Microsoft announced that starting in November, it will limit access to Xbox cloud games through Game Pass subscriptions. Currently, users on the “Console” tier of the service can play without time limits. But starting in November, things will change:
- Ultimate – 15 hours or less, resolution up to 1440p.
- Advanced – Up to 10 hours, resolution up to 1080p.
- Essential – no more than 5 hours, resolution up to 1080p.
All limits are shown on a monthly basis. This means that Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will get approximately 30 minutes of cloud game access per day. exist Reddit The change drew criticism from Microsoft, especially those who use Xbox Cloud Gaming as their primary way of running projects.
Players note that 15 hours per month is very little for the most expensive Game Pass tier. Especially if you use cloud gaming in the scenarios Microsoft itself advertises – while traveling, during work breaks, rather than using consoles and PCs on any device. Active users of the service believe that the Ultimate tier of 30-50 hours per month would be a fairer limit, considering that the cost of the Game Pass subscription itself is quite high.
In the comments you can also find some users who signed up for Game Pass specifically for cloud gaming. They said they play games on LG, Samsung, and Hisense TVs, and Microsoft has released an Xbox app for this purpose, which allows exclusive access to the game library through cloud games. According to them, they play games for an average of 1-2 hours a day, and the 15-hour limit actually “kills” this advantage of the Xbox ecosystem.
Players believe that Microsoft is separating cloud gaming from Game Pass and pushing the most active users to purchase additional time. Previously, Xbox announced that additional usage time could be purchased, with prices to be announced in November. At the same time, Microsoft said that the introduced restrictions will only affect about 4% of Game Pass users.
