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[ManaByte]

Playing Xbox Game Pass through xCloud feels like a next-generation experience

It's not exactly new technology, but winning a round of Halo 3 on my mobile phone feels wrong - in the best possible wa…

www.vg247.com

Perhaps it’s that these are proper games that we all know. Perhaps it’s that my saves sync across so my PC or console progress is right there on my phone. Perhaps it’s using a comfortable, proper controller. In all likelihood it’s a combination of these factors alongside some others beyond. Unlike many cloud gaming services so far, this feels like a complete, real, fully-functional service – and one that’s actually useful in the context of more traditional gaming.

I played on a 4G mobile connection and found it to be stable and good-looking. Occasionally I got some artifacting during Halo in particular, but the xCloud tech seemed to prioritize a smooth experience over visual fidelity – which is smart. I’d rather have a minor visual hiccup or drop in quality that doesn’t interrupt gameplay than hitching that could ruin a perfectly lined-up shot.

This beta version – which is listed separately to the current app in the Google Play store – is just slick. You can flick between Cloud, Console and PC game pass titles, and remotely order installation on your registered machines. This means you can try out a game on the go through the Cloud, then if you enjoy it cue up a download at home to continue locally. Your progress will automatically carry over. Games launch quickly and smoothly, and it handles things like syncing up new controllers well.

 

[xStoyax]

It was pretty awful when i tried it on 5G. Lots of artifacts & sound loss. I just have no desire to play on my phone either, but good for those who are into this.

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

Sounds too good to be true honestly.

Wonder if they'll come up with some sort of compact portable controller for mobile devices if this takes off?

 

[M1chl]

I tried it, it works...better than expected honestly.

What sucks is that I cannot compare it to PS Now, because that service is not in my country, which si bullshit.

 

[Beer Baelly]

We have to counter all the good PS5 news!

 

[UnNamed]

Xcloud is pretty good over the (home) internet, but it have some issue over 4G. It's still way better than PSNow which is good with a domestic wifi but a tragedy outside your home, absolutely unplayable.

 

[Pallas]

Haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but everything I’ve heard from is that it’s pretty good at what it does but don’t expect to magically have the console experience on your phone.

Good because Halo sure didn't.

That didn’t take long.

 

[John254]

We have to counter all the good PS5 news!

Which one?

 

[JLB]

I tried it, it works...better than expected honestly.

What sucks is that I cannot compare it to PS Now, because that service is not in my country, which si bullshit.

lol, in my case is even worst: none of those services are available where i live.

 

[Clintizzle]

Sounds too good to be true honestly.

Wonder if they'll come up with some sort of compact portable controller for mobile devices if this takes off?

Amazon.com: 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro for Xbox Cloud Gaming On Android (Includes Clip) - Android: Video Games

Amazon.com: 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro for Xbox Cloud Gaming On Android (Includes Clip) - Android: Video Games

www.amazon.com

 

[Mister Wolf]

So how are you all liking it?

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

Amazon.com: 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro for Xbox Cloud Gaming On Android (Includes Clip) - Android: Video Games

Amazon.com: 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro for Xbox Cloud Gaming On Android (Includes Clip) - Android: Video Games

www.amazon.com

That's almost exactly what I was thinking. But MS designed and branded. Thinking the surface team could come up with something pretty slick working with the xbox team.

 

[M1chl]

lol, in my case is even worst: none of those services are available where i live.

You are from where?

 

[Goalus]

We have to counter all the good PS5 news!

I am only aware of bad PS5 news - struggling to hit 4k, might be more expensive than XSX, partly due to its last-minute overclocking stunt that required an extensive cooling solution which caused the humungous form factor, ... no need to counter that.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

That's almost exactly what I was thinking. But MS designed and branded. Thinking the surface team could come up with something pretty slick working with the xbox team.

MS collaborated on that with 8 Bit Do

 

[iamvin22]

how is it a nextgen experience, isnt it all you can do is play your current library over the cloud?

 

[Redlancet]

dunno,i have tried all of the streaming stadia,xcloud,psnow and i have a excellent connection and all of them have noticeable lag,not for me

 

[ManaByte]

I am only aware of bad PS5 news - struggling to hit 4k, might be more expensive than XSX, partly due to its last-minute overclocking stunt that required an extensive cooling solution which caused the humungous form factor, ... no need to counter that.

 

[Pallas]

how is it a nextgen experience, isnt it all you can do is play your current library over the cloud?

It’s not unless you consider streaming games to your phone without having the urge to throw it against the wall nextgen and even then you may still want to. Since streaming is no where near perfect..

