Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to next-gen and last-gen consoles this holiday season
Now you can play Xbox Series X games even if you can't buy the hard to find next-gen console.
Finding a next-gen game console these days can be notoriously difficult, but if you primarily play games on Xbox, you might not need to upgrade as quickly as you initially planned. Microsoft just announced that its Xbox Cloud Gaming service will be available on Xbox consoles this holiday season, making it possible for GamePass Ultimate subscribers to play some Xbox Series X games on older hardware.
The service itself isn't new. Microsoft has spent years positioning Xbox as more than just a game console, positioning Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming as a gateway to making phones, tablets and potentially even low-end set-top boxes a place to play Xbox games. Microsoft's cloud gaming project has been available to use on PC for some time and has recently expanded to all iPhone and iPad users. That availability has been nice but limiting, offering few options for gamers who want an easy way to play cloud-based games on their TV. For that demographic, the console expansion could be a game changer.
At launch, Xbox Cloud Gaming will support more than 100 streaming titles on consoles , and Microsoft says the cloud gaming service will eventually have Xbox Series X exclusives like Microsoft Flight Simulator and The Medium available for last-gen console users.
Gamers who are enrolled in the Xbox Insider program will have a chance to try the Xbox Cloud on consoles this fall, with a full rollout expected to hit during the 2021 holiday season.