Following its controversial revamp and price increase of Game Pass, rumors circulated about Microsoft introducing a free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming that features ads. An official has since confirmed to The New York Times that internal tests have been conducted for such a tier.
Providing “free ad-supported cloud access to some games” and existing separately from Game Pass, the tier didn’t receive any details regarding its launch date or the prevalence of ads. According to The Verge’s original report, players can allegedly play for one hour each session and receive five hours each month for free. Two minutes of pre-roll ads were also reported.
Microsoft is reportedly planning to start with a public beta, much like it did with Project xCloud, and transition to an official launch in the months after. While only “some” owned titles are supported, players can apparently take advantage of Xbox Retro Classics and Free Play Days on PC, Xbox consoles, web browsers and handheld devices (likely including the recently-released ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X).
