Xbox Cloud Gaming

Xbox Cloud Gaming (formally announced as Project xCloud and formerly known as xCloud) is Microsoft's Xbox cloud gaming service.[1] Initially released in beta testing in November 2019, the service later launched for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on September 15, 2020. Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming is provided to subscribers of Ultimate at no additional cost.[2]

Xbox Cloud Gaming
DeveloperMicrosoft
TypeCloud gaming service
Launch dateSeptember 15, 2020 (2020-09-15)
Preview version1.0 / November 14, 2019 (2019-11-14)
Platform(s)Cross-platform
Operating system(s)Android
Windows 10, iOS (Coming in 2021)
StatusActive
MembersAvailable in 21 countries
Pricing modelXbox Game Pass Ultimate
WebsiteOfficial Site

Development

Microsoft teased the service at E3 2018 and formally announced Project xCloud several months later, in October 2018.[3] They demonstrated the service in March 2019 with the racing game Forza Horizon 4 playing on an Android smartphone with an Xbox One controller.[4] Xbox head Phil Spencer used a private server during this time to test games on a remote connection.[5] The service entered its home testing phase in May 2019, when it could be used outside the lab environment. It entered public testing later in the year and was unveiled at E3 2019.[1]

Microsoft said that its Xbox content library will make its service more appealing than competitors such as Stadia.[1] The hardware at launch used Xbox One S-based blade servers, but it is expected to transition to Xbox Series X-based servers by 2021.[6] Each server initially had four customized Xbox One S-based units for the 2018 teaser, but this was doubled to eight per server in a 2U enclosure for the service's launch in 2019.[7] Compared to the standard Xbox One S, power consumption has been reduced by 30% through processor-specific power tuning. Video output is set for 120 Hz to reduce latency.[8]

Trials of the service began in October 2019, and as of November 2019, the service hosts 50 games, with support in testing for Apple Inc.'s iOS mobile devices, and for Sony Interactive Entertainment's DualShock controllers.[9]

On February 12, 2020, Project xCloud launched on Apple’s mobile operating system in a preview version.[10]

On May 5, 2020, Project xCloud came to Spain (Europe) in preview (Video on live).[11]

Microsoft released Xbox Cloud Gaming across 21 countries in North America and Europe, as well as in South Korea, on September 15, 2020 for select Android devices, with support for more than 150 games at launch.[12][13]

Availability

Cloud gaming is available in the following 22 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[14] By 2020, Microsoft plans to add more countries over time. As of November 2020, Microsoft started receiving applications from users to participate in preview testing in additional countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Australia and Japan.[15]

Games
See also: List of Xbox Series X and Series S games, List of Xbox One games, List of Xbox One X enhanced games, and List of backward compatible games for Xbox One

The Xbox Series X's backward compatibility allows xCloud to retain the existing library of Xbox games while adding new games from the Xbox Series X.[6] The Xbox Game Pass Library currently lists 213 cloud-enabled games.[16] The list includes Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Destiny 2, Forza Horizon 4, The Outer Worlds, and Yakuza Kiwami 2.[17]

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is the first game that supports full touch controls.[18]

Reception

The service received generally positive initial impressions from reviewers.[19][20][21] Playing over a T-Mobile LTE connection with just 25Mbps download speed caused no effect on image quality. Even while playing on a moving bus and train, there was no noticeable loss of image quality.[22]

Reviewers also reported that starting up games on the phone feels faster because the games are running on more powerful remote servers rather than a hard drive on a console. Load times are also minimized and closer to a PC gaming experience.[22]

Hardware
Xbox Cloud Gaming works using an Xbox Wireless Controller

The service is designed to work with phones, either with touchscreen controls or Xbox controller over Bluetooth. It runs via Microsoft's 54 Azure cloud computing centers, hosted in 140 countries.[3] Microsoft is planning to upgrade its server blades to the more capable Xbox Series X hardware in 2021.[23]

Mobile devices

Xbox Cloud Gaming works with any Android phone or tablet that has at least Android 6.0 and Bluetooth 4.0. Examples of supported devices include the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e, the OnePlus 8 and the Galaxy S20 Ultra.[24]

While Microsoft had planned to release xCloud for iOS devices, the company halted iOS testing in August 2020, asserting that policies on the Apple App Store limited what functionality they could provide for the service.[25] Apple clarified that cloud streaming services like xCloud allow Microsoft to release games onto the iOS platform that bypass the normal checks that Apple performs for other apps, and thus refused to allow the app on the platform.[26]

However, in September 2020, Apple altered its rules that allowed xCloud and other cloud gaming apps to work on iOS, with restrictions that each game must be offered as an individual download on the iOS store which the user must use before playing, though catalog apps as part of the service can list and link to these games.[27] Microsoft responded negatively to this change, stating that

"This remains a bad experience for customers. Gamers want to jump directly into a game from their curated catalog within one app just like they do with movies or songs, and not be forced to download over 100 apps to play individual games from the cloud. We’re committed to putting gamers at the center of everything we do, and providing a great experience is core to that mission."

