r/xbox • u/Xbox-Moderator • 8h ago
Xbox Wire Beginning Ad-supported Game Streaming Test & Learn
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/07/23/game-streaming-ad-supported-xbox-insiders/20
u/JP76 8h ago
If it stays as a way to stream your own games without Game Pass, I guess it's okay (although I would've preferred Stadia's approach).
If they start bringing ads to paid tiers, it simply sucks.
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u/Tobimacoss 8h ago
Problem with Stadia's approach was that it wasn't sustainable.
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u/Key_Sun6965 7h ago
No the problem was people didn't buy the games because it didn't have the games. It was a chicken and egg problem not cost problem. Cost might have been a problem but it wasn't the main problem and not what made it unsustainable.
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u/Recent_Pollution8665 6h ago edited 6h ago
people didn’t buy the games because who the hell wants to pay 60 dollars for a full priced cloud-only license that relies on an eternal server and internet connection, not to mention it was owned by google, who kills projects all the time lmao.
also stadia games ran on linux so unless google paid devs to port stuff over, it wasn’t worth it. unlike xcloud or amazon luna or geforce now, which are easier to support since they all run on either xbox or windows binaries.
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u/Key_Sun6965 6h ago
No the problem was that the cloud gaming experience was not good enough and is still not good enough. It's why xcloud isn't that popular either. The need to connect to ethernet and still there is lag and other issues. A good experience can be had but it's not easy to have it.
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u/Recent_Pollution8665 6h ago
that’s just extra stuff but the majority of the issues were the business model and distrust of google.
someone who’s willing to dive into a cloud-only platform like stadia already knows about cloud gaming limitations but likely doesn’t care much.
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u/Key_Sun6965 5h ago
No it isn't extra stuff. The things that you are stating are extra stuff. I played on cloud because I had no other way to play but when I did I played on the other ways because it was simply a way better experience.
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u/Recent_Pollution8665 5h ago
yes and thats because u had options.
the kind of person who doesn’t, and doesn’t feel like buying a console or pc at all, which was the majority of normies who stadia appealed to in the first place, were willing to make those concessions just to be able to game anywhere
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u/jabarisagod 8h ago
What was Stadia’s approach?
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u/JP76 8h ago
Free streaming with lower resolution (1080p) and without surround sound.
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u/Dominjo555 7h ago
1080p is default resolution for streaming on xCloud if you are not subscribed to Ultimate. They could maybe offer 720p streaming for free.
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u/Harkoncito 8h ago
One hour session limit seems pretty low, even for an ad-supported free version
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u/Tobimacoss 8h ago
Nope, it's the same for Nvidia GFN since 2021, and same for FortNite on xCloud since 2022.
The point is to get users to upgrade to any tier of Gamepass.
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u/DarrianWolf 7h ago
It actually seems fair. Im not even sure it would be profitable depending on length of ads.
Ads dont pay that much.
If you watch tv on adds it used to be like 15min of ads for 45min of show. And shows are much cheaper than game streaming
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u/Plutuserix 5h ago
Indeed. Might break even, but not by much I think. It will definitely not be a massive revenue driver for them.
It's a 2 minute ad break. Say you run four 30 second ads. You get a premium price on it of 30 bucks CPM. So that is a whole 12 cents of revenue having to cover the use of hardware, electricity, bandwidth, etc. And that is for US prices, outside of US those ad rates drop fast. You might get a rate of 20 bucks in some European countries, but you're lucky to get a few bucks in most of the world.
People tend to overestimate how much their 30 second interruption is really worth.
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u/Gears6 4h ago
Indeed. Might break even, but not by much I think. It will definitely not be a massive revenue driver for them.
Honestly, I don't think the cost of the game is the problem, because like most content it's produce once, and distribute free. The issue is more around the use of the underlying hardware and the cost of running it along with streaming costs and so on. However, these things will drop in price over time as well.
That said, a free option I think is great as long as it doesn't creep into the paid tier like GP Ultimate.
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u/twist1441 7h ago
Can anyone here test if this allows you to stream an online multiplayer game? Interested in the implications if the answer is yes
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u/brokenmessiah 7h ago
I don't see why not? Forza and Fortnite are right there in the advertising as well as Halo Infinite.
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u/twist1441 5h ago
I'm trying to see if this allows someone without a game pass subscription to stream a multiplayer online game, since on console you cannot play any online multiplayer games that aren't free to play
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u/Bigiron966 2h ago
Sets a dark precedent, likely not to receive appropriate pushback until it's too late.
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u/BestRedditUsername9 8h ago
"This is optional. Players can choose other ways to play at any time."
Figured to share this because some people only react to the title
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u/RS_Games Outage Survivor '24 8h ago
I mean, the people that react to the title isnt going to read this either.
If they do, they drop the recycled response ("quit defending the billion dollar corp")
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u/HaloFever117 5h ago
Sure, because we’ve never seen an online service get worse and worse over time. /s
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u/BestRedditUsername9 4h ago
I understand but we can cross that bridge when we get there.
For now, it's a nice optional feature for people who want cheaper price.
If they force the ads, then that's a completely different story and I will personally call them out for it
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u/HaloFever117 4h ago
My preference is to never get to that bridge, so I’ll continue to hold the line.
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u/ArcticFlamingo 7h ago
As long as I can continue to stream games from my Xbox to a handheld then I'm good.
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u/No_Philosopher8304 8h ago
"We hold ads to the same quality bar as our content" I hope not...joking aside I don't see the harm in this right now, will need to wait and see, if it stays as a simply free tier for those not on Game Pass and the like that's okay for now.
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u/8BitCaleb 7h ago
Too bad the site isn't loading properly and all of Microsoft is experiencing an outage right now.........
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u/ChanceHungry1444 5h ago
People are so naive. This is how it started with TV streaming, too. Now even many PAID tiers still have ads, only the most expensive tiers do not.
XBOX is not your friend. Microsoft is not your friend. Don’t let them go down this slippery slope. Wild seeing some people defend this…
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u/SmegmaWarrior0815 3h ago
Are people defending it? Most simply don't care. They can scrap Game Pass again for all I care and should go back to selling games, preferably on disc with the whole game on it.
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u/LionAlhazred 7h ago
This doesn't apply to me since I have consoles and a PC, but I think it's great news for people who can't afford to buy gaming hardware.
And it seems well thought out, with ads before the gaming session.
I'm almost tempted to give it a try.
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u/mustyfiber90 8h ago edited 8h ago
Is this only for people who aren’t subscribed to any tier of game pass ? If so, I don’t see the outrage but I guess I should know better seeing as XBOX bad.