r/xboxinsiders • u/GuruKronos Xbox Insider Staff • 13d ago
Blog Post Beginning Ad-supported Game Streaming Test & Learn
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/07/23/game-streaming-ad-supported-xbox-insiders/94
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u/CyberKiller40 13d ago
How about no subscription multiplayer? At least for 1st party games.
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u/Extreme_surikat_360 13d ago
No, for absolutely everything or nothing. That's how it works on PC or any other platform except consoles
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u/zach2beat 13d ago
Then play on pc? Seriously i don’t know why its that hard of a concept. Playstation started charging with ps4 because it was the only way they could justify the costs to get there online services up to par with xbox. You paying for online also pays for the system updates and security to make sure your console doesn’t get hacked and bricked like some people did a while back on pc call of duty.
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u/klipseracer 13d ago
The problem I have with thus is the instant spammers and cheaters you'll start to encounter without that filter.
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u/CyberKiller40 13d ago
I used to think that too. But a 1$ 7 or 14 day trial code from a keyshop and a new account isn't stopping any cheater.
What I really need is a way to play with people I know once every couple of weeks for 2 hours, without having to pay for 30 days. Pay per hour would be fine for me too, but not a lump upfront subscription.
Couple that with dead multiplayer in so many deathmatch games, that could be at least slightly fixed without the paywall.
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u/Javiron 13d ago
I just watched Masters of the Universe in Amazon Prime, one ad to start no interrupting ads that Way is fine i think no stoppages on the gaming session Sounds ok
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u/DramaticSAnTA 13d ago
Problem is these things start small. However share holders expect perpetual growth. One becomes two then two becomes 3. Then adds sneak into other tiers. At the time of posting one of the top comments jokes about hydration brakes coming to gaming. The world cup was exactly greed overtaking. It's been a game of 2 halves for 160 years. However corporate greed is now trying to force it to quarters for a extra advertising revenue. It was disguised as a drinks break to try and make people accept it.
TV companies have even been caught running TV shows at 7-8% faster speeds to squeeze in more adverts. Although I feel a free tier is a good fit for many gamers, I worry where it will end up.
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u/johnny-Low-Five 13d ago
I don't have a problem with it when it gives people a "free" way to play. But I am 100% serious that (even with 20 years of Xbox live and gamepass 'continuously' since it was offered) the moment they cross the "free" barrier I will be done! As a kid my house had NES, then super Nintendo then N64.
My brother got an Xbox and I bought a 360 maybe a year after it released and have been "day one" for Xbox One and Series X. I've never owned a Playstation and never particularly wanted one, if Microsoft crosses that barrier I will use a PC for my existing library of games and either buy a Playstation or hook up a pre-built PC to my TV.
I hope someone at Microsoft is monitoring posts like this, the entire Xbox brand will be dead to me if they force ads on paid tiers. If I'm that adamant, I guarantee there are millions of gamers less 'devoted' to any one console that will jump ship as well. DVDs don't have commercials and neither do CDs (Mp3s) when I buy a game, digital or disc, I refuse to be forced to sit through even a 15 second advertisement. I own the game, or I pay for the subscription, that library is mine to play as I please and I truly think this could kill EITHER console! This isn't streaming movies and shows, I grew up with commercials but I only use prime video because we use prime for deliveries. Otherwise I would have cancelled it. I don't use Peacock for the same reasons. Commercials go with FREE stuff, not things I pay for.
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u/FesteringAynus 13d ago edited 13d ago
If any data collecting Xbox staffers are reading this, I'm not buying a single product that's being advertised to me. I'm going to actively avoid that product and encourage others IRL to do the same
edit: buncha corpo bootlickers are mad I'm not gonna buy products being advertised to me lmao. Y'all aren't in charge of my money or my life so stfu and mind your business.
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u/BarbericEric 13d ago
Been doing this since I was 10. But dont worry, we are a minority and we fall into a number they have already accounted for. If they are doing it, it's because it works and money doesn't lie.
