Microsoft and Xbox’s first foray into true gaming handhelds with the Xbox ROG Ally and Xbox ROG Ally X are almost here, and although we are still awaiting on an official price reveal, at least we know that October 16, 2025 is when they will be available for purchase. Since their announcement, one of the major components of these handhelds has ultimately become, cloud streaming, specifically if any changes would come to Xbox Cloud Gaming as a result.
Currently only available to those in the Xbox Insider program, but quickly will be out to everyone is the ability to use Xbox Cloud Gaming on any tier of Xbox Game Pass, previously a Xbox Game Pass Ultimate only feature, now, regardless of whether you are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Core, Xbox Game Pass Standard, or the aforementioned Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, cloud streaming and remote play of games are accessible to virtually anyone that joins the ecosystem.
Considering that for the forseeable future, the only way gamers can play native Xbox games on the two new handhelds that are not Xbox Play Anywhere or have a native PC version, is by using Xbox Cloud Gaming, it makes sense that Microsoft would make this move, as it helps provide less friction for anyone that wants access to all of their owned games. Plus, with Microsoft’s push to the “This is an Xbox” campaign where game streaming is available via any browser and even select LG Smart TVs, making Xbox Cloud Gaming as accessible as possible is vital to the success of this strategy.
And although this doesn’t rule out the possibility of a “Cloud Only” tier of Xbox Game Pass in the future, it does match what VP of Next Gen Jason Ronald stated is a goal for Xbox Cloud Gaming.
“I think for us, it really opens up the opportunity to make it much more affordable, and make it more accessible to players. Whether that’s going into new regions, or new ways to actually access the [Xbox] cloud.”
The major thing Microsoft has really tried to push with all of their recent decisions is the aspect of “choice.” They truly do not have a preference of where you play Xbox games, even if its on a rival console. Making Xbox Cloud Gaming available to anyone that subscribes to Game Pass is yet another way to showcase that choice is the way forward.
