Freebox Ultra: cloud gaming, TV box, free migration… what we would have liked to see in the new box

The presentation of the Freebox Ultra had its effect, with services galore and very promising Wi-Fi 7. On the other hand, Xavier Niel did not refer to any TV box, nor to Cloud gaming.

Let it be said, the Freebox Ultra is solid. The new internet box from Xavier Niel’s teams has casually impressed everyone, with the arrival of Wi-Fi 7, symmetrical speeds of 8 Gbit/s and an entertainment offering as long as the Nile, without a bad game of words. Despite this, and if we want to be a bit nitpicky, we can regret the absence – justifiable nonetheless – of a new TV player, among other examples. But everything is not set in stone.

A Freebox Ultra without a new TV decoder

On what may be missing from this Freebox Ultra, let’s start with the TV player, the TV box or the decoder if you prefer. With the latest addition, Free has done “recycling”, this is not pejorative, by propelling the Free 4K TV Player (Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos) to the Freebox Ultra.

You may know this decoder if you are already a user of… Freebox Pop. It’s the same, exactly, and it satisfies both Free and the public. We can nevertheless understand the need to launch a new TV box. Rest assured, this idea is not a fantasy. A new decoder could arrive soon.

Cloud gaming, a major absence, where do we go?

Cloud gaming may not have the popularity it hoped for among the general public, but the colossal number of players in France could have given Iliad pause. The fans are disappointed. Not a single mention of cloud gaming was made during the presentation of the Freebox Ultra on Tuesday in Paris, and no other is visible in the box’s large press kit.

This is another deficiency at Free. Its competitor in the red square has taken the plunge by offering an “SFR Gaming” option (at 14.99 euros/month) which allows access to more than 400 games, from its TV box, without going through its console or his PC. So, certainly, the catalog does not make you dream. But at least the proposal has the merit of existing. At Bouygues Telecom, the Pleio paid option is offered at 9.99 euros/month, with access to around a hundred games.

Migration is not free, with one exception

We have read your comments. On Clubic or on our social networks, quite a few of you are railing against the migration fees applied by Free. Switching from one Freebox to another is obviously possible, but the process has a cost, and it is set at 49 euros. An amount that some historic subscribers find disproportionate, with many demanding a discount on these costs.

As we explain in our Freebox Ultra FAQ, there is still an exception. If you still have a Freebox at home that is not compatible with optical fiber, your migration will be free.

A 4G key (Pocket Wi-Fi), but why not 5G?

The Freebox Ultra offer finally includes a small 4G key which allows subscribers waiting for fiber to receive a 200 GB envelope. Small icing on the cake, it is not exclusively usable if you wait to be connected to the home or in the event of an outage linked to the weather, a breakdown or a malicious act, no. You can also use it on the go, on vacation or elsewhere, with a limit of 50 GB/month. If you have a small mobile data plan, this is a real good deal.

On the other hand, we can regret the absence of 5G. No operator yet offers a 5G key, and Free could also have disrupted this product, even if, we agree, 4G speeds are sometimes more than sufficient.

In any case, the starting Freebox Ultra offer is rather convincing, but it could be improved, especially since Free offers itself a significant technological advantage over the competition, particularly with Wi-Fi 7. The operator in any case has the cards in hand to transform the test!