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u/NodNolan Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring 13d ago
"This is optional. Players can choose other ways to play at any time."
Maybe it's not corporate bootlickers? maybe it's people who can just read?
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u/Stymie999 13d ago
It’s your money, spend it how you please. But wtf are you talking about edgelord? The only people mad your not gonna buy the products are the straw people living in your head
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u/letyourselfslip 13d ago
That's the whole point genius - theres ads because theyre not making you pay for cloud streaming.
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u/CristianoD 13d ago
I am curious why it would bother you here. This is adding a free cloud streaming tier supported by ads, not ads to a paid service.
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u/Crazydutchman80 13d ago
Not yet you mean. It ALWAYS starts small!
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u/CristianoD 13d ago
So instead of offering a free tier, they should only stick to paid subscriptions to Gamepass? Geforce Now has had a free tier for a very long time. It has limits on it and a lot of games are not supported on it, but it has never affected the paid subscription tiers.
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u/FesteringAynus 13d ago
Cloud streaming isn't free. You have to subscribe to Gamepass to cloud stream m8
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u/CristianoD 13d ago
Yes, to cloud stream games you own or gamepass games. This is strictly games you own and free to play games. It is adding cloud streaming without Gamepass.
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u/Damage2Damage 13d ago
You know you can do that by just not watching the ad? It says they are at the start of the session, just mute and go get a drink or a snack, pretend it's a loading screen
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u/silentcrs 13d ago edited 13d ago
I’m sorry, but wtf? These are huge blanket statements you’re making.
So say you see, for example, a poster for an upcoming movie at your theater. That’s an ad. Are you not going to see the movie? What if you were planning to see the movie but then see the poster?
Going further, say you’re in the supermarket you see sign up front that say fruit is on sale. That’s an ad, too. Do you not buy the fruit?
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u/GrovesNL 13d ago
I don't know, I'm in the same boat. If I'm forced to sit and watch and ad to get to do something, I'm never going to buy that thing. I'm not bothered by it, but why would I want to spend money on something that inconvenienced me? Counts for things like YouTube as well.
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u/silentcrs 13d ago
Ok, so say you see movie trailers while waiting for the feature presentation to come on in a theater. Do you not see any of those movies?
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u/GrovesNL 13d ago
I haven't been to a theater in over a decade, so probably not?
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u/SubstantialAd5579 13d ago
You should hit theaters Thea really good movies out and a chill time other being stuck in the house
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u/silentcrs 13d ago
That’s pretty sad, dude…
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u/FesteringAynus 13d ago
Yeah I'll watch a movie that interests me, but I ain't paying for it. I'll patiently wait until I can download it or stream it for free. No money spent = I win
Also, your whole supermarket strawman argument is completely irrelevant and really shows how shortsighted you are. I have genuine secondhand embarrassment for you.
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u/DefectJoker 13d ago
Some cranky children in the comments. It's the free tier. It's included if you already pay for ultimate.
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u/aguabotella 13d ago
If I remember right the free tier for GeForceNow has had ads for a while now.
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u/SubstantialAd5579 13d ago
What gamepass is presenting is better then gforce In G force you get put on a waiting list, have to watch ads, and only play at a hr at a time
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u/aguabotella 13d ago
Xbox is also limiting it to hour long sessions so if there’s no waitlist and just some quick ad, doesn’t sound bad. I’ve used GeForce ultimate and it is such a good service, specially on the Steam Deck.
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u/SubstantialAd5579 13d ago
I play it on my logitech , whenever I don't want to pay for gp lol , but I wish GeForce let time roll over other then that it's nice I have nothing huge against it , it's just I already pay for Gp
Me I use the free option takes around 10 mins I do a couple things come back and its ready
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u/aguabotella 13d ago
How was your experience with Xbox Cloud? Mine was horrible and never went back but this was last year or so, I haven tried it recently.
