Microsoft is borrowing from the GeForce Now playbook.
Microsoft is testing a way to let users stream certain games they own for free. Rather than paying for Game Pass to access cloud gaming features, Xbox Insiders will be able to stream select games from their libraries at no additional cost. They will have to watch some commercials first.
These ad-supported cloud gaming sessions are limited to one hour, just like on GeForce Now. The test will be available for a limited time, Microsoft said. The company noted that the ads would not interrupt gameplay and that it kept “ads at the same level of quality as our content.” It will also “ensure that ads match what players expect on each platform.” It was reported last year that Xbox was preparing an ad-supported cloud gaming service.
Microsoft is touting this as a way to “give more people more affordable ways to play”, just days before raising prices on Xbox consoles again. The company has also increased prices for Game Pass subscriptions over the past two years (although it reversed course a few months ago). It turns out that Microsoft announced this test the same day that Amazon began integrating its Luna cloud gaming service into the Prime Video application.
