In a quiet but consequential pivot, Microsoft has begun redefining the boundaries of its cloud gaming promise — capping Xbox Cloud Gaming at fifteen hours monthly for Game Pass subscribers while simultaneously introducing pay-as-you-go pricing and expanding the Xbox app to TCL televisions. The move reflects a broader reckoning across the industry, where the dream of frictionless, unlimited cloud play has collided with the realities of infrastructure costs and modest adoption. Microsoft appears to be stepping back from the role of generous patron and asking, at last, whether cloud gaming can su