— Microsoft[28]

Microsoft suggested in October 2020 that to work around Apple's restriction, it may bring xCloud to iOS as a browser-based application, which would not have its content restricted by the App Store limitations.[29] The company later announced that it will use this approach to bring a browser-based version of the cloud gaming service to both personal computers and to iOS devices to be released sometime by the second quarter of 2021.[30]

Other devices

Microsoft announced that the service will be available for Windows 10 computers in the spring of 2021.[30] Spencer has also stated that Microsoft is considering bringing the service to smart TVs and streaming sticks.[23]

See also

References
  1. Makuch, Eddie (May 1, 2019). "New Xbox Streaming Service Reaches Major Milestone". GameSpot. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  2. Ivan, Tom (July 16, 2020). "xCloud launching in September and included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  3. Bankhurst, Adam (October 8, 2018). "Microsoft Announces Global Game Streaming Service, Project xCloud, Beta Next Year". IGN. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  4. Higham, Michael (March 13, 2019). "Xbox Shows Project xCloud In Action, Playing Forza Horizon 4 On A Phone". GameSpot. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  5. Bankhurst, Adam (April 16, 2019). "Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Plays Destiny, Crackdown with Microsoft's xCloud". IGN. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  6. Saed, Sherif (June 18, 2020). "Xbox Series X hardware will power xCloud servers next year – report". VG247. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  7. Wild, Mike (May 2, 2020). "Project xCloud Server Blade Analysis". Fragwire. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  8. Leadbetter, Richard (December 3, 2019). "Project xCloud tested: has Microsoft really delivered a portable Xbox One?". Digital Foundry. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  9. "Microsoft's xCloud Now Supports 50 Games, Coming to PC In 2020". Thurrott. November 14, 2019.
  10. "Project xCloud finally comes to iOS, but with some serious limitations". VentureBeat. February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  11. "Project xCloud finally comes to Spain and works fine over 4G mobile network". ELSATE.com (in Spanish). May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  12. Warren, Tom (August 4, 2020). "Microsoft's xCloud game streaming will launch on September 15th on Android". The Verge. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  13. Warren, Tom (September 14, 2020). "Microsoft will have more than 150 xCloud games when it launches tomorrow". The Verge. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  14. Xbox Supported Countries & Regions
  15. Cloud gaming (Beta) with Xbox Game Pass
  16. "Xbox Game Pass Library". Xbox.com.
  17. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscribers Can Play More Than 100 Games From The Cloud Starting September 15
  18. Hellblade is the first Project xCloud game with full touch controls
  19. May 2020, Vic Hood 05. "Hands on: Project xCloud review". TechRadar.
  20. "Xbox Game Pass's xCloud Makes Toilet Gaming Incredibly Easy".
  21. "Sorry Stadia, I'm backing xCloud to be the big player in the cloud gaming wars". Android Authority. November 23, 2019.
  22. "Microsoft xCloud Preview Hands-On Impressions: So Far, So Good! - IGN" – via www.ign.com.
  23. Warren, Tom (November 24, 2020). "Microsoft hints at turning Xbox into an app for your TV". The Verge. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  24. "Everything you need to know about Xbox Game Pass on Android". Android Central. September 15, 2020.
  25. Warren, Tom (August 5, 2020). "Microsoft cuts xCloud iOS testing early as its future on Apple devices remains unclear". The Verge. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  26. Gilbert, Ben (August 6, 2020). "When Microsoft's ambitious 'Netflix of gaming' service launches in September, it won't arrive on Apple devices – here's why". Business Insider. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  27. Leswing, Kef (September 11, 2020). "Apple issues new rules for App Store that will impact streaming game services from Google and Microsoft". CNBC. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  28. Warren, Tom (September 11, 2020). "Microsoft snubs Apple's olive branch to cloud gaming: 'a bad experience for customers'". The Verge. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  29. Warren, Tom (October 9, 2020). "Microsoft is bringing xCloud to iOS via the web". The Verge. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  30. Statt, Nick (December 9, 2020). "Microsoft confirms the xCloud beta is coming to iOS and PC in spring 2021". The Verge. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
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