News

xCloud Game Streaming Launches on iOS and PC

I’m a big fan of game streaming services, albeit it’s more of a curiosity to me than a full-blown replacement for local media. I remember reviewing and rather enjoying OnLive many years ago. I managed to play a couple of the Batman games on that thing just fine, but the service slowly fell away from its original focus. Google’s Stadia technology is incredible. I’ve played a bunch of games on there, and it was bloody brilliant. Alas, at the time, it just wasn’t a service I needed, so I never really invested beyond the trial, but regardless, I can’t fault the technology. Now it’s time for Microsoft xCloud to shine again! This may finally be the streaming service I regularly use, especially since I’m technically already paying for it.

xCloud

I’m a big fan of xCloud, or should I say, my kids are. When visiting family, they get bored sooner or later and borrow my phone to play Gears of War and Super Lucky’s Tail on my phone via xCloud. It works perfectly, albeit we tend to be places that have great internet speeds and WiFi, which does help. Now, that same service is launching on both iOS and PC (via your browser), and honestly, I’m very excited about this!

https://twitter.com/XboxWire/status/1409587759614885889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Before I wrote this article, I jumped straight in, fired up New Super Lucky’s Tail and then Doom (2016), and with my Xbox One controller paired with my PC, I was able to go full-screen and rip it up. The resolution looks a LOT better too, but with Microsoft recently switching to Xbox Series X blades on many of their servers, many games are now seeing a big performance, graphics and resolution boost (but not all games, yet).

Performance Improvements

“We’re also making significant improvements to the overall experience: Xbox Cloud Gaming is now powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware. We’ve been upgrading Microsoft datacenters around the globe with the fastest, most powerful Xbox hardware to give you faster load times, improved frame rates, and an experience of a new generation of gaming. To ensure the lowest latency, highest quality experience across the broadest set of devices, we will be streaming at 1080p and up to 60fps. Going forward we’ll continue to innovate and add more features to enhance your cloud gaming experience.”

About xCloud BETA

“Our mission at Xbox is to empower you to play the games you want with the people you want, anywhere you want. Simply put, we believe games have the power to connect humanity and it’s our mission to make gaming more accessible to people around the world.

As we shared at the end of last year, we’re bringing Xbox to more players on more devices via the cloud this year. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin sending out invites to select Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to start testing the Xbox Cloud Gaming limited beta for Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets via web browsers. We’re launching xbox.com/play where invitees can play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles through Edge, Google Chrome, or Safari. Offering cloud gaming through the browser and having a simplified, universal landing page presents a great opportunity to make cloud gaming approachable to more players in more places over time.”

How to Play?

The first requirement for xCloud is unchanged, you’ll need Games Pass Ultimate. Albeit, I already have this from ordering my Xbox Series X on the monthly plan. There are 22 beta countries, but this is subject to change. If you have Games Pass, you’re in the right part of the world for the beta, and you want to try it out, then simply head to www.xbox.com/play

Peter Donnell

As a child still in my 30's (but not for long), I spend my day combining my love of music and movies with a life-long passion for gaming, from arcade classics and retro consoles to the latest high-end PC and console games. So it's no wonder I write about tech and test the latest hardware while I enjoy my hobbies!

Disqus Comments Loading...

Recent Posts

Sharkoon Unveils SKILLER SGK40 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

Sharkoon Technologies has today unveiled their SKILLER SGK40, a customizable mechanical gaming keyboard with edge…

2 mins ago

MSI MAG 274UPF E2 4K Ultra HD Monitor Coming Soon

MSI has just revealed their latest feature-packed gaming monitor, the MSI MAG 274UPF E2. It…

1 hour ago

Thermaltake Reveal New S250 TG ARGB Mid-Tower Case

Thermaltake has just revealed its latest addition to its already packed and awesome case collection,…

1 hour ago

No Man’s Sky Orbital Update Trailer Released

Hello Games continues its road to redemption with No Man's Sky, however, I'd say we're…

2 hours ago

Cooler Master Reveals TD500 MAX ATX Case

Cooler Master, one of the biggest names for PC cases and PC cooling has today…

2 hours ago

Ranch Simulator Hits 1 Million Copies Sold

Ranch Simulator, a game which I hadn't heard of until today, has just reached a…

19 hours ago