
Shadow, which gave you access to an entire PC in the cloud, filed for bankrupty last month Nvidia's GeForce Now service continues although recently doubled its price and Google's Stadia also continues but has had a rocky start. They hope to open the service up to all members in "the coming months."Ĭloud gaming has a stop-start history on PC, with plenty of services launching and almost as many closing down without finding an audience. This is a limited beta, so invites will be sent out to players gradually as Microsoft gather feedback. Invitees will be able to play over 100 Xbox Game Pass games through Chrome, Safari or Microsoft's own Edge browser. Microsoft announced the beta's launch earlier today. What this means is that some paying subscribers of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be invited to a closed beta whereby they can play games in their web browser, without the need for a lengthy download and install beforehand. Both Microsoft and its rival Sony are increasingly dependent on subscriptions for revenue, and the Game Pass Ultimate hike could help on that front.Microsoft have been dipping their toes into cloud streaming games for a while now, but today sees the launch of an Xbox Cloud Gaming beta for Windows 10 PCs. Microsoft pins the increase on changing "competitive conditions," but it's also a reflection of an evolving strategy. This is the first time the price has gone up since Ultimate debuted in 2017. This comes just weeks after Microsoft raised the price of Game Pass Ultimate for new subscribers from $15 to $17. PC Game Pass doesn't include streaming or the EA selection but is otherwise similar. First-party titles arrive as soon as they launch, and there are member-only perks that include discounts, in-game DLC and a handful of EA games. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes a catalog of "hundreds" of games you can play on console, PC and through cloud gaming. You'll have to pay the usual monthly rate afterward ($17 for Ultimate on console, $11 for PC), but the introductory price could help you get a feel for the services without making a full commitment. The PC Game Pass is also discounted to $1.

The company is once more running a promo that offers the first month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1. Microsoft might be raising the price of Xbox subscriptions in most countries, but it's sweetening the deal for newcomers.
