
We're obviously big fans of Xbox Cloud Gaming here at Pure Xbox, but the majority of the library requires you to be an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member in order to access it - with the notable exception being the free-to-play title Fortnite.
Fortnite has actually implemented occasional limits in the past when xCloud has struggled with the demand, but now it seems like a permanent 60-minute time limit has been added for anyone who isn't a Game Pass Ultimate member.
This was initially hinted at by the team behind 'Better xCloud' just a few days ago, and now we're seeing reports from plenty of Fortnite players who have come across it. The reaction has been mixed - many understand the reasons behind a limit, while others have shared concerns, such as that they'll be kicked out in the middle of a game.
It's never ideal to see features like this being implemented for any title, but to be honest we can understand it in this situation - it's a free version of the service, so giving Game Pass Ultimate members priority makes sense to us.
What we don't really like is that players could just be thrown out of their Fortnite game in the middle of a session, so hopefully there's a workaround where Microsoft can ensure a match is complete before restricting access. It's also worth noting that when the 60 minutes are up, players can just re-queue to join another free session.
It's an interesting development, anyway - what do you think about it? Tell us down in the comments section below.
Comments 12
Cloud gaming is expensive to run, I have no problem with them limiting use for players who may have never paid a penny to Xbox.
I’ve also experienced queues waiting for Cloud and as a Game Pass Ultimate Subscriber who is paying for the Cloud service we should have priority over free players
Good, if anything it's really stupid that on console you are penalised for actually buying games, as you then have to pay to play online (or pay to stream them), whilst these free games are exempt from those charges
I get it but development for Xbox Cloud Gaming has been painfully slow, pretty much every other Cloud Gaming service works so much better, Amazon Luna, GeForce Now and PS+ Premium have all been improving remarkably and the 2 latter ones now have a 4K option while the input lag is much lower.
Even Google Stadia (RIP) nailed the technology 5 years ago but Xbox Cloud has been stuck in the same place, or even getting worse since 2020.
I understand there's costs, but it's a free to play game. The point is making the costs of playing it back from players elsewhere. Something Fortnite has been VERY successful at.
I've played it on Cloud a few times as it's much better graphically than the mobile version, and I've not had any real issues with more lag than on console. It's a great way to play when traveling.
I wouldn't want to play a PVP FPS game on the cloud, free or not it would still add an element of delay which just isn't there playing directly.
I figured they'd offer it free until the service expanded and became more popular. Seems fair to limit free users.
@themightyant Cloud gaming is expensive to run, I have no problem with them limiting use for players who may have never paid a penny to Xbox.
Was going to say exactly the same thing.
@IOI Are you going by what you read on the Internet or real life experience of them all.? I have a 500mb connection and have no problem whatsoever with it.
that's honestly f*cking stupid putting a time limit on cloud gaming you know I was really liking cloud gaming but hell no f*ck them I aint using cloud gaming no more.
@Rog-X Based off my own experiences and having tried it on several devices even with wired internet and Wi-Fi 6, yes, it sucks, it’s blurry and can get laggy specially in online games, that’s when the queue isn’t several minutes long.
Plus it really pales in comparison to both GeForce Now and PS+ Premium in both resolution and ‘lagginess’, haven’t had the chance to try Amazon Luna.
My nephew ran into this over the weekend.
Showed him how to play the game without using the Xbox ecosystem and he's back at it.
Good thing there are options to Microsoft's progressively worse and worse offerings.
@Rog-X @IOI A lot game streaming has nothing to do with your internal home setup. I had 20mb DSL and it streamed just as well as my now 500mb fiber connection. A lot of it is out of user control cause it heavily depends on whether or not your close to an actual server or how your ISP handles traffic like that through their equipment (modem, ONT, ISP Network…etc)
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