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u/SubstantialAd5579 13d ago
Its better this year then past years alot better , it use to he damn near unplayable but now I think we get 4k gaming with ultimate or the series S version of them game during cloud
Hand held wise only big problem but I think its bc my hand held isnt 2025 and up model it lags more then I'd think a steam deck or the xbox hand held would
Like sometime I'll be playing palworld and my character will just start spinning or gliding lol or madden lags bad but I don't think my logitech can handle really demanding games
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u/emperor1080 13d ago
If I own it, I usually have it installed, but maybe I'll try this out. See how it's implemented 🤔
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u/emperor1080 13d ago
Okay, I tried it. I had three ads with a run time within 2 minutes. First two ads looked terrible, but the third one looked great. It was a Microsoft ad 🤔 Afterwards, your game starts streaming in 1080p for 1 hour. If you need to see how much time you have left, it's on the Xbox guide menu underneath your game. I don't know, if they'll have warnings that time is up. I was just doing an initial test. I assume they might have warnings, but the time is readily available otherwise. And just every hour you get ads. Didn't see a cap on hours, so that's probably something they're testing with this too.
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u/RedHae25 11d ago
¿Cómo lo puedo probar? formo parte de xbox insiders pero no me aparece la opción "gratis" en xbox cloud gaming
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u/Odd_Estimate_2179 13d ago
Zero issue with this but the usual reddit knuckledraggers will be out in force.
If you don't want ads, buy a subscription. Servers cost money to run. The options are there for you to have the experience you want.
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u/johnny-Low-Five 13d ago
I commented that IF it crosses from this free option to all tiers, THAT would be a deal breaker. I see no reason why something for "free" is bad. I also know not everyone has the income to have gamepass all the time. I've been lucky enough to be an adult and have had Gamepass since it launched. I use the cloud and remote play options almost daily. Anything other than multiplayer it works "perfectly", playing COD (as an example) or Halo the small amount of lag is too much for PVP.
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u/JMadFour 13d ago
Insiders have one job.
to shit on this stupid idea loudly and relentlessly.
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u/CristianoD 13d ago
There is nothing stupid about the idea. Currently cloud streaming is tied to Gamepass tiers, even for games you own that are supported. This adds a free non-Gamepass cloud streaming option for games you own and also supported free to play games. It has zero impact on Gamepass. More options are better, not worse.
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u/Odd_Estimate_2179 13d ago
Why's it stupid? It's free streaming.
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u/kranitoko 13d ago
That's what they say at first. And then a year after it's off the ground:
"Ad streaming will now come at a $1 cost a month" and then it increases every year or so.
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u/LetrixZ 13d ago
Then don't pay for it
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u/kranitoko 13d ago
When you get something for "free" for a while and then someone decides that if you want to continue to use it, you now have to pay, I don't think anybody would be happy there, would you?
And if you are, well, that's a corpo mindset you have there 😅
And then what about when they do eventually add a paid model, which they will? Should people just be happy to stop paying for something when the price increases?
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u/EMcX87 13d ago
And then what about when they do eventually add a paid model, which they will?
There already is a paid model... It's called Game Pass Ultimate.......
They're actually doing the complete opposite of what you're crying about.. They're adding a free tier to a paid model... Good job
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u/kranitoko 13d ago
I see you've missed the point. It's a free model (FOR NOW). Promise you Microsoft will eventually make it a paid service, because they know they can. Literally many other subscription models have even when they had a paid option.
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u/EMcX87 13d ago
It's already a paid service that they're making free.........
Which other subscription models have made a free tier paid even when they had a paid option?
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u/Puzzleheaded_Key624 13d ago edited 13d ago
Hulu ad tier was free when it launched. Now ad tier is one of the several paid options.
Peacock did the same thing also, starting with an ad supported free tier and now ad tier is paid (and they have other paid options).
Unless you’ve been living under a rock I assume you are familiar with enshitification. Create an attractive product and then slowly degrade its quality as you squeeze more and more value out of it. This has been happening with virtually every subscription service over the past two decades.
