Microsoft is reportedly preparing to launch a free ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming.
According to The Verge‘s ever-reliable Tom Warren, the tech giant is testing this new tier among employees now. With it, those on Xbox consoles, PC, mobile and the web will be able to stream select Xbox Game Pass titles. Warren adds that Xbox is planning for this version of Xbox Cloud Gaming to let you stream some games you own, as well as certain titles it sometimes makes available for free for weekends and Xbox Retro Classics from Activision.
Outside of that, Warren says the internal testing includes around two minutes of preroll ads before beginning to stream a game. Microsoft is currently limiting tests to one-hour sessions and up to five free hours per month, though Warren notes this could change upon an official launch. That would be comparable to what Nvidia offers with the free tier of its GeForce Now streaming service.
Finally, Warren reports that Xbox is preparing to roll out a public beta soon for the free version of Cloud Gaming ahead of a full launch in the coming months. However, it’s unclear when that might be. Xbox Cloud Gaming itself finally exited beta earlier this week.
Interestingly, Microsoft has been publicly floating the idea of a free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming for at least two years now. That said, the timing of this new report isn’t exactly the best for Microsoft. Earlier this week, the company jacked prices of its Xbox Game Pass service, with Ultimate going up a whopping $11 in Canada. This led to a surge in Google searches for how to cancel Game Pass. All the while, Xbox consoles are even pushing fullscreen ads for Game Pass.
All of this comes amid increasing frustration with Xbox over the thousands of employees it’s laid off following its $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition, confusing messaging about the Xbox platform and price increases for Xbox hardware and other products in May. (In regards to that last point, Canadians were, for once, actually lucky, as Xbox raised console prices again in September, but only in the U.S. — for now, at least.)
Image credit: Xbox
Source: The Verge
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