The biggest feature of Xbox Game Pass games may be getting more updates

SUMMARY

  • Microsoft is reportedly planning a major Xbox Cloud Gaming upgrade.

  • The company is said to be working on 4K game support, in addition to expanding the catalog of non-game Pass titles that can be streamed.

  • It is not clear at this time exactly when these updates are planned to arrive.

Microsoft is said to be working on some major ones Xbox Cloud Gaming updates, including support for 4K streaming and more home gaming, among other innovations. Such improvements will help increase the value of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the highest level of Microsoft's subscription service and still the only way to access the company's cloud gaming platform.

Xbox Cloud Gaming was first teased as Project xCloud at E3 2018. A public version of the service launched in 2019, a year before the xCloud name was dropped for current moniker. Xbox Cloud Gaming became available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in June 2021. The service has received constant updates that have expanded its capabilities and performance ever since.

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Even more updates are coming now, according to a new report from Windows Central's Jez Corden. The leaker said that Microsoft is currently working on supporting 4K streaming and higher bitrates on the service. The company is also said to be looking to expand the catalog of non-Game Pass titles available through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Support for online play was first released in December 2024.

Microsoft has reportedly improved its Xbox Cloud Gaming infrastructure

Additionally, Corden reports that Microsoft is working on improving the Xbox Cloud Gaming infrastructure. For this, the company is known to have started offering more chip supply for the service. Such moves mean that Xbox Cloud Gaming is growing in popularity, prompting Microsoft to upgrade its server farm to keep up with customer demand. For context, the streaming service relies on the back of the standard Xbox Series X server, which runs games on the Series S profile — a structural decision designed to improve performance.

It is not clear at this time when Microsoft plans to introduce the said updates. Based on the company's records, it is likely that all these improvements will be released first to select users, and then gradually expand their possibilities. Such an approach is not guaranteed except for features such as 4K streaming, which must require careful and gradual testing on the Xbox Cloud Gaming infrastructure before being sent to the world. 4K gaming looks like a big upgrade for the service, which has been limited to 1080p/60fps streaming since the days of Project xCloud.

Improving Xbox Cloud gaming is one of the ways Microsoft is trying to drive growth for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. And while the company hopes to sell as many of the premium subscriptions as possible, it is also said that it is considering releasing a cloud-only version of Xbox Game Pass until summer 2024.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest level of Microsoft's popular game subscription service that offers more than 100 game titles you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most unique offers in the Xbox ecosystem to date.

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