Microsoft's Project xCloud game streaming service will become part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate this September, at no additional cost.

Phil Spencer announced the merging of the two subscriptions in a new blog post highlighting the company's player-first approach with Xbox Series X. It's worth noting that xCloud services will only be included with the Ultimate version of Xbox Game Pass, not an individual console or PC subscription. We also don't know exactly when or where the services will be combined - only sometime in September in unspecified "supported countries" - but it clearly won't be an isolated change.

This is yet another push from Microsoft to beef up its digital, subscription-based game libraries in an effort to build a cross-gen Xbox ecosystem. xCloud has also been coming to more and more countries this year, making it much more accessible than it was when it launched.

"With cloud gaming in Game Pass Ultimate, you will be able to play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles on your phone or tablet," Spencer says. "And because Xbox Live connects across devices, you can play along with the nearly 100 million Xbox Live players around the world. So when Halo Infinite launches, you and your friends can play together and immerse yourselves in the Halo universe as Master Chief – anywhere you go and across devices."

Halo Infinite, like many first-party Xbox games, will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one. However, only a portion of Xbox Game Pass games support xCloud streaming. So while you shouldn't expect to be able to play all first-party Xbox games through remote devices, there will be a decent selection on xCloud. Several big Xbox games are already on the service, including Forza Horizon 4, Forza Motorsport 7, Halo 5, Gears 5.

Coincidentally, Microsoft just unveiled a new controller designed for playing xCloud games on your phone.



Posted: Jul 16, 2020 12:19 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/xcloud-will-be-free-with-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-from-september/