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I doubted Xcloud at first...here's why I was wrong

Jigsaah

Gold Member
I'm in Georgia...about 580 something miles from home. Came to see my pop who I havent seen in about 3 years, partially due to the pandemic. He's gotta nice house, decent internet and space but he's on in his years and there's not much to do.

I game mainly on a desktop pc, which I couldnt bring with me. So before I left I decided to buy a mobile controller for my phone and give Xcloud a shot seeing as though I have Gamepass Ultimate already, which includes the service.

I tried xcloud once in the early days of the beta and was immediately turned off by the severe input lag on my favorite kinds of games. I play shooters like Valorant, fighters likeGuilty Gear Strive, action rpgs like the souls series mainly these days.

I decided to give some rpgs a shot for xcloud. Ive been playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon for the past day or so and, I gotta admit, I'm really impressed. The game is smooth and responsive. If you've played this game, there are time sensitive inputs for "perfect guarding" attacks. I was able to pull these off no problem. This is not to say there's no input lag. But its very close to what I experience on a console.

I know there are similar products like Nvidia Shield, but I dont have one so its hard to compare. But for my time out of state, this is more than enough to scratch the gaming itch during downtime.

I was wondering if anybody else on GAF has given xcloud a shot recently. If so, what's been your experience? Any other games you would recommend based on the quality of your experience?
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
Didn’t we recently have this thread? I remember saying that my personal experience with Forza H4 and Skyrim was shit, so I think so. Anyway, you guys must be getting commission for some of these posts.
Sorry if I missed the thread. This is just my own personal experience. Im literally tabbing out of xcloud to type this message. So driving doesnt work so well? What kind of connection are you on?
 

Markio128

Member
Sorry if I missed the thread. This is just my own personal experience. Im literally tabbing out of xcloud to type this message. So driving doesnt work so well? What kind of connection are you on?
Super-fast broadband - so as good as it gets in the UK. Played a few games via the latest iPad and not just a racer. Skyrim was almost unplayable. In fact, of the 4-5 games I tried, the experience was a far cry from your own.
 

ManaByte

Gold Member
I recently played Sea of Thieves on Xcloud with touch controls.
high quality GIF
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
Super-fast broadband - so as good as it gets in the UK. Played a few games via the latest iPad and not just a racer. Skyrim was almost unplayable. In fact, of the 4-5 games I tried, the experience was a far cry from your own.
Ill have to give Skyrim a try in a bit here. I wonder if servers are based in the UK at all. Have you tried other similar services? Stadia? Luna? Steam?
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
Games like Octopath Traveller are perfect for xcloud, hell I would even recommend playing with touch controls if you don't have a pad.

& I can't bare touch controls for games usually, but it worked well for this game imo.
I have tried octopath as well. Fantastic experience with that one as well. I cant do touch controls. Thats why i bought the Razer Kishi. Its a pretty ingenious lil device
 

Vasto

Member
The service is awesome. It still has some ways to go but it's really good and best part is that it comes with Game Pass Ultimate.
 

anthony2690

Banned
Didn’t we recently have this thread? I remember saying that my personal experience with Forza H4 and Skyrim was shit, so I think so. Anyway, you guys must be getting commission for some of these posts.
Not sure where you are in the UK, but I get 180-220mbps download usually, and 30 upload.

It was completely unplayable on 2.4ghz what it oddly put itself on intially, I had to manually change it to 5ghz and it was a very good experience, does it compare to playing natively on console? Nope.
But it was very playable and I would definitely recommend it for turn based games, would never use it for an online shooter like gears etc.

Not sure why someone's enjoyment of something bothers you so much though & if anyone from Microsoft is here, I'll send over my details for the commision, thanks.
 

Markio128

Member
Ill have to give Skyrim a try in a bit here. I wonder if servers are based in the UK at all. Have you tried other similar services? Stadia? Luna? Steam?
I tried streaming through PS now and that was equally as bad, but I haven’t tried any of the others you mentioned. I don’t have a big interest in streaming, but I thought I’d give a few gamepass games a try whilst I still had access to the service. I prefer to play on the big screen anyway and I have a Switch for portability, so it isn’t a big deal.
 

Markio128

Member
Not sure where you are in the UK, but I get 180-220mbps download usually, and 30 upload.

It was completely unplayable on 2.4ghz what it oddly put itself on intially, I had to manually change it to 5ghz and it was a very good experience, does it compare to playing natively on console? Nope.
But it was very playable and I would definitely recommend it for turn based games, would never use it for an online shooter like gears etc.

