Xbox is testing a new option for Game Pass that offers a rare value benefit for gamers. Starting today, users that are part of the Xbox Insider program will be able to test the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta on Game Pass Core and Standard tiers. Currently, that service is only available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
It’s a rare example, especially these days, of a gaming service offering an increase in value. There have been numerous stories of Game Pass increasing its price, but bringing cloud gaming to gamers on a budget is a definite check in the plus column.
Several days ago, Microsoft seemed to hint that something like this was coming. Jason Ronald, Microsoft’s VP of Next Generation, discussed the plans on an episode of the Xbox podcast. There is also discussion that Microsoft might offer an ad-supported tier for Game Pass, but that’s just a rumor for now; there has been no official confirmation one way or the other.
In addition, select titles from the PC Game Pass library will be available for Core and Standard members, too. These will only be playable on a PC or a Windows handheld, though; you still won’t be able to load up PC games on console. Perhaps in the future, Xbox players will be able to access PC games by playing through mouse and keyboard, but that feature isn’t available yet.
“One of the things we see is there’s a lot of players who use Game Pass Ultimate to access the cloud, whether that’s the primary way they play, or an additional way to play on the go,” says Ronald. “I think for us, it really opens up the opportunity to make it much more affordable, and make it more accessible to players. Whether that’s going into new regions, or new ways to actually access the [Xbox] cloud,” as transcribed by The Verge.
