Microsoft slashes Xbox Cloud Gaming to just 15 hours a month for Ultimate subscribers

微软削减 Xbox 云游戏服务：Ultimate 订阅用户每月仅限 15 小时

Microsoft is announcing some major changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming today, less than a year after opening up cloud gaming to its Xbox Game Pass Premium and Essential tiers. While all Game Pass plans have included unlimited cloud gaming over the past year, from November this will be limited to just 15 hours on Ultimate, 10 hours for Premium subscribers, and a measly 5 hours for Game Pass Essential.

微软今日宣布对 Xbox 云游戏服务进行重大调整，距离其向 Xbox Game Pass Premium 和 Essential 等级开放云游戏功能还不到一年。虽然过去一年所有 Game Pass 计划都包含无限云游戏时长，但从 11 月起，Ultimate 订阅用户将限制为每月 15 小时，Premium 订阅用户为 10 小时，而 Game Pass Essential 用户仅有可怜的 5 小时。

“We recognize that introducing limits is a meaningful change, particularly for players who regularly spend more time gaming through the cloud,” says the Xbox team in a blog post announcing the changes. “We expect this upcoming change to impact four percent of Game Pass subscribers.”

Xbox 团队在宣布此项变更的博客文章中表示：“我们意识到引入限制是一项重大调整，特别是对于那些经常通过云端进行长时间游戏的玩家而言。我们预计此次调整将影响 4% 的 Game Pass 订阅用户。”

If you want to use more than the 15 hours included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you’ll need to purchase additional cloud playtime through the Xbox store starting in November. Microsoft isn’t revealing exact pricing and details today, but Xbox cloud players will be able to purchase bundles of hours that can roll over if unused in a particular month.

如果您希望使用超过 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 所包含的 15 小时额度，则需要从 11 月起通过 Xbox 商店购买额外的云游戏时长。微软目前尚未透露具体的定价和细节，但 Xbox 云游戏玩家将能够购买时长包，且未使用的时长可以结转至下个月。

Microsoft says it’s making these changes “because the cost of providing cloud gaming grows as more people use it and play for longer.“ While that’s undeniably true, Microsoft previously restricted Xbox Cloud Gaming access to its Game Pass Ultimate tier and then opened up access to all tiers of Game Pass nearly a year ago. Unlimited cloud gaming was one of the big additions for Game Pass Premium and Essential tiers, and now that everyone has gotten used to the new feature, they’re being asked to pay for more hours.

微软表示做出这些调整是因为“随着使用人数增加和游戏时长延长，提供云游戏的成本也在增长”。虽然这不可否认，但微软此前曾将 Xbox 云游戏限制在 Game Pass Ultimate 等级，直到近一年前才向所有 Game Pass 等级开放。无限云游戏曾是 Game Pass Premium 和 Essential 等级的一大卖点，而现在当用户已经习惯了这项新功能时，却被要求为更多时长付费。

Xbox players use cloud gaming in a variety of different ways, including people trying out games before they download them, Xbox One owners using it to access Xbox Series X games, or gamers simply accessing Xbox games away from home on mobile devices.

Xbox 玩家以多种方式使用云游戏，包括在下载游戏前进行试玩、Xbox One 用户通过云端体验 Xbox Series X 游戏，或者玩家在离家时通过移动设备访问 Xbox 游戏。

These strict monthly limits could force some Xbox One owners to upgrade their consoles instead of relying on the cloud for certain games. Players who have regularly used Xbox Cloud Gaming to try out games might also think twice about doing that regularly, especially when the hourly restrictions could make that a lot more difficult on the Game Pass Essential tier.

这些严格的月度限制可能会迫使一些 Xbox One 用户升级主机，而不是在某些游戏上依赖云端。经常使用 Xbox 云游戏进行试玩的玩家可能也会重新考虑这种习惯，尤其是当小时限制使得在 Game Pass Essential 等级上进行试玩变得更加困难时。

As part of these sweeping changes, Microsoft is also opening up Xbox Cloud Gaming access to people without a Game Pass subscription. “Players will be able to purchase cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store and stream eligible games they own on supported devices,” says the Xbox team. “This will provide another option for people who want occasional access to cloud gaming or do not want a recurring Game Pass subscription.”

作为此次全面调整的一部分，微软还将向没有 Game Pass 订阅的用户开放 Xbox 云游戏访问权限。Xbox 团队表示：“玩家将能够通过 Xbox 商店购买云游戏时长，并在支持的设备上流式传输他们拥有的符合条件的游戏。这将为那些偶尔需要云游戏或不想订阅 Game Pass 的用户提供另一种选择。”

I don’t think these limits are going to go down well with Xbox Game Pass subscribers, much like the original price hikes. Microsoft was forced to drop the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate six months later, but cut new Call of Duty titles from the service in a bid to balance its costs. These latest Xbox Cloud Gaming changes seem like yet another attempt to prevent more Game Pass price increases.

我认为这些限制不会受到 Xbox Game Pass 订阅用户的欢迎，就像最初的涨价一样。微软曾在六个月后被迫下调 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 的价格，但为了平衡成本，将新的《使命召唤》系列作品从该服务中剔除。最新的 Xbox 云游戏调整似乎是微软为了防止 Game Pass 进一步涨价而采取的又一次尝试。