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Microsoft announced it will end unlimited Xbox Cloud Gaming access, replacing it with monthly hour caps tied to subscription level: 15 hours for Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential, beginning in November. The company says rising cloud gaming costs are driving the change, and about 4% of subscribers will be affected, with an option to buy extra hours—also available to non-subscribers.
Microsoft will impose monthly streaming time limits on Xbox Cloud Gaming beginning in November, with Game Pass Essential, Premium, and Ultimate subscribers getting 5, 10, and 15 hours respectively. Both subscribers and non-subscribers will be able to purchase extra streaming hours, though exact pricing hasn't been announced. Microsoft says only about 4% of subscribers will be affected, attributing the change to rising infrastructure costs.
Microsoft will begin limiting Xbox Cloud Gaming to monthly hour caps in November: 15 hours for Game Pass Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential subscribers, after which users must purchase extra playtime. The company says only about 4% of Game Pass subscribers will be affected, and it will also let non-subscribers buy cloud hours to stream eligible owned games.
Microsoft will end unlimited cloud streaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, replacing it with monthly hour allotments: 15 hours for Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential. Users who want more can buy extra cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store, a feature now open even to people without a Game Pass subscription, including Xbox One owners wanting to try newer titles.
Microsoft announced it will cap monthly cloud streaming hours for Xbox Game Pass tiers, ending years of unlimited access. Ultimate subscribers get 15 hours, Premium gets 10, and Essential gets 5, with an option to buy additional hours once limits are reached. The change takes effect in November, and non-subscribers will also be able to purchase cloud streaming time for games they already own.
Amazon is running a Labor Day sales event through Monday, September 7, 2026, offering discounts of up to 46% across PC hardware categories. Deals span SSDs, gaming monitors, laptops, headsets, keyboards, mice, webcams and networking gear like mesh routers and switches.
Microsoft will let anyone buy cloud gaming playtime hours through the Xbox Store starting in November, letting non-subscribers stream eligible owned games without Game Pass. At the same time, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will face a new monthly cap of just 15 cloud gaming hours, pushing heavy users toward buying extra hourly bundles. Microsoft is also testing a free, ad-supported cloud gaming tier for Xbox Insiders.
Microsoft will end unlimited Xbox Cloud Gaming access less than a year after introducing it, replacing it with monthly caps of 15 hours for Ultimate subscribers, 10 hours for Premium, and 5 hours for Essential. Players who exceed these limits will need to buy additional playtime bundles through the Xbox store, though unused hours can roll over. Microsoft says the change affects about 4% of Game Pass subscribers and cites rising infrastructure costs as the reason.
CNET reviewed the Boulies MagVida, a $699 standing gaming desk that stands out for embedding magnets into its surface to help users organize cables and accessories. The reviewer also praised its sturdiness, quiet motorized height adjustment, and its 55-by-27-inch surface, noting it supports over 260 pounds despite coming in only one size.
Nexus Mods, the largest PC mod-sharing platform, has purchased SteamDB, the long-running independent site that tracks Steam pricing, updates and player data. The deal followed talks with xPaw, the sole maintainer of SteamDB, who was seeking more resources and stability than he could provide on his own. SteamDB will keep its name and current look for now, with Nexus Mods handling infrastructure and funding behind the scenes.
Acer showed off Project DualPlay Mini, a concept device that folds like a mini laptop with a built-in keyboard and flip-up 8-inch screen, but converts into a standard handheld gaming device when closed. The company says it isn't a shipping product yet, though it would use the same Intel chips found in its newly announced Predator Atlas 8 and Atlas 7 handhelds.
Pearl Abyss has launched a free 20-minute playable demo of Crimson Desert that runs entirely through Twitch's cloud streaming, requiring no download or installation. The demo works on any device with a web browser, though notably not on current game consoles. It coincides with the rollout of Crimson Desert Enhanced, a major free update released last week.