Not sure why someone's enjoyment of something bothers you so much though & if anyone from Microsoft is here, I'll send over my details for the commision, thanks.
I’m more than happy if others enjoy the service, however, I can only base my personal opinion on my own experience.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
I tried streaming through PS now and that was equally as bad, but I haven’t tried any of the others you mentioned. I don’t have a big interest in streaming, but I thought I’d give a few gamepass games a try whilst I still had access to the service. I prefer to play on the big screen anyway and I have a Switch for portability, so it isn’t a big deal.
100 percent. I think xcloud is great when there are no other options. I dont think streaming will ever be as crisp as a console or pc experience, but for situation like mine right now...its mobile and playable..in the U.S. still dont understand what the deal is in your situation. I assume server support in the UK just isnt as good, but hell, i dont know for sure
 

Markio128

Member
100 percent. I think xcloud is great when there are no other options. I dont think streaming will ever be as crisp as a console or pc experience, but for situation like mine right now...its mobile and playable..in the U.S. still dont understand what the deal is in your situation. I assume server support in the UK just isnt as good, but hell, i dont know for sure
I guess server support is behind in the UK compared to US. Still, I think MS may want to consider something like the recently announced Steam Deck, but for those who have game pass. Game Pass Portable? Sounds like a no brainier to me.

Edit: I mean with SD support, rather than relying on streaming.

* I’m happy to receive a cheque, MS 😂
 
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Raphael

Member
I have a super fast internet. Forza was unplayable, slower paced games were fine.
Im not sure if they will be able to improved the input lag but keep my fingers crossed they figure it out.
 

nivix

Neo Member
I gave xCloud a first test last weekend. The homerun derby was this last Monday so my friends and I wanted to get together in MLB The Show and participate in some homerun derbies. We didn't plan it in advance so one of my friends had to download all 73GB of the game. I told him to just stream it. He refused, lol, so I decided to give it a try to show him. Worked great, I won most of the derbies, and after my friend finished downloading the game it kept crashing on him. Needless to say, I kept rubbing it in and he didn't do much participating.

Also, I deleted MLB The Show off my hard drive. I figure I'll just stream it now. And one thing of note, the game didn't seem to do a good job synchronizing my save data. So I had to setup the game again and thus discovered my friends were batting by just pressing a button while I was aiming the bat and pressing a button to swing.
 

pasterpl

Member
Super-fast broadband - so as good as it gets in the UK. Played a few games via the latest iPad and not just a racer. Skyrim was almost unplayable. In fact, of the 4-5 games I tried, the experience was a far cry from your own.
I am also in the uk, got 5G home broadband (up to 500mbs) and android phone + razer Kishi was very pleasant on halo and couple other games. I have also tried kishi + iPhone and it was okay experience. It wasn’t unplayable. What I have noticed, lots depends on which router I am using (got 3 at home) and the default I have received for my home broadband is shit for xcloud, but 2 netgears I have got are making experience much better. Just today I have upgraded one to model with wifi6 support and also have the latest iPad (m1) which I believe also is wifi6 compatible, but I am yet to test xcloud with this setup.
 
Hows the picture quality? that was my main issue with ps now. I was able to stream smoothly with a wired connection but man, that 720p resolution looked horrible on a 55 inch screen.
 

elliot5

Member
Hows the picture quality? that was my main issue with ps now. I was able to stream smoothly with a wired connection but man, that 720p resolution looked horrible on a 55 inch screen.
haven't tried on anything bigger than a 1440p 27 inch screen but it looks crisp on my phone and looks good on my monitor. Some macroblocking in dark areas, but it looks like a 1080p twitch stream basically
 

Kagey K

Banned
It was completely unplayable on 2.4ghz what it oddly put itself on intially, I had to manually change it to 5ghz and it was a very good experience
This is the whole trick. On 2.4 it’s terrible and tells you in the app while you are playing to switch to 5.

I played through a bunch of games at work with very few issues after the switch. I do find streaming from my Series X to be a better experience than using XCloud though, and mostly use that.
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
Steam thing got me hyped so I finally tried xcloud thing on my iPad…. Unplayable is an understatement. On my fast connection trying to play Destiny 2 with at least a second of lag is fucking brutal.
 
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elliot5

Member
This is the whole trick. On 2.4 it’s terrible and tells you in the app while you are playing to switch to 5.

