Xbox Wants an Hourly Fee to Stream Games You Already Bought

I would not pay to stream a game I already own. The only case where I would even consider it is a game my own PC cannot run.

Microsoft has started selling cloud playtime to Xbox Insiders who do not have Game Pass. The introductory prices are 10 hours for $4, 25 hours for $8 and 50 hours for $12, which works out to between 24 and 40 cents an hour. The hours do not expire until you use them, and Microsoft says the purchase lets you stream eligible games you own. It calls these launch prices, so they can change.

This lands next to another change. Starting in November, Game Pass subscribers get a monthly cap of 5 to 15 hours of cloud streaming. Streaming a game you paid for is becoming something you pay for again, with or without a subscription.

I live in Argentina. Xbox Cloud Gaming has been available here since 2022, but from where I sit the connection is not exactly fast, and in my experience streaming games is not a real option. The bigger question is why I would pay by the hour for something I can set up with my own PC.

I understand the service for people who do not have the hardware. That is who it is for. The question is the price. At the cheapest rate, a 40-hour game costs close to $10 in streaming time on top of what you paid for the game, and closer to $16 if you buy the small packs.

Microsoft has not said which countries get it or what the prices will be after the Insider test, so check the final pricing before buying hours.