A few days before its big Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Microsoft’s gaming division is already taking the floor to discuss the upcoming developments on its cloud gaming service. The latter will in particular free itself from the Game Pass subscription.
The Summer Game Fest 2022 Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase won’t take place until next Sunday (June 12), but Microsoft’s video game division was obviously too eager to reveal some of its content. It is therefore three days in advance that the company lifts the veil on some future developments for its services, in particular the Xbox Cloud Gaming offer, which is about to live its life outside the shackles of the Game Pass catalog. .
Demos and non-Game Pass titles coming soon to the cloud
Thus, Microsoft announces its intention to launch “later in the year” the ability to stream on demand at “a selection of titles” not part of the Game Pass offer – provided of course that we have them in dematerialized form.
In 2023, it even plans to open up the possibility for developers to offer playable demos of their upcoming titles via the cloud – exclusively for Game Pass subscribers this time. This feature will be “initially the opportunity for independent developers from all over the world to present their new creations.” The manufacturer even undertakes to grant financial compensation to said developers, who will thus be able to assess the potential appeal of their games to subscribers while drawing a small immediate profit.
A native Xbox app on Samsung TVs
And while Xbox cloud gaming will grow in terms of functionality, it will also grow in terms of availability. In addition to its upcoming launch in Argentina and New Zealand, it will above all benefit from the appearance of a native Xbox application on Samsung connected TVs in 2022. Downloadable from the Samsung Gaming Hub from June 30, this application will allow you to access the Xbox cloud without any additional device, except of course a gamepad to be connected directly via Bluetooth to the TV. This will be the opportunity to try out for free at Fortnite in the cloud.
New features also for Windows 11 and the Xbox Design Lab
On the sidelines of all this, Microsoft is also addressing pecists by mentioning some new features to come within the gaming features of Windows 11. We note in particular a new controller bar automatically displayed as soon as a gamepad is connected to the computer, and offering quick access to the various launchers installed on the machine (Steam, Epic Games Launcher, Ubisoft Connect, etc.) as well as Xbox Cloud Gaming, always him. The happy owners of an HDR screen will also welcome with great joy the appearance in the Xbox Game Bar of a slider allowing you to adjust the intensity of the Auto HDR conversion on compatible games. So many features which, by the way, can already be tried by everyone, simply by registering for the Windows Insider program and placing themselves on the beta test channel.
To conclude, the manufacturer has just made some changes to the Xbox Design Lab, its service allowing you to design your own Xbox Series X / S controller. New customization options have thus appeared, including new pastel and “camouflage” colors, as well as a very festive controller body sporting the colors of LGBT + pride.