{
  "id": 16205887,
  "title": "Microsoft Announces Per-Hour Cost for Xbox Cloud Gaming Service",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/microsoft-announces-per-hour-cost-for-xbox-cloud-gaming-service",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-23T17:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Slashdot",
    "slug": "slashdot",
    "url": "https://games.slashdot.org/story/26/10/23/1636239/microsoft-announces-per-hour-cost-for-xbox-cloud-gaming-service"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Microsoft has announced a new pay-as-you-go pricing model for its Xbox Cloud Gaming service. Under this new system, users can purchase cloud gaming hours in packages of 10, 25, or 50 hours for $3.99, $7.99, or $11.99 respectively. Starting in November, Game Pass subscribers will only receive 5 to 15 included cloud-gaming hours per month based on their subscription tier. To access additional cloud gaming time, users will need to buy extra hours even for games they already own. The changes were revealed by Microsoft in September, following a backlash from users who found themselves having to purchase cloud gaming time for games they had already paid for. Microsoft reassures customers that any unused cloud gaming time remains valid until it is used, so users won't lose their remaining balance between gaming sessions.",
  "summary": "Microsoft has revealed pay-as-you-go pricing for Xbox Cloud Gaming, with introductory packages costing $3.99 for 10 hours, $7.99 for 25 hours, or $11.99 for 50 hours. Starting in November, Game Pass subscribers will receive only 5 to 15 included cloud-gaming hours depending on their tier and will have to buy additional time -- even to stream games they've already purchased. Gizmodo reports: Back…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}