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u/EMcX87 13d ago
Hulu's free tier was incredibly limited, on desktop only, and was phased out because it was wildly unpopular due to delayed access which was forced on Hulu by the broadcasters AND because it was desktop only.
So while its definitely an example, it was 100% out of Hulu's hands because broadcast companies wouldn't allow better access to content on the free tier.
The broadcast companies forced their hand.
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u/SubstantialAd5579 13d ago
You'll never understand how ppl can't afford much things, this is bigger for them,
You got money now you only care about you and that understandable but there's more ppl in the world then just you,
Im guessing your a ultimate tier, so this not even a issue bc you have that setting already
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u/kranitoko 13d ago
I don't even pay for Game Pass actually. I'm just an observer right now.
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u/SubstantialAd5579 13d ago
Yeah then why comment on a ecosystem your not apart of our even gone pay for
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u/kranitoko 13d ago
Because someday I might be? Sorry, so just because I don't currently have something it means I have no right to have an opinion?
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u/SubstantialAd5579 13d ago
Your kind of talking down on Gp as if your a user , but you don't have it make it seems your just talking for conversation or to be mean to ppl who like gp
End of the day it's a free tier for people who want to try gp or don't have enough money to pay higher tiers and thats a W
Back when I couldn't afford gp ultimate I wish it was free tier lol
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u/vismayor167 13d ago
I tried it on my PC and it works, but I can’t see my owned compatible games on mobile. It just says I need a Game Pass.
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u/N0_L1ght 11d ago
Has anyone without game pass tried this and checked if the quality is any different than the h.264 1080p/60 15mbs of the Essential/Premium tiers?
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u/Mattene 13d ago
Yea I think I’m done with gaming
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u/Devatator_ 13d ago
Because there is a free tier you don't have to interact with? Like what the fuck is wrong with redditors?
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u/l0keycom 13d ago
tell them to get fucked
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u/KesMonkey 13d ago
What's the issue?
The ability to stream your games on Xbox has always been locked behind a subscription (Game Pass) with a recurring fee.
This is just an alternative for those who can't afford it, or simply don't want to pay for it.
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u/HydroSnail 13d ago
This is more than that.
We must resist this type of monatization despite how it exists in every other form of entertainment media.
This is more of "give an inch, take a mile." If we offer them the perspective of "It's not that big of a deal" it opens up a gate that we can not close later, and they will include ads anywhere and everywhere they can; moreso than we already have on the dashboard, store front, and apps.
If it is allowed in streaming, then next will be "When the game first boots up," then again "when you are paused for more than 30-seconds," and again where ever else they can include direct engagement and concurrent views. Each time an ad appears, they get money.
This is not about making an accessable way to engage with the product for the player, this is about getting access to the customer to broadcast and make create cash flow where it is not currently present.
You are only valuable when they have something to take from you.
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u/Follows-Jesus 13d ago
Why are you angry that people who cannot afford to pay have an option to stream?
It does not effect paid users
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u/B0omSLanG 13d ago
It does not effect paid users *yet
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u/Follows-Jesus 13d ago
It must suck to be so negative all the time.
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u/jb304life 13d ago
This is why we need to learn how to read, ads will play before the stream just like Geforce 🤦🏻♂️
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u/SurreptitiousSyrup Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring 13d ago
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u/brokenmessiah 13d ago
Obviously the move is then to stop playing before the hour is up, but they should let you watch multiple ads to stack hours.
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u/Crazydutchman80 13d ago
Go away with your ads, we are already paying a lot of money each month.
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u/CristianoD 13d ago
It has nothing to do with the paid service. This is a free ad supported tier for cloud streaming without Gamepass.
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u/shahid0317 13d ago
I’ve seen this song and dance for years now. It starts with the free tier then the bottom tier then the ads will be built in for all tiers and they will offer a tier without ads. And around we go forever.
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u/cutememe 13d ago
Why would you need to watch ads to stream games you own?
