Free Xbox Games Are Coming Soon — But There's a Catch
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Gaming is an expensive hobby—and it begins with hardware. Once you have that covered, there is the issue of the games themselves, which can quickly cost up to $80 for triple-A titles. Casual gamers in particular feel turned off by such high prices. Even free-to-play titles are not a real alternative at this point. Although the game itself is free, the game's developer hides so many things behind a paywall that it quickly becomes a pricey adventure if one is not careful.
Cloud gaming, on the other hand, should offer a respite from such monetization. This means games no longer run on your home computer, but on the server of a corresponding provider. Basically, this requires the necessary performance capabilities. At home, a simple office notebook is sufficient for even the most demanding titles—apart from a stable internet connection, of course.
Microsoft Puts Pressure on the Competition
It is hardly surprising that, in addition to gaming graphics card specialist Nvidia, Microsoft and Sony are taking this approach with their popular consoles and associated platforms.
Microsoft now wants to increase the pressure on the competition, which could ultimately please gamers, who automatically link their evening off with placing the console controller in their hands. According to The Verge, the company behind the Xbox platform is working on an offer that will make it possible to stream games for free. This will allegedly be based on a method that has already proven successful for streaming both music and videos. The mode of financing? Advertising.
It All Ends after an Hour
Various models are already being tested within the Group. Only a few details have leaked, but Microsoft seems to be particularly keen to keep the entry barriers as low as possible. Interested parties do not even have to own a Game Pass to try the offer, which will probably be revealed in the form of a public beta in a few months.
However, there are also limits built into the subscription model that should either protect against excessive gaming time or quickly lead to a more expensive payment model. Even before a gaming session begins, a two-minute advertising block is broadcast. In contrast to music or video streams, the game is not interrupted in the middle of the game to make way for new advertisements.
However, playing time is limited. This means gaming time is limited to just an hour. I do have a question about this model, though: what if I am halfway through a boss battle, on the cusp of defeating him, and have run out of time? Most gamers would then pay for a new block of time to finish that segment. Plus, games these days are autosave-based on segments, so progress from one segment to another could be rather tricky to navigate.
The restrictions are significant beyond this: Microsoft wants to allow a maximum of five free gaming sessions per month. After that, free cloud gaming users will have to pay for a Game Pass subscription.
Enticing Customers with Retro Games?
The range of games itself is also limited. In addition to the option of streaming games that you already own, you can also access titles from the Retro Classics collection. The Group also offers titles that you can try out for a few days as part of the Free Play Days.
Spoiled gamers will also have to accept compromises in terms of quality. As with the "Essential" and "Premium" Game Pass offers, the display quality is likely to be limited to a resolution count of 1080p. The same applies to the maximum transmission speed, which will probably be limited to 10 Mbit/s.
