Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) will launch Project xCloud, its game streaming service, in September to Paying Xbox Game Pass Ultimate customers.
Xbox Games Pass Subscribers to get free xCloud
The subscribers of Xbox Games Pass Ultimate will get free access to Project xCloud. Currently, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs around $14.99 per month, and it offers players access to more than 100 games on PC and consoles. According to Microsoft’s head of Xbox division, Phil Spencer, Subscribers will get free access to a select collection of games.
Spencer indicated in a blog post that they will bundle Project xCloud together with Xbox Game Pass at no extra costs for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber. He added that players will access close to 100 game titles on their tablet or phone once the streaming platform launches with the combination. The company has, however, detailed the countries the launch will support yet. However, it has been developing Azure data centers in the US and in some parts of Europe with Xbox One S blades, which will enable the streaming of games through the Cloud. The plan is to upgrade the servers to Xbox Series X hardware by next year.
Gamers to play games through phones and tablets with xCloud
This is effectively the commercial launch of the xCloud service that allows gamers to play games through their phones or tablets as the game runs in remote servers. Players have to register to get an invite to the preview version of the streaming service. The integration of the offer into Xbox Game Pass commercializes the tech and offers players a wide range of gamers on the Xbox Live community.
Considering the feature will be free, it means that usage of the technology will be widespread across subscribers. This will allow most players to try this distribution technology, its limitations as well as advantages. The development comes ahead of the launch of the Xbox Series X console. There has been growing competition in the cloud gaming space with companies such as Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) also launching streaming services.