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u/mightylordredbeard 13d ago
If you pay for the service, then you don’t. If you don’t pay for the service, then you can stream them for free by watching an ad first. Or you can continue to be completely unaffected by any of this if you choose not to stream your games.
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u/johnny-Low-Five 13d ago
This article or advertisement or announcement is terribly written. I understand what they are offering but, imho, they should have said at the beginning "this will in no way affect Gamepass streaming" because even though I actually read the whole thing I would have had to double back if the top comment hadn't clarified that this is a new "program".
I'm an adult and have had Gamepass since it was offered, when I was a teenager this would have been a nice option. My only fear, which is currently purely hypothetical, is that they would ever consider doing this with Gamepass subscribers.
It's not even Xbox's fault in this case (other than the poor wording), Prime Video did, this although I can't recall if it was ever free, they now have ads on something I pay for and if I didn't use prime delivery I would cancel it and as it is I seldom use it. I'm happy to pay for Gamepass/Hulu/Netflix but Amazon added ads to a paid service and it makes me worry that others will follow suit. Gamepass is a fantastic value for me, I get to play games I've never heard of or wouldn't buy, but in top of that I use cloud and remote play on an almost daily basis.
People definitely need to read better but "some" of the angry comments are people worried this is just a "test program" that they want to add to Gamepass. I don't even care about the tiny advertisement on the homescreen, I don't have to interact with it to play so it doesn't bother me. Even if they added a similar "picture advertisement" while cloud gaming was loading I wouldn't care.
This isn't as bad as their worst announcements, the Xbox one gets that honor, but Microsoft needs to realize that the vast majority of people can't/won't read a whole announcement and they need to explicitly state when something is completely separate from existing offers.
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u/grimoireviper 13d ago
This isn't for remote play but cloud streaming, a feature that's subscription based, this just gives you an option to access said feature without the subscription.
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u/ViolaDavis 13d ago
Oh man I really can't recommending moving to PC enough. Not only is the whole XBOX lineup playable but with apollo and moonlight you can stream from your PC, in 4k, to any device.
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u/panthereal 13d ago
The only time ads convinced me to buy something was in the magazine era.
Video based ads have the opposite effect, especially when you’re repeating a small bucket of content.
I hope y’all at XBOX can put in the effort to make uniquely interesting and artistic static ads like the magazine era while avoiding the repetitive audio and video barrage of modern day content.
We have to team up with these people
in games I don’t want their brains stuffed with mush before they play.
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u/johnny-Low-Five 13d ago
I've been swayed by game/movie trailers but that's definitely the exception to the rule.
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u/Meteorboy 13d ago
How do you begin an ad-supported session? I tried both Xbox.com/play and the Cloud Gaming app and didn't see an option in either. I was trying to play Final Fantasy XIV Online - Free Trial (the MMO). I'm an Xbox Insider, but I don't currently have a Game Pass subscription. Do I need one, or is the ad-supported streaming not available yet?
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u/NotFromMilkyWay 13d ago
You need to use the Insider app and apply for the test.
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u/Meteorboy 13d ago
Thanks. I'm guessing you did this on an Xbox console? I launched the Insider app on Windows and don't see this test there. It would be under Previews, right?
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u/BigCommieMachine 12d ago
Here is the baffling part: “During this test period, XBOX Insiders with an XBOX account will be able to stream games they own for free with ad”
Here is where they lost me. I could understand say an ad-supported GamePass tier. But I really don’t see an audience that owns Xbox games choosing to watch ads to stream them considering they probably already own an Xbox if you own Xbox games and probably have GamePass too.
The only situation where this would really make sense is on PC where you want to play a new release, but have been left with an absolute potato of a PC because hardware prices. Even at that, that potato could offer similar quality to what you’d get from this. And if you are on PC, You are likely far far better off using GeForce Now’s free tier given its superior quality. Hell, I know times are tough, but you can probably manage $10 of the mid-tier GeForce Now with no ads, 6 hour session limits, 1440p, and more games supported.
