Microsoft has announced the ability for players to stream Xbox games from their libraries without the need for an Xbox Game Pass subscription. The only catch is you’ll need to put up with some ads before getting in on the action.
The test, which is now available to Xbox Insiders, only applies to games owned by the users and sessions are currently limited to one hour. Microsoft says the core game experience is unchanged during those sessions and says it is adamant that ads do not interrupt the flow of gameplay. Microsoft says any ads will be of quality and “create value” for the players.
“We’ll learn from this test and continue to improve it based on how players use it and what they tell us. Our goal is simple. Give more people more affordable ways to play,” the company says in a blog post.
The chief advantage of this should be enabling gamers with Xbox One consoles to play games built for the Xbox Series X/S, via cloud streaming. Those users would still have to buy the games, but after that it’ll be possible to stream the games on the older generation console.
It’s also a boost for owners of dedicated gaming handhelds with access to the Xbox app although Microsoft does say there are supported devices and regions without listing those in the blog post. Gamers with Xbox Game Pass subscriptions already have cloud access to select games from their libraries ad-free, so this does open things up a little more to those without the means or desire to sign up for a sub.
The announcement comes months after it was rumoured Microsoft was planning for this eventuality as a means to give gamers more options. The company has also restructured Game Pass to make it more affordable, removing Call of Duty games from the library.
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