The Xbox Game Pass subscription service has developed over the years to become an integral and successful element of Microsoft’s modern approach to content distribution on the Xbox platform, with the company’s focus on the service showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Microsoft has used Game Pass in tandem with its record-breaking acquisitions of high-profile gaming studios, with this seemingly being one of the major strategies Microsoft is using to keep Xbox in the fight with its major industry competitors.
On the surface, the primary appeal of Xbox Game Pass lies in how the service offers its subscribers access to a huge range of titles that is constantly being updated, with many massive AAA releases now launching through the service on their first day of release. However, there are a range of secondary benefits to Game Pass subscriptions that are becoming more fleshed out by the day, with Game Pass Ultimate also offering a lot in the way of Cloud gaming capability. Cloud gaming seems to be a huge part of Microsoft’s plans for the future of gaming, with the company recently outlining how Game Pass Ultimate subscribers now have Cloud access to a massively expanded range of titles that are not even present in the standard Game Pass catalog.
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate’s New Cloud Streaming Capabilities Offer a Glimpse into the Platform’s Future
Cloud gaming has long been a perk of Xbox Game Pass’ Ultimate subscription tier, and this was first introduced in late 2020. Through Cloud gaming, players can stream most Game Pass titles directly to their console or supported devices, eliminating the need for game downloads by instead streaming a game entirely through a stable internet connection. Cloud gaming has been praised for the ways in which it increases accessibility to titles that players may want to try without having to dedicate time to lengthy downloads, although the technology behind this avenue of gameplay is still very much in its earlier Beta stages.
The future plans of Microsoft and Xbox seem very much tied to the concept of Cloud gaming, with the service now being available directly through devices like Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV devices, and select VR headsets, as well as phones, tablets, and PCs. Once the technology has been polished, this could essentially eliminate the need for a console and revolutionize gaming on the go, with Microsoft recently expanding the scope of Cloud gaming via Xbox Game Pass even further.
Originally, Cloud gaming capabilities on Xbox were only available for titles that were accessible through the Game Pass service, although some recent changes mean that this is no longer the case for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Microsoft recently announced that 50 non-Game-Pass titles have been given Cloud streaming capabilities, including popular titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
The Recent Game Pass Ultimate Cloud Improvements Are Hopefully Just the Start of More to Come
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will still need to purchase and own these games in order to use these new Cloud capabilities, although this still marks a big step towards how accessible Cloud gaming is set to become in the near future. This expanded Cloud gaming catalog is currently only available through PC on supported browsers, although Microsoft additionally announced its aims to bring this over to Xbox consoles and the official Xbox PC app in 2025.
Microsoft’s future ambitions for Cloud gaming are echoed in upcoming projects like Kojima Productions’ OD, which is reportedly centered completely around the concept of Cloud streaming, with the recently improved Cloud access for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers being another clear reflection of this ambition. It remains to be seen if Cloud gaming will be as integral to future content in the way that Microsoft thinks it will be, but Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can still look forward to increased Cloud streaming across even more devices in the near future.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.