Xbox tests pay-by-the-hour cloud streaming for games players already own
Microsoft's Cloud Playtime packs cost 24 to 40 cents per hour, according to Ars Technica, and are now available to Xbox Insiders.
Microsoft has started selling cloud gaming time by the hour to Xbox Insiders, according to Ars Technica. The new Cloud Playtime packs let players stream eligible games they already own, at prices Ars Technica put at 24 to 40 cents per hour.
The packs are sold through the Xbox Store at what Microsoft calls "introductory launch pricing." According to Microsoft, as quoted by Ars Technica, purchased playtime "remains available until it's used," so hours do not expire. Ars Technica mentioned a 50-hour purchase as one option.
The packs do not include the games themselves. Microsoft says they "require cloud playable game purchase or, for select games, free-to-play access," Ars Technica reported. That means the hourly cost comes on top of what players already paid for a game.
The change follows a move in September, when Microsoft sharply limited cloud streaming for Game Pass subscribers, according to Ars Technica. At the time, Microsoft said non-subscribers would soon be able to buy cloud playtime hours and stream eligible games they own. Game Pass now includes five to 15 hours of streaming per month, and Microsoft said last month that only 4 percent of subscribers would be affected by those limits, Ars Technica reported.
Players do have a free option. Microsoft says Xbox Insiders can test free, ad-supported streams of games they own without buying a pack. But Microsoft also says paying users get "shorter wait times [and] high-quality streaming," which Ars Technica said means a worse experience on the ad-supported tier.
Ars Technica compared the approach to other streaming efforts. Google's Stadia offered unlimited streaming of purchased games before it shut down in 2022. Sony's PlayStation Now launched in 2014 with rental-style pricing before moving to a subscription, which now forms part of the $20-per-month PlayStation Plus Premium plan.
Several things are still unclear. The full price list for the packs was not included in the version of the report available for this story, beyond the per-hour range. The report did not say when, or whether, the packs will reach players outside the Insider program, or whether prices will change once the introductory period ends.
It is also not known how many people will pay. Ars Technica argued that the small share of Game Pass subscribers who stream heavily suggests limited demand, and questioned how much interest there will be among non-subscribers asked to pay by the hour for games they already own.
This story is based on a single report from Ars Technica.
