Xbox Cloud Gaming Switches to Monthly Hour Limits
- Reference: 0185411988
- News link: https://games.slashdot.org/story/26/09/03/1943208/xbox-cloud-gaming-switches-to-monthly-hour-limits
- Source link:
> The change means those who use cloud gaming most via Game Pass will end up having to pay more, although Microsoft said this impacts 4% of Game Pass subscribers. Also in November, Microsoft said players will be able to buy cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store and 'stream eligible games they own on supported devices' without subscribing to Game Pass.
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> In a [2]blog post , Microsoft said it was making the changes because the cost of providing cloud gaming has grown as more people use it and play for longer. The monthly limits, Microsoft continued, will mean it can invest in reliability and performance. But it said it understood that for some players the practical result is a higher cost.
[1] https://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-announces-big-changes-to-xbox-cloud-gaming-switches-to-monthly-hour-limits
[2] https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/09/03/xbox-cloud-gaming-changes/
Preparation for the "own nothing" era (Score:3)
So after essentially ending their console business (where it would have been difficult to explain to users why using their local apparatus would henceforth require a per-hour payment) they now prepare for the era where nobody is supposed to own capable hardware anymore, thus turning gaming into a "pay per hour" activity. Sounds plausible.
Re: (Score:2)
Not at 15 hours a month it's not. I'm a total casual, and even I'd burn through that in under two weeks.
This must be some form of Anchoring. They fully plan to come back in a week or two with 10x the hours, hoping everyone that would have laughed even at that, initially, suddenly decides it's not so bad. If not , this is Microsoft announcing the end of Game Pass.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, my wife canceled hers a little while ago for lack of use. This just means I'm gonna cancel mine and deal with swapping discs instead of using the gamepass version of whatever.
Re: (Score:2)
And people wonder why I only have a PS3 and never replaced my PS4 when it broke. Funny how the PS3 from nearly 20 years ago still works.
Achievement Unlocked: An Hero (Score:2)
Is the goal for this change to completely undermine signups to the service entirely?
Translation: YOU are paying for our AI buildout. (Score:2)
'Nuff said.
good bye (Score:2)
Not that I own a console but that is not very many hours. 15 hours monthly !?!? That's not even an hour a day, maybe 4 good MMO sessions. I'm not sure what the Preemie sub costs but I bet its' not cheap, and then they want more. M$ seems to be trying to make themselves irrelevant. I don't believe that only 4% of the preemie subscribers play more than 15 hours monthly. Seems like they've decided the casual gamer is worth more than the hardcore. When do they decide they'll make more on bejeweled or some such
Re: good bye (Score:2)
As a franchise, Bejeweled has to have been enormously profitable. Costs are low. I still play 3 sometimes.
Re: good bye (Score:2)
> Seems like they've decided the casual gamer is worth more than the hardcore.
Well if we're talking about a game streaming service, yeah. They're paying a monthly fee for a service they essentially aren't using. Clearly getting paid for less service delivered will be more profitable than getting the same fee for someone using it out the wazoo and being demanding about things like frame rates and latency.