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[Eddie-Griffin]

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsex...dge-smartphones-with-xbox-game-pass-ultimate/

Motorola has announced its newest line-up of smartphones: the edge 30 ultra, edge 30 fusion and edge 30 neo. All three provide a new platform for cloud gaming via membership of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, where you can immerse yourself in hundreds of high-quality games, with new ones being added all the time.

Take cloud gaming to the next level with 5G and WiFi connectivity, long-lasting battery life and fast charging speeds up to 125W for uninterrupted gaming sessions. Experience your favorite games in full immersion, combining endless-edge displays that deliver ultra-smooth refresh rates up to 144Hz and powerful stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos sound.

Edge 30 ultra is the flagship of the family. It features the industry’s first 200MP camera system, so you can capture beautifully detailed photos in any light. It also delivers the ability to record videos in 8K, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera lens, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 platform and wireless charging.

The matte glass – along with many thoughtful design features – of the edge 30 fusion makes it easy to pick up and hard to put down. It also has a Snapdragon 888+ 5G mobile platform, a 50-megapixel camera system with OIS and instant all-pixel focus, a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera lens and 68W TurboPower charging.

Edge 30 neo arrives in trending colors that were selected as part of Motorola’s new partnership with Pantone, known as the world leader in color consistency and accuracy for brands and designers all over the world. Options include Very Peri (the Pantone Color of the Year for 2022), Aqua Foam, Black Onyx and Ice Palace.

https://www.motorola.com/blog/post?id=469

Combining the endless edge display with powerful audio and industry leading WiFi 6E wireless connectivity lets you take cloud gaming to a new level, whether at home or on the go. Immerse yourself in over 100 high-quality games with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate7 directly on your phone, with new games being added all the time. The options are endless.
motorola 30 edge ultra
motorola 30 edge ultra will be on sale in Argentina, Brazil and Europe today, with a starting MSRP of 899.99 euros.
motorola 30 edge fusion
motorola 30 edge fusion will be on sale in Argentina, Brazil and Europe today, with a starting MSRP of 599.99 euros.
motorola 30 edge neo
motorola 30 edge neo will be available in Europe in the coming days with a starting MSRP of 369.99 euros.

So it looks like Microsoft and Motorola(Lenovo) have partnered up for Game Pass Ultimate marketing, Microsoft speaks out about the New Motorola Edge phones, and Motorola markets Game Pass Ultimate with Xcloud for the phones promoting cloud gaming. The cheapest phone of the three being $373 when converted to USD.

Unfortunately these phones don't seem to be in the US yet and will be releasing only in Europe and Brazil for now, except the last and cheapest one Neo, which is only releasing in Europe, however it's a smart plan to get more Europeans into the Xbox ecosystem as Motorola dominates the affordable mid-range phone category there, so this partnership may actually be quite effective.

The spec lists for the cheaper Neo and the powerful Ultra are actually pretty good for the price
https://specs-tech.com/en/motorola-edge-30-neo/
https://specs-tech.com/en/motorola-edge-30-ultra/

Microsoft already partnered with Verizon, and other phone companies (via Bango PLC partners in EUrope and Japan, and Vodafone) to sell Xbox Series consoles and for the All Access plan, and now they are partnering with phone makers for Xcloud, I believe Microsoft is trying to bridge the too in the near future which will give Microsoft and Xbox access to hundreds of millions of consumers through phone companies and manufacture partnerships.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some partners in the future have a label on the box like "XGP certified" or "Xbox Cloud Gaming certified" to promote gamepass and cloud gaming.

This is the first major partnership related to Xbox and another company, let alone a phone company, to be posted on the Microsoft Windows blog.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Day one

 

[SportsFan581]

They've had a partnership with AMD promoting GP to purchasers of new AMD GPUs for a while. I'm surprised we haven't seen more partner deals with potato laptops, that could be another segment that is good for GPU/Xcloud.

Good to see them trying to spread things out more.

 

[Banjo64]

Stop pushing via individual brands like Motofuckingrola and Samsung if you want mass market penetration.

 

[Ozriel]

Stop pushing via individual brands like Motofuckingrola and Samsung if you want mass market penetration.

XCloud isn’t restricted to the hardware they’ve got marketing deals with. Anyone can stream via iOS and Android browsers.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

Or you can just download off Google Play for any Android phone....