I played through a bunch of games at work with very few issues after the switch. I do find streaming from my Series X to be a better experience than using XCloud though, and mostly use that.
im on 2.4ghz mesh network and it works well for me. Same with Tmobile "5G". But I bet 5Ghz is better in general and more reliable for sure. I do run into some network issues but thats bc my network kinda sucks
 
I have been using XCloud via the web browser while at work for the last few months. I could feel the lag in Forza and Prey, so I've avoided those games. But I have almost played completely through Yakuza 3 remastered and Octopath Traveler. I've also put about 10 hours into Psychonauts and played a full season of NBA2k21. I found all of these games to run so well I don't really notice I'm not on console. I'm stuck with 1080p monitors at work, so that probably helps with the illusion that there is no lag
 
Im excited to try it in September. If it works sorta decently, I'll pick up a mobile controller. It's a nice bonus but would never be my primary method of playing. Making it basically a free add-on is flawless.
 
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Fahdis

Member
xCloud has severe lag.
PS Now has inconsistent lag but when it works its great.
What's Stadia?
GeForce Now feels like you're literally playing the game in front of you on a shitty resolution.

Choose your poison.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
Hows the picture quality? that was my main issue with ps now. I was able to stream smoothly with a wired connection but man, that 720p resolution looked horrible on a 55 inch screen.
I havent tried streaming at home yet. Im not due back til Sunday but Ill give it a shot on a game i have downloaded on my XSX vs Xcloud. Might try Ace Combat next.
 
I had a Razer Kishi for my Note 10+ before the series X blades and had pretty good experiences when I had a strong connection. Now I have a Surface Duo and they updated the app on there to act like a DS when using touch controls. It's been quite fun to play through Guacamelee 2 and some overcooked that way.
 

Topher

Gold Member
It isn't a bad service in the right conditions and, more importantly, the right game. I'm not going to try playing Forza Horizon 4 anymore. The lag kills it. But games like Yakuza Like a Dragon are perfect. That would probably not be the case with some of the other Yakuza games, however, that are more action than turn based. Either way, it is great that on a trip you have access to some games.

What kind of device are you playing on?

I'm in the Atlanta area myself. Welcome to the Peach State!
 

ShinobiWan1

Member
I have good days and bad. I mainly use it for Xbox Game Pass quests on games I don't have installed and are on cloud.

My first attempt was pretty good

 
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tassletine

Member
If you think that's worth the money then go for it.

Personally, I want to play AAA games on a TV for the visuals. Fighting / snappy games on a system with a little lag as possible (switch handheld is pretty good for that although the controllers suck.
I don't really think handhelds are the place for most AAA games frankly as there's too much information lost on a small screen.
 
On a road trip and really tested it today. Middle of nowhere cruising on the interstate, pretty solid. Some quality drops here and there but playable. Played maybe an hour and my cell battery (note 9) held up better than I thought it would have. Can't wait to test it on my laptop on hotel wifi next.
 

Fredrik

Member
I was wondering if anybody else on GAF has given xcloud a shot recently. If so, what's been your experience? Any other games you would recommend based on the quality of your experience?
Yeah I was on vacation out on the countryside in the middle of Sweden recently. Started Minecraft Dungeon on my phone. Unplayable. I think I could’ve played Gears Tactics though, turnbased action, but the kids sat beside me so I never tried it.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
It isn't a bad service in the right conditions and, more importantly, the right game. I'm not going to try playing Forza Horizon 4 anymore. The lag kills it. But games like Yakuza Like a Dragon are perfect. That would probably not be the case with some of the other Yakuza games, however, that are more action than turn based. Either way, it is great that on a trip you have access to some games.

What kind of device are you playing on?

I'm in the Atlanta area myself. Welcome to the Peach State!
Im using my Note 10+. I was playing Destiny 2 last night. It was playable far as quality of the image and input lag...but my hands are a bit large and its hard to make precision shots on the Razer Kishi. Not really the fault of Razer or xcloud...more so my aim has deteriorated on controller since i play all fps games on mouse and keyboard and have for the past 3 years. Ill give Forza a shot right now to compare. Thanks for the warm welcome!
 

Topher

Gold Member
Im using my Note 10+. I was playing Destiny 2 last night. It was playable far as quality of the image and input lag...but my hands are a bit large and its hard to make precision shots on the Razer Kishi. Not really the fault of Razer or xcloud...more so my aim has deteriorated on controller since i play all fps games on mouse and keyboard and have for the past 3 years. Ill give Forza a shot right now to compare. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Android is definitely the preferred device at the moment for xCloud. The app makes a big difference over the browser versions of iPhone and Windows. I have large hands as well so I was using a Moga controller. Works pretty well except that it gets heavy after a while.
 
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