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 Microsoft Reportedly Testing Free Xbox Cloud Gaming Supported by Ads With Monthly Play Limits — Announcement and Launch Coming Soon Microsoft is reportedly set to announce and launch a free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming with ads for PC, Xbox consoles, handheld devices, and the web. The Verge’s Tom Warren reports that Xbox Cloud Gaming supported by ads is currently being tested internally, and does not require a Game Pass subscription. A public test is said to be coming soon with a release in the months ahead. Warren’s sources indicate Microsoft is testing approximately two minutes of ads before a game is playable for free via streaming. Microsoft is also apparently testing a limit of one hour for sessions, with up to five hours free a month. But, as Warren points out, this might change for launch. The report comes after Microsoft sparked a backlash for raising the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 a month to $29.99 a month (an extra $120 a year). To justify the increase ...

  Blue Origin rolls out powerful New Glenn rocket for testing ahead of Mars launch  New Glenn is scheduled to launch NASA's ESCAPADE Mars mission in late October or November. Jeff Bezos' company rolled a New Glenn first stage out to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday (Oct. 8) to help prep the vehicle for its upcoming liftoff. That launch, which is expected to take place late this month or in November, will send NASA's twin ESCAPADE probes to Mars. Blue Origin rolls the first stage of its powerful New Glenn rocket to the pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Oct. 8, 2025. (Image credit: Blue Origin) New Glenn stands about 320 feet tall (98 meters) when fully stacked. Like SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, the Blue Origin launcher features a reusable first stage. New Glenn debuted this past January on a test flight that reached orbit as planned. Blue Origin tried to land the first stage on a ship at sea after lift...