 

[Banjo64]

XCloud isn’t restricted to the hardware they’ve got marketing deals with. Anyone can stream via iOS and Android browsers.

Exactly. I know that and you know that but to Tom, Dick and Harry they’ll probably think they need a Motorola.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Exactly. I know that and you know that but to Tom, Dick and Harry they’ll probably think they need a Motorola.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Exactly. I know that and you know that but to Tom, Dick and Harry they’ll probably think they need a Motorola.

Yet despite a huge marketing comparing for All Access with Verizon, tom hoe and larry still know they can go to Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.

This statement is even more crazy given these phones are only in Europe at the moment, where Microsoft has Cloud, Game Pass, and All Access partnership with like half the phone carriers and telecoms through Vodafone and the Bango PLC partnership.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Yet despite a huge marketing comparing for All Access with Verizon, tom hoe and larry still know they can go to Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.

This statement is even more crazy given these phones are only in Europe at the moment, where Microsoft has Cloud, Game Pass, and All Access partnership with like half the phone carriers and telecoms through Vodafone and the Bango PLC partnership.

 

[kyliethicc]

Day one

fuck happened to you lol

 

[Mr Hyde]

Playing on the phone sucks ass.

 

[Banjo64]

Yet despite a huge marketing comparing for All Access with Verizon, tom hoe and larry still know they can go to Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Tom Hoe? Is that your dad? (JK)

This statement is even more crazy given these phones are only in Europe at the moment, where Microsoft has Cloud, Game Pass, and All Access partnership with like half the phone carriers and telecoms through Vodafone and the Bango PLC partnership.

I live in the UK, my sim only deal is up right now and I’m looking for a new handset for my partner, not seen any Game Pass advertising with any of the network providers.

 

[SenjutsuSage]

It has honestly been a real treat to watch as all Microsoft's efforts and planning come together in what looks like a perfect storm. To have Bethesda as a first party, and now be staring down the possibility of adding Activision Blizzard. It's just crazy.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

fuck happened to you lol

a never ending conflict within my heart

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

It has honestly been a real treat to watch as all Microsoft's efforts and planning come together in what looks like a perfect storm. To have Bethesda as a first party, and now be staring down the possibility of adding Activision Blizzard. It's just crazy.

It's not crazy

It's fookin gangsta

 

[kyliethicc]

a never ending conflict within my heart

 

[freefornow]

Playing on the phone sucks ass.

This!

 

[OmegaSupreme]

It has honestly been a real treat to watch as all Microsoft's efforts and planning come together in what looks like a perfect storm. To have Bethesda as a first party, and now be staring down the possibility of adding Activision Blizzard. It's just crazy.

Their plan to finish third again is coming along nicely.

On topic I've never met an adult who streamed a game on their phone. It's always just a shitty phone game they've downloaded.

 

[Kadve]

Is it just me or do anyone else actually hate these "no bezel" phones? They are just so uncomforatble to hold.

 

[BlackTron]

Gamepass just needs to work on a mobile gaming device like Switch or SteamDeck with no fussy extra setup, just login info and go.

I'll dip my toe with then happens.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Playing on the phone sucks ass.

I mean, for some games yeah. For some like NMS, RPG's, or farming runes on Elden ring with remote play, its pretty awesome. Definitely need a decent controller though, I use the Kishi to remove the inherent latency with bluetooth.

 

[DAHGAMING]

Its what the Queen would have wanted.

 

[spons]

Hope you like your three security updates and one major Android upgrade. Motorola sucks.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Is it 5G at sub $400?

Interesting, I payed $500 out of pocket for my 4G phone two years ago. Xcloud is barely functional over a 4G connection, but I've heard good things about 5G.

 

[Ozriel]

Exactly. I know that and you know that but to Tom, Dick and Harry they’ll probably think they need a Motorola.

This is a blog post that the average user won’t see. I think their main public facing ads for XCloud are device agnostic.

It has honestly been a real treat to watch as all Microsoft's efforts and planning come together in what looks like a perfect storm. To have Bethesda as a first party, and now be staring down the possibility of adding Activision Blizzard. It's just crazy.

Not sure what this has got to do with this thread.

 

[Ozriel]

Gamepass just needs to work on a mobile gaming device like Switch or SteamDeck with no fussy extra setup, just login info and go.

I'll dip my toe with then happens.

