Microsoft starts testing Xbox Cloud Gaming for Xbox consoles with limited group

Some of the Xbox Insiders with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription invited to the Alpha channel can now test the Xbox Cloud Gaming service on the Xbox One and Series X and S.

The service is currently being made available to a “random portion” of Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha programs. Later, the service should also be available to other Insiders. Players also need a Game Pass Ultimate subscription to use Xbox Cloud Gaming.

By offering Game Pass games streaming via this service, the games no longer need to be installed on the console itself, which makes them faster to play. According to Microsoft, this should make it easier to quickly start a multiplayer session with friends. In the future, this service should also ensure that games that are only available via installation on the newer Xbox Series X and S consoles can still be played on the ‘old’ Xbox One.

At the moment there are still some snags to the service. For example, not all Game Pass games can be played streaming, only the games with a cloud symbol. Also, no in-game purchases can be made yet, and in some cases it will not be possible to choose a language other than English in games. Games that users have already installed on an external hard drive that is no longer connected to the console cannot be started via the service either.

It is not stated when the service will be available to everyone. However, it was previously communicated that Xbox Cloud Gaming should be available to all Game Pass Ultimate subscribers ‘during the holidays’. The service is already available for Windows, iOS and Android. Microsoft is also working on its own streaming device for ‘cloud gaming on any screen’.