To recall, the service is currently being beta tested and has been made available to select users free of cost in select regions. (Image: Microsoft)
Microsoft has announced that its cloud gaming service, called Project xCloud, will launch in September. It has stated that the service will be made available Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers free of cost. The Ultimate subscription is priced at $15 (approximately Rs 1,100) per month and provides players with access to a library of games for play on Xbox consoles or Windows PC. Additionally, with xCloud, users will get access to over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles for your phone and tablet.
Xbox team head, Phil Spencer in a blog post said that with cloud gaming bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, will mean that gamers will “no longer locked to the living room.” He also said that with the help of the xClud service, gamers will be able to continue their games wherever they left off.
To recall, the service is currently being beta tested and has been made available to select users free of cost in select regions. The company has not revealed an exact date for the launch of the service, neither it has provided us with the details about the specific regions it will initially be made available in. At launch, the service will go up against Google’s Stadia cloud gaming platform, which starts with a free tier and goes up to $9.99 (approximately Rs 749) per month.
Apart from this, Microsoft will be hosting an online-only event on July 23, where it will be showcasing a number of new games for its upcoming Xbox Series X next-generation gaming console. At the event, the company is expected to provide us with additional details about the xCloud service.
The company has already showcased how its next-generation console will look like. However, it is yet to reveal the rumoured disc-less much more affordable version of the gaming console, being called the Xbox Series S in reports. The Xbox Series X will go up against the upcoming Sony PlayStation 5, both of which will launch later this year.
Sony also provides its customers with a cloud gaming platform in its PlayStation Now service, which combines cloud gaming and title downloads.