This thread is about XCloud. And XCloud has official support from Microsoft on Steamdeck.

Install windows on your Steamdeck and you can play PC Gamepass games natively

 

[Starbuck2907]

I can play Xbox cloud games on my iPhone right now just by adding their html5 site as a shortcut on my phone. Anyone with a decent phone can. You don’t need an app or anything else. I let my nephew play Fortnite on my iPhone a few days ago. Funny, cause the Fortnite and Xbox Cloud apps are both banned by the Apple App Store.

 

[GymWolf]

Imagine playing anything more than solitaire on a phone.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

 

[Banjo64]

I can play Xbox cloud games on my iPhone right now just by adding their html5 site as a shortcut on my phone. Anyone with a decent phone can. You don’t need an app or anything else. I let my nephew play Fortnite on my iPhone a few days ago. Funny, cause the Fortnite and Xbox Cloud apps are both banned by the Apple App Store.

I have an SE 2020 with the Cloud Gaming app installed?

 

[CeeJay]

Imagine playing anything more than solitaire on a phone.

You don't have to imagine it, you can do it right now!

 

[GymWolf]

You don't have to imagine it, you can do it right now!

No thanks, i love to play my games in their better form, not in the shittiest one just because i have nothing to do in the toilette or the tram.

 

[The_Mike]

As someone who always tried mobile games and even game pass on my phone while traveling two days ago.

Fuck mobile gaming. Controls will always be dogshit and I will never be able to just run around with a controller all the time.

 

[skit_data]

I had no idea Motorola was still in business, it’s been like 15 years since I last saw one of their phones.

 

[El Pistolero]

It has honestly been a real treat to watch as all Microsoft's efforts and planning come together in what looks like a perfect storm. To have Bethesda as a first party, and now be staring down the possibility of adding Activision Blizzard. It's just crazy.

 

[Topher]

Marketing deal?

 

[H4ze]

Had a Motorola Moto G4 plus for almost 5 years before buying a Pixel, can't complain about them being shitty phones. More options to play are always welcome.

Since I got a "claw" to attach my phone to a controller I used steamlink a few times to play games while chilling in the bed. It's not perfect, but depending on the game it can be pretty good.

 

[RoadHazard]

Nah, I'm good.

 

[Three]

If the phone had built-in gamepad controls or something then I can understand but this is just a regular ass phone. Why should anyone care?

I had no idea Motorola was still in business, it’s been like 15 years since I last saw one of their phones.

They got bought by Google then sold off to Lenovo. They've just become a phone slut brand and Lenovo uses the Motorola branding in countries where it might still have a small marketshare. Google just gutted it for its patents for their own Pixel.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Is there a way to stream to iPad or iPhone yet? I thought there was some issue but they were working on it?

 

[Orbital2060]

Is there a way to stream to iPad or iPhone yet? I thought there was some issue but they were working on it?

Yes

They found a way around apple by streaming it in the browser. I think Chrome is recommended, it works really well for me at least. Apple iphone10.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

I kind of question how effective these partnerships actually are when you take a look at total GamePass sub numbers, the last reported figures being 25 million. So you have GP/GPU available not just on Xbox consoles, but also PC, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs (more recently) etc. I almost half-expect GamePass to be available in smart refrigerators soon.

The reason I question the effectiveness of the partnerships isn't so much the total sub count, but because we know the vast majority of the subs are coming from Xbox console owners. They hit 20 million subs at the peak of lockdown and that's before MS really spread out beyond Xbox & PC. So either they feel they're reaching a saturation point in getting more GP subs than just from the Xbox & PC side, or they're really hoping mobile users signing up will be high value in terms of ARPU, because they aren't going to be the sort to take advantage of $1 conversions, free trails & offer sign-ups over & over like in-the-know hardcore/core console gamers in the ecosystem would (and do, at least a lot of them).

If they do get a ton of new subs through these mobile partnerships in time, though, I'm guessing MS is forecasting it'd eclipse the number of subs they have so far primarily through converting Xbox owners to the service. MS are probably hoping for at least 2-3x subs lifetime through mobile compared to what they have through just Xbox/PC so something like 60 - 75 million additional subscribers. I guess we'll see if they can manage that over the next 5 years.

