Microsoft Xbox announced today it is starting to test an ad-supported way to stream select games from your library for a limited time, available to Xbox Insiders.
During this test period, Xbox Insiders with an Xbox account will be able to stream games they own for free with ads. Players will have one hour session limits across supported devices and regions, with pre-roll ads lasting two minutes or so, an Xbox source told GamesBeat.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Ads will play before sessions begin.
- The core game experience is unchanged.
- This is optional. Players can choose other ways to play at any time.
For many players, the device they already own now allows them to stream games with Xbox. Cloud can also help XBOX One owners play newer games built for Xbox Series X|S without needing to purchase new hardware right away. That can be especially meaningful in places where consoles are harder to find or less affordable, giving more players another way to access great games on devices they already have. The pre-roll ads will last about two minutes.
It will be interesting to see if the Xbox Insiders like cloud gaming, which has had a bad rap in the past because of latency, or interaction delays, in a lot of cloud games because players don’t have good internet connections and it takes low latency to stream games with high quality, especially hardcore 3D action games. These die-hard members of the Xbox community get to test new features or games and share feedback.
It’s not yet clear how long the ad-supported cloud streaming will last as a test. Players can stream select games from their library for free with ads. An Xbox source told me these games ads will run before the game session starts and will not interrupt gameplay.
These ads will enable players to play for one hour without interruption until the next set of ads appear. At 10 minutes and five minutes before the hour is up, players will get notifications. That allows players to get to a safe spot before the next set of adds run, if you requeue. It will be supported across devices and regions where game streaming is available, which is for 29 countries now.
The core gameplay experience is unchanged. Players can choose other ways to play if they’re not interested in seeing the ads, such as subscribing to Xbox Game Pass.
Advertising has existed in gaming for decades, from in-game placements to free-to-play models. But it hasn’t always been built with the player in mind, Microsoft said. When done well, advertising can help lower the cost of access. It creates another way for players to get into games without an upfront streaming purchase and expands audiences through new ways to play. For brands, this only works if showing up here adds to the experience, not takes away from it.
Given that, Microsoft wants to be clear about how it will approach ad-supported services across Xbox:
- We start with the player. Ads should create value.
- We do not interrupt the flow of gameplay.
- We hold ads to the same quality bar as our content.
- We’re clear about what’s advertising.
- We make sure ads fit what players expect on each platform.
Xbox said it will learn from this test and continue to improve it based on how players use it and what they tell it. Our goal is simple. Give more people more affordable ways to play.
You can also visit aka.ms/XBOXplayervoice to share what you think. If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join the community on the Xbox Insider subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help. Xbox recommends adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can.
If you aren’t part of the Xbox Insider Program yet and want to help create the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the Program today by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One or Windows PC.
With an Xbox account, Xbox Insiders can stream games on a variety of supported devices, including Xbox consoles, TVs, VR headsets, Windows PCs, handhelds, tablets, and mobile devices via XBOX.com/Play where game streaming is supported. Players can explore the full list of supported devices here.
Background
Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly xCloud) streams games from Xbox Series X–class servers. Your device only decodes the video stream; all rendering happens remotely in the data center, and the video is streamed to your device.
There are more than hundreds of titles available, with 200 that you can stream yourself. There’s support for free-to-play games. The overall goal is to give more people more affordable ways to play. It’s meant to expand access on devices that people already own.
So this is including you know places where consoles may be harder to find or less affordable. This experiment will have a limited time scale and it will help Microsoft determine if this is something that works as an access model for the broader Xbox community.