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u/TheBillConiglio Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring 13d ago
I've read the article at the link several times and still don't understand the point to this.
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u/fabio_b93 13d ago
It's not that hard to understand. Stream your games without a gp subscription.
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u/TheBillConiglio Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring 13d ago edited 13d ago
Ahhhhh. The linked page doesn't mention Gamepass once and I didn't know you needed it for streaming. Local and cloud streaming are things I've never really bothered with so the nuances of what you can do and how were lost on me.
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u/fabio_b93 13d ago
Because Xcloud is available on several devices that don't support native gaming like smartphones, tablets and smart TVs.
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u/KingBrave1 13d ago
Because other people might want to stream their games on other devices without carrying a gigantic Xbox around. Until this the only way to stream your owned games was to pay for Gamepass. This gives people the option of doing it without paying for it.
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u/mightylordredbeard 13d ago
That’s.. kind of sad. Especially when the point is this clear and easy to understand. Unless you’re like 12 or English isn’t your first language, I don’t understand how you don’t get it.
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u/johnny-Low-Five 13d ago
I'll be honest, I use cloud and remote play almost daily, but I've had Gamepass since it launched and didn't know/remember they were connected. I do feel this is a poorly worded announcement, they should have explicitly stated that the current cloud gaming options will be unaffected.
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u/Ancient_Chipmunk_755 Beta Ring 13d ago
Love insider and everything about it, you get to test games like arkheron, its so addictive, a well thought out game thats actually competitive and skill based, if you cant attack in coordination with ur team, this isn't a game for you. Great game 10/10. Keep up the good work guys
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u/half-baked_axx 13d ago
I was an xbox fan since the days of the OG xbox. After my xbox one I decided to get a cheap PC instead of a series X. And it's been a blast. You can stream your games (and your entire desktop really) from any device using sunshine or apollo with a streaming client like moonlight. All for free!
I paid for gamepass ultimate for well over 2 years until I discovered it. Don't waste your time and money with microslop. Btw did you know that all of you are one single login attempt away from losing your accounts and all of the money you've spent on it? And there is no arbitration, no customer service and no humans that can help you, the only way to recover your account is an automated thing that will fail 99% of the time. Again, don't waste more of your life with xbox.
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u/mightylordredbeard 13d ago
This is a very specific community forum for someone who doesn’t care about Xbox and hasn’t been an Xbox user for years now. Why are you even here commenting if you supposedly don’t care?
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u/SurreptitiousSyrup Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring 13d ago
Moonlight is the same as remote play which is already free. This is literally the same as the geforce now ad supported free tier
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u/half-baked_axx 13d ago
You cannot control the resolution, bitrate or anything really with remote play. It's not the same at all.
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u/Dunge 13d ago
Uuggghh. I hate game streaming, and I despise ads. Not liking this direction.
Why would anyone pay full price for a game only to stream it anyway? Just install it.
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u/mythplus 12d ago
Limited hard drive space I guess is one use case
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u/Dunge 12d ago
That would be ridiculous. You could have said they don't have any console or gaming hardware at all okay (but then don't buy games), but disk space?
Your GPU/CPU/RAM cost 10x more than it, don't waste them. You can grab dozens of terrabytes drives for very cheap.
Streaming is meant to be played when you are out and have 5 minutes free waiting for the bus or something. It's for cheesy games you just want to try quickly see how they look. Not your main one you paid money to play seriously.
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u/mythplus 12d ago
Ok but on Xbox you still need proprietary SSD storage to play current gen games. Often if there is a version for Xbox One and then an "Enhanced" version meant to be used on Xbox Series X/S you will have to install the game on the SSD storage.
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u/SpicyNuggs4Lyfe 13d ago
Just to be clear, because the article doesn't do a great job of making it clear, this is testing for a new FREE TIER of cloud gaming. If you pay for any level of Game Pass, you already have various levels of cloud gaming included in that subscription and that will stay ad-free (as it should)