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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 end unlimited Xbox Cloud Gaming access for Game Pass subscribers, introducing monthly streaming caps of 15 hours for Ultimate, 10 hours for Premium, and 5 hours for Essential tiers. Subscribers who exceed their limit can purchase additional streaming time, though pricing hasn't been disclosed, while downloadable game access remains unaffected.
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.
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.
Microsoft confirmed it is removing Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Cells, Frostpunk 2, Mullet Madjack and Superliminal from Xbox Game Pass on September 15. The company is adding replacement titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but critics argue the incoming lineup doesn't match the quality of what's leaving.
Acer introduced the Predator Atlas 7, a compact version of its Predator Atlas 8 handheld, featuring a 7-inch 120Hz FHD touchscreen, Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor with up to Arc B390 graphics, and configurations up to 24GB memory and 1TB storage. It ships with an 80Wh or 60Wh battery option, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7, and bundled trial access to Xbox and PC Game Pass, launching in North America in Q4 2026 and EMEA from November.
Microsoft is rolling out a new feature, starting with Xbox Insiders on August 31, that lets players convert eligible Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs into permanent digital entitlements simply by inserting the disc and launching the game. Once claimed, the game becomes playable without the disc and gains access to Xbox Play Anywhere and Cloud Gaming, though the physical disc still works as before. Each disc carries only one revocable license, meaning reselling or lending it can transfer the digital entitlement to whoever uses it next.