Xbox Cloud Gaming: A New Free Option with Ads?

Microsoft is exploring a new way to let people play games without paying. They are testing a free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming. This version would show ads before you can play. Right now, only Microsoft employees can try it out. They can play certain games they already own, try out free games on weekends, and play classic Xbox games. There are some limits to this free version. You have to watch about two minutes of ads before playing. Each gaming session is capped at one hour, and you can only play for up to five hours a month. These limits might change when the service officially launches. The free version will be available on many devices, including PCs, Xbox consoles, handheld devices, and web browsers. This news comes at an interesting time. Microsoft recently changed its Game Pass plans. Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming is included in both the Premium and Essential tiers. The Ultimate plan, however, saw a price increase of 50%. The idea of a free version has been discussed for a while. Microsoft's Gaming CFO, Tim Stuart, mentioned it about two years ago. For those who pay for Game Pass Ultimate, they can now stream games in 1440p resolution with up to 30Mbps speed. Premium and Essential users, however, are limited to 1080p and 12Mbps. This new free version could attract more users, but it remains to be seen how popular it will be.