Xbox’s gaming cloud service, Project xCloud, will be available for Game Pass Ultimate members “at no additional cost” in September, the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, announced today.
Project xCloud allows players to stream Xbox Game Pass titles on their phone or tablet and use the console’s controller to play. It doesn’t require players to download the games and the games don’t need to be installed on the console, unlike the Xbox Console Streaming for Xbox One.
“Cloud gaming in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate means your games are no longer locked to the living room,” Spencer said. The Xbox Game Pass offers the same thing as the Ultimate version, except for the Xbox Live Gold subscription, with both including unlimited access to over 100 console and PC games.
There’s also a difference in price. The Ultimate costs $14.99 while the basic version is $9.99. All Xbox Game Studios titles launch into Xbox Game Pass the same day as their global release.
Xbox Game Studios franchises that will launch into Game Pass include Halo, Forza, Age of Empires, Gears of War, Minecraft, Hellblade, The Outer Worlds, Psychonauts, Microsoft Flight Simulator, State of Decay, Wasteland, Minecraft Dungeons and Sea of Thieves, according to Spencer.
Fans will be able to see more about Xbox Series X games on July 23 in the Xbox Games Showcase. The online event will also give fans their first look at the Halo Infinite campaign and more.
The next-gen console is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
Update Aug. 4 11:18am CT: Project xCloud will be available on Sept. 15. Microsoft classified the September launch as a “beta” and it’ll initially be available as part of Game Pass Ultimate in 22 countries.