 

[Chukhopops]

I kind of question how effective these partnerships actually are when you take a look at total GamePass sub numbers, the last reported figures being 25 million. So you have GP/GPU available not just on Xbox consoles, but also PC, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs (more recently) etc. I almost half-expect GamePass to be available in smart refrigerators soon.

The reason I question the effectiveness of the partnerships isn't so much the total sub count, but because we know the vast majority of the subs are coming from Xbox console owners. They hit 20 million subs at the peak of lockdown and that's before MS really spread out beyond Xbox & PC. So either they feel they're reaching a saturation point in getting more GP subs than just from the Xbox & PC side, or they're really hoping mobile users signing up will be high value in terms of ARPU, because they aren't going to be the sort to take advantage of $1 conversions, free trails & offer sign-ups over & over like in-the-know hardcore/core console gamers in the ecosystem would (and do, at least a lot of them).

If they do get a ton of new subs through these mobile partnerships in time, though, I'm guessing MS is forecasting it'd eclipse the number of subs they have so far primarily through converting Xbox owners to the service. MS are probably hoping for at least 2-3x subs lifetime through mobile compared to what they have through just Xbox/PC so something like 60 - 75 million additional subscribers. I guess we'll see if they can manage that over the next 5 years.

I see XCloud as a nice little bonus, I play stuff like Dicey Dungeons or the Somnium Files with touch controls and it works fine (too bad it isn’t supported where I live so I can only use it abroad).

Once you factor in the upcoming Riot partnership and the King/Blizzard mobile games having some kind of incentive it can become quite attractive as a standalone product, which in turn makes it more attractive to use the console or PC catalog since you’re already subbed.

 

[Ozriel]

I kind of question how effective these partnerships actually are when you take a look at total GamePass sub numbers, the last reported figures being 25 million. So you have GP/GPU available not just on Xbox consoles, but also PC, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs (more recently) etc. I almost half-expect GamePass to be available in smart refrigerators soon.

The reason I question the effectiveness of the partnerships isn't so much the total sub count, but because we know the vast majority of the subs are coming from Xbox console owners. They hit 20 million subs at the peak of lockdown and that's before MS really spread out beyond Xbox & PC. So either they feel they're reaching a saturation point in getting more GP subs than just from the Xbox & PC side, or they're really hoping mobile users signing up will be high value in terms of ARPU, because they aren't going to be the sort to take advantage of $1 conversions, free trails & offer sign-ups over & over like in-the-know hardcore/core console gamers in the ecosystem would (and do, at least a lot of them).

If they do get a ton of new subs through these mobile partnerships in time, though, I'm guessing MS is forecasting it'd eclipse the number of subs they have so far primarily through converting Xbox owners to the service. MS are probably hoping for at least 2-3x subs lifetime through mobile compared to what they have through just Xbox/PC so something like 60 - 75 million additional subscribers. I guess we'll see if they can manage that over the next 5 years.

XCloud isn’t just a mobile play, though. It’s an ‘everything’ play, just like Stadia. So anything with a modern browser.
Chromebooks, Steamdeck, smart TVs, MacBooks, streaming sticks, phones etc. and definitely that’s the big play Microsoft expects to reach out to a significant audience out there that isn’t buying consoles.

Gamepass isn’t anywhere close to saturation point, like you speculate. A decent chunk of subscribers come from the consoles they sell, and they’re well on track to sell very well this generation. Not to mention the floodgates of games that’ll come when their first party machine starts putting out the goods from 2023.

They could also help their case on the PC by improving their app, but they’re strangely awful at making a functional storefront.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

I see XCloud as a nice little bonus, I play stuff like Dicey Dungeons or the Somnium Files with touch controls and it works fine (too bad it isn’t supported where I live so I can only use it abroad).

Once you factor in the upcoming Riot partnership and the King/Blizzard mobile games having some kind of incentive it can become quite attractive as a standalone product, which in turn makes it more attractive to use the console or PC catalog since you’re already subbed.

Right but in that case you're talking about GP on mobile being more an addendum for the primary users who would be on Xbox and PC. So the question becomes: how many of those users value mobile as an extension worth leveraging it as a high ARPU customer?

Because I'm guessing if they already have GP on the console or PC side, they are not registering as new users for Xcloud on mobile, since GP on Xbox at least already has an Xcloud component. And as such, I don't know how much it helps MS in getting a surplus of new users or significantly increasing GamePass revenue across the family of devices. They would probably prefer if these mobile partnerships led to a big series of gains in mobile users signing up for GamePass XCloud.

