Microsoft's moves over Xbox Cloud Gaming in recent months have painted a picture of a company that isn't entirely sure of its long-term viability.
At one point, it seemed like Microsoft was all-in with Xbox Cloud Gaming, building up marketing campaigns like "This is an Xbox" that actively told consumers that Xbox consoles were stupid, and that in fact, devices like the Samsung Smart Fridge was a far better option for gaming instead. The landscape looks very different in 2026.
DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈
Thanks to the RAMpocalypse and the apparent "demand" for data center space for AI tokens, it seems Microsoft has soured on cloud gaming in general as a viable option.
Microsoft has an Xbox Cloud Gaming controller in production according to leaks, and the next-gen Xbox controllers were also supposed to have direct-to-WiFi support to reduce latency. Microsoft has also put thousands upon thousands of games onto Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing you to stream them to a variety of devices like phones, tablets, low-power PCs, and even smart TVs.
At the same time, Microsoft has also opted to limit Xbox Cloud Gaming to 15-hours a month at the highest tier, down from unlimited, with piecemeal hourly passes to be sold separately. And today, Microsoft announced quietly to some users that Xbox Cloud Gaming will vanish entirely from some devices.
In an email sent to myself earlier today, Microsoft says its first batch of third-party supported devices, 2020 Samsung Smart TVs, will lose access to Xbox Cloud Gaming from November 3rd.
You’re receiving this email because your account previously accessed the XBOX app on a 2020 Samsung Smart TV. Starting 3 November, the XBOX app will no longer be supported on 2020 Samsung Smart TVs as updates to the technology that powers XBOX Cloud Gaming are no longer compatible with the operating system version available on these models. You can continue streaming on newer Samsung Smart TVs (2021 and later), as well as across a wide range of supported devices, including PCs, smartphones, tablets and XBOX consoles. To explore all supported devices, visit: http://www.xbox.com/cloud-devices.
Microsoft
Microsoft claims that its due to a compatibility issue, but I don't see how that's really possible given that it's literally a web app and a video feed. It would be like Netflix or Prime TV retiring on those Samsung smart televisions, which is obviously not going to happen any time soon.
Color me cynical as a 2020 Samsung TV owner, but it's hard not to wonder if it is in fact these devices that see the highest use out of all the third-party screens attaching to Xbox Cloud Gaming. Perhaps Microsoft has discovered a way to quickly and easily save bandwidth by screwing over thousands of existing users in the name of "compatibility," given that Xbox Cloud Gaming is reportedly simply unable to make money in the current business model.
RELATED: Xbox Cloud Gaming grabs hourly limits from November 3
For a while, the conspiracy theory was that Microsoft and other companies wanted to shift us all over to cloud gaming services to deprive us of any form of ownership. But ironically, it seems that providing these services in the RAMpocalypse era is too for Microsoft and NVIDIA to even run. Both Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now have pretty stringent restrictions upon them, and both platforms are exploring ads as a way to try and boost revenue.
First it was upgrade your console, now it's upgrade your TV? Maybe it's just going to end up being smarter to unsubscribe to Xbox Game Pass instead ...
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
