Microsoft Enhances Xbox Cloud Gaming Quality and Removes Beta Status
Microsoft has officially removed the beta tag from Xbox Cloud Gaming, marking a significant milestone for the streaming service that launched in 2020. “We’re officially removing the beta tag from Xbox Cloud Gaming,” said Dustin Blackwell, director of gaming and platform communications at Microsoft, in a briefing with The Verge, reports 24brussels.
The transition from beta coincides with important updates, including a notable price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft is expanding the availability of Xbox Cloud Gaming across additional Game Pass tiers and enhancing the streaming quality and resolution specifically for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
“We’ll have our highest streaming quality yet for Ultimate subscribers,” Blackwell emphasized. The improved service will support up to 1440p resolution for selected games and devices while maintaining minimal wait times for users.
Several Xbox Cloud Gaming users have recently reported the functionality of 1440p support in titles such as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, with bitrates reaching as high as 27Mbps. Current streams average around 10Mbps, with some devices capable of 17Mbps. The upgrade to 27Mbps is expected to decrease visual artifacts and enhance streaming quality.
This marks the first major improvement to visual quality since Microsoft upgraded the streaming service’s hardware to Xbox Series X-like blades. The previous hardware enhancement in 2021 improved game loading times and frame rates, allowing for optimized gameplay for Xbox Series S/X titles.
It remains unclear whether any further hardware upgrades are in place to support the new 1440p capabilities and higher bitrates. Microsoft did not respond in time for publication regarding the potential use of PC-grade hardware in their Xbox Cloud Gaming setups.
The expansion of Xbox Cloud Gaming to include the new Xbox Game Pass Essential and Premium tiers enables a broader audience of Xbox enthusiasts to access the cloud gaming library, extending cloud access beyond the Ultimate plan for the first time, apart from the free-to-play title Fortnite.
While the 1440p upgrade is currently limited to specific games and devices, Microsoft faces pressure to enhance its visual quality further to compete with services like Nvidia’s GeForce Now. Anticipation builds around possible advancements with Microsoft’s forthcoming next-generation console launch, which could bring significant improvements in 4K resolution and better streaming metrics.