It may be cheaper than GP or GPU monthly, but those mobile users will probably pay the normal monthly rate so that combined with getting say 2x the subs there than what they have gotten so far through Xbox & PC platforms would bring a real boost in GamePass's overall revenue stream.

XCloud isn’t just a mobile play, though. It’s an ‘everything’ play, just like Stadia. So anything with a modern browser.
Chromebooks, Steamdeck, smart TVs, MacBooks, streaming sticks, phones etc. and definitely that’s the big play Microsoft expects to reach out to a significant audience out there that isn’t buying consoles.

Gamepass isn’t anywhere close to saturation point, like you speculate. A decent chunk of subscribers come from the consoles they sell, and they’re well on track to sell very well this generation. Not to mention the floodgates of games that’ll come when their first party machine starts putting out the goods from 2023.

They could also help their case on the PC by improving their app, but they’re strangely awful at making a functional storefront.

Okay, so what is GamePass's saturation point in subscriber numbers? And platform-wise, what would it be? The way things are I would say when it comes to the console & PC side the ceiling is looking like it's between 30 and 35 million. Keep in mind a LOT of the current subscribers are hardcore/core Xbox fans who have already been aware of the planned 1P content from the new studio acquisitions. A lot of them are probably willing to pay the normal rate if they are ever in a situation wherein they can't do the $1 conversion or don't have time for MS Reward points, or don't qualify for free trials.

I think realistically the peak for total GamePass subs, when mobile is added, is probably around 100 million. Which is why MS have been so adamant to get GamePass and Xcloud in particular out for mobile, smart TVs, etc. How else are they going to get those additional 65 million subs? I'm not saying MS's target is 100 million; however as an internal target it's a very safe number for a company to want to aim for in this instance.

 

[Starbuck2907]

As someone who always tried mobile games and even game pass on my phone while traveling two days ago.

Fuck mobile gaming. Controls will always be dogshit and I will never be able to just run around with a controller all the time.

If I remember correctly, you can use a controller while cloud gaming in your phone. I might try it tonight just to see. I get not wanting to carry one around, though. It’s usually better to play simple or turn based games on mobile.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Now with Sony's new phone released, the console wars will be moving to mobile. mobile wars.

Halo spartan Assault or God of War runner, who will win.

No one, because console gamers don't play games on mobile lol.

I kind of question how effective these partnerships actually are when you take a look at total GamePass sub numbers, the last reported figures being 25 million. So you have GP/GPU available not just on Xbox consoles, but also PC, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs (more recently) etc. I almost half-expect GamePass to be available in smart refrigerators soon.

The reason I question the effectiveness of the partnerships isn't so much the total sub count, but because we know the vast majority of the subs are coming from Xbox console owners. They hit 20 million subs at the peak of lockdown and that's before MS really spread out beyond Xbox & PC. So either they feel they're reaching a saturation point in getting more GP subs than just from the Xbox & PC side, or they're really hoping mobile users signing up will be high value in terms of ARPU, because they aren't going to be the sort to take advantage of $1 conversions, free trails & offer sign-ups over & over like in-the-know hardcore/core console gamers in the ecosystem would (and do, at least a lot of them).

If they do get a ton of new subs through these mobile partnerships in time, though, I'm guessing MS is forecasting it'd eclipse the number of subs they have so far primarily through converting Xbox owners to the service. MS are probably hoping for at least 2-3x subs lifetime through mobile compared to what they have through just Xbox/PC so something like 60 - 75 million additional subscribers. I guess we'll see if they can manage that over the next 5 years.

It's hard to say this without them revealing the current game pass subs. For all we know they passed 40 million.

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

Stop pushing via individual brands like Motofuckingrola and Samsung if you want mass market penetration.

Yea except Samsung owns the biggest share of the TV market.

 

[SenjutsuSage]

This is a blog post that the average user won’t see. I think their main public facing ads for XCloud are device agnostic.



Not sure what this has got to do with this thread.

Motorola is promoting their new phones alongside Game Pass Ultimate. This isn't just Microsoft doing this in isolation. Motorola is doing it also. Microsoft wouldn't be allowed to promote it like that without some agreement.

Microsoft's strategy is working out, allowing them all these advertising opportunities that benefit Xbox.