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Xbox’s game streaming service Project xCloud is coming to Game Pass Ultimate in September.
The announcement comes via head of Xbox Phil Spencer via a blog post detailing that cloud gaming will be available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers for no extra cost. 100 games will be available for streaming on either a smartphone or tablet.
“With cloud gaming in Game Pass Ultimate, you will be able to play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles on your phone or tablet,” said Spencer. “And because Xbox Live connects across devices, you can play along with the nearly 100 million Xbox Live players around the world. So when Halo Infinite launches, you and your friends can play together and immerse yourselves in the Halo universe as Master Chief—anywhere you go and across devices.”
Microsoft had previously announced that Game Pass would be making its way to the crowd, but as Piers Harding-Rolls, research director, games at Ampere Analysis points out, “the addition of game streaming to mobile devices at no additional cost elevates its appeal still further and is also a boost for the still nascent cloud gaming market.”
“Xbox Game Pass is central to Microsoft’s ambition to engage a wider audience beyond its console platforms,” said Harding-Rolls, “and it is a unique service which includes new release games from Xbox Game Studios and to which Sony has yet to develop an effective competitive response. Ampere Analysis sized the global cloud gaming market at $430 million in 2019 and forecasts the market to be worth $3.2 billion by 2024.
“While the Project xCloud beta test is also free and offers streamed games to Android phones and tablets (and iOS devices in a more limited way), integrating the offer into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate fully commercialises the technology and gives people using it the ability to game with the almost 100 million Xbox Live community of users across console, PC and mobile. As yet unconfirmed at present, but I expect the beta test to be withdrawn from those territories where the feature is introduced to Game Pass Ultimate.”
Currently the base version of Xbox Game Pass costs £7.99 per month for either a PC or console subscription, while the Ultimate version costs £10.99 per month which covers PC, console, Xbox Live Gold and now, Project xCloud.
Confirmation of the countries Project xCloud will be available in is not yet available, but the service is currently being tested in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, UK and the US.
