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Microsoft is launching xCloud game streaming in beta Tuesday

The service will come to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers via the Xbox Game Pass (Beta) Android app.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor

Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.

Expertise News, mobile, broadband, 5G, home tech, streaming services, entertainment, AI, policy, business, politics Credentials

I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.

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Corinne Reichert

Aug. 10, 2020 2:55 p.m. PT

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will allow for Galaxy Note 20 users to stream Xbox games to their phone through Microsoft's Cloud.
Samsung

Microsoft is adding Project xCloud streaming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate earlier than expected, with the feature opening in beta on Tuesday. Users of the Xbox Game Pass (Beta) app on Android will be able to test cloud-streamed gaming on Tuesday, provided they're also Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. It will be a way for the Xbox team to fine tune Project xCloud game streaming prior to its launch on Sept. 15.

Users will be able to test "a subset of the available titles" prior to launch next month, Microsoft said in a statement.

"As we approach the launch of cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on Sept. 15, we're entering a limited beta period to ensure a smooth transition of the cloud gaming experience to the Xbox Game Pass app on Android," a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed in an emailed statement. "This limited beta is critical to providing the best possible experience for members at launch and should not be considered indicative of the final experience or library."

Cloud gaming will let you play games over the internet on their phones and tablets from anywhere, in much the same way as you stream Netflix movies. The service is code-named Project xCloud, and will launch on Microsoft's $15 a month Xbox Games Pass Ultimate.