll ads before a game is available to stream for free through Xbox Cloud Gaming. [...] The ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming version will be available on PC, Xbox consoles, handheld devices, and via the web.

Don't tell me

[Tablizer]

...as soon as one gets good, it will ask for cash.

Re:

[Joe_Dragon]

well each X hours of game play makes the ad's per hour go up.
Now will it be like tv with up 20 minutes of ads per hour?

Re:

[luther349]

clear response to the subscriber crash they got for increasing prices.

I'm a fanboy, and they lost me...

[RamenMan]

I've been on Xbox Live since the service first started- I believe I was in some sort of preview beta. I jumped on GamePass right when it started and now I have 4 separate accounts (3 for my kids, and 1 for me).

They just raised the price for GamePass Ultimate to $30/month, up $10...

$120 per month for gaming is way too much for me. I need to drop all of my accounts, and there is no way I will go to an ad-supported tier. Also, I was planning to upgrade one of my Xboxes to a Series X, but they just raised the price on that too, so that is a no-go.

I'm not even a curmudgeon. I am very much a Microsoft/Xbox fanboy (check my comment history). They have managed to lose me completely after 24 years, which is amazing. I've got 4 Xboxes now, but this isn't the first time I've had that many. I had 4 360's just so I could have people over for multiplayer.

Now I will just play Balatro on my phone.

Re:

[Talon0ne]

Sounds like me. Get a PS5 and the controller alone will make you smile. No bloat in the UI and it never changes. I've had it for a few years now and the UI doesn't constantly change, no ads, its just great.

Re:

[luther349]

only because sony streaming fell on its face and they never got to act together.

Re:

[Mirddes]

playstation is just as much of a scam. PC gaming with an OS and form-factor of your choice is the way.

Re:

[sound+vision]

Now I hear of a $1,000 price tag for the new portables. At that price, you might as well drop a few extra hundred and get a gaming PC.

Re:

[Zelucifer]

Why would you do that? You can Easily share a game pass subscription between two accounts, and use them both at the same time. You just set the second console as the "home console" for your main account, and that xbox now has game pass, as does your main account. Than you do the same thing with your third and fourth account.

Latency

[sound+vision]

I've always wondered who would find the latency of "cloud gaming" acceptable.

Now I think I've figured it out - the same people who consider the latency on their living room TV to be acceptable.

Once you've gamed on a decent 120 Hz+ monitor there's no going back. Unless maybe you're playing a turn-based, menu-based RPG with absolutely no time-based game mechanics. (Having a hard time thinking of one - Final Fantasy 1 maybe?)

Re:

[Mirddes]

honestly unless you're playing competitive FPS titles then a locked 60fps is good enough. get back to me when the 100ms latency on audio is dropped to 0-2ms.

Re:

[sound+vision]

My audio interface (Boss ME-80) has single-digit ms latency configurable with ASIO drivers. That's over USB, you can probably get PCIE cards with lower.

Anything with adds is not free

[Big Bipper]

Anything with adds is not free. You are paying with your eyeballs and your time. Mine is too valuable to piss away on anything from Microsoft.