Microsoft gives Xbox gamers the gift of next-gen streaming this Christmas

Microsoft has given Xbox owners an early Christmas present, finally releasing the Xbox Cloud Gaming service to its eponymous console in beta.

The move means that more 100 Xbox games will now be available to stream direct to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S systems for select Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users in 25 countries including the UK, US, Australia, mainland Europe and more.

Perhaps most significantly, Xbox Cloud Gaming makes next-gen Series X and Series S games available to play on older Xbox One consoles for the very first time.

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The arrival of the beta on Xbox follows the successful launch of the cloud-based service for iOS and PC devices, with further Xbox Cloud Gaming features including the ability to game with friends even if only one of you has downloaded the title, and being able to start playing (or even just trialling) games without having to download them to your hard drive.

Xbox Cloud Gaming still doesn’t have a confirmed global release date for Xbox, but Microsoft says it will keep rolling out in beta across the 25 launch markets in the coming weeks. It’s not clear how Game Pass Ultimate subscribers are being selected for the service’s initial launch, either – so we can only assume it’s at random.

More titles are due to be added to the service in the coming months ahead of its expected 2022 release and you can learn more on the official Game Pass website.

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James Laird Contributing Editor

About

James has been covering gadgets and other cool tech stuff for more than 10 years, most recently as the Sports and TV Streaming Editor at TechRadar. Before that, he was News and Features Editor at Trusted Reviews, where he developed a love of big phones and even bigger headlines. In his spare time, he can usually be found behaving badly on a golf course or watching the New England Patriots.