 

[VAVA Mk2]

They need to add vibration support and ability to access games you already purchased digitally from XBox Store and it will meet all my needs.

 

[mcjmetroid]

I still think its shit to be honest.

I have decent WiFi as well.

Have quality settings! I don't mind playing a game at 720p on my phone if the games run better.

 

[reinking]

I have been using it for a while and I have had mixed results. Some days I can play decent and some days I can't get a game to load. It is cool and I hope it gets more consistent for me but I definitely do not feel like it is next generation experience. I can't wait until the actual release to see how it stacks up to the beta.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

Oh yeah I forgot. Support for 1080p or 1440p would be welcome additions plus custom soundtrack/Spotify support.

 

[Great Hair]

Watched that guy with white gloves doing an unboxing of a laptop and playing Forza horizon 4 via xCloud.

Looked sharp (1080p?), but had some sound errors, distortions. Dunno about the delay, ytube app on phone is terrible.

xCloud footage around 6min30

 

[Warnen]

I hope cloud gaming next gen does what digital gaming did this gen.

I would love to be able to just play a game on what ever screen I'm using. I don't care who gets its working but I wanna play destiny on my ipad in the bathroom!

 

[Entroyp]

That’s great to hear. If this works properly it has quite the potential.

 

[Thicc Enigma]

Considering Stadia is still the best streaming service out there (performance wise) I'm curious to know what exactly feels "next generation" about Xcloud.

 

[Gamezone]

I think it's was pretty awful compared to GeForce Now due to way weaker hardware.

 

[MacReady13]

It was pretty awful when i tried it on 5G. Lots of artifacts & sound loss. I just have no desire to play on my phone either, but good for those who are into this.

And this is the problem. Many of us have zero desire to play full screen games on a tiny mobile screen, yet this is the future so many fucking people think they want! Why?!?

 

[DeepEnigma]

 

[BlackM1st]

Potential is there, technology is not. Let's wait 4 the global 5G rollout and see how deep 5G will change the world. 2G to 3G jump was a fundamental upgrade. With a global 5G network we can expect a smooth transition from home to street to on the move and always have the same exact experience. At least that's the promise. Remote play (and work lol) is the future IMO.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I'm not that desperate to play games. Maybe nice for mobile gamers?

 

[Jack Peterson]

This will be cool in a few years when you can play it on smart TVs, laptops etc. It's something I'd use if I was on vacation. I have no desire to play games on a tiny phone screen though.

 

[DavidGzz]

It works great but I also don't want to play on my phone. It's one reason I have no interest in the Switch. Waiting for it on a browser or Windows app.

 

[MrFunSocks]

And this is the problem. Many of us have zero desire to play full screen games on a tiny mobile screen, yet this is the future so many fucking people think they want! Why?!?

Game streaming isn't restricted to mobiles though.

This will be cool in a few years when you can play it on smart TVs, laptops etc. It's something I'd use if I was on vacation. I have no desire to play games on a tiny phone screen though.

Tablets aren't tiny phone screens, and even with phone screens you can output the picture to a tv.

I'm in Australia so I'll likely never get this even though I've got 100/20 internet. I most likely wouldn't use it anyway, I can't stand games that have even 150ms of input lag on console so no way would this be good enough.

 

[DJTHEGREY]

I like it! Works pretty good for me most times. However I use it most times around the house. I've used it in my backyard outside of my wifi reach and it still worked well. I wouldn't call it next gen... But it's a great feature or add on for Gamepass.

 

[MacReady13]

I'm in Australia so I'll likely never get this even though I've got 100/20 internet. I most likely wouldn't use it anyway, I can't stand games that have even 150ms of input lag on console so no way would this be good enough.

I'm in Australia as well. I'm comfortable for streaming to be an added feature, but if it takes over gaming as we know it (consoles/PC's) i'm fucking out. Lag is the biggest killer, as is a complete reliance on the internet.

 

[Raonak]

Next gen? Wait, does it play games on XSX spec or higher?

 

[Craig of War]

There it is when 5G is fully out everywhere this is the future of gaming whether we like it or not i think by 2030 the console gaming will be taking a backseat to cloud gaming.

 

[Redlancet]

It works great but I also don't want to play on my phone. It's one reason I have no interest in the Switch. Waiting for it on a browser or Windows app.

its works great if you ignore the lag who make some games like halo almost unplayable

 

[MarkMe2525]

It was pretty awful when i tried it on 5G. Lots of artifacts & sound loss. I just have no desire to play on my phone either, but good for those who are into this.

Works fantastic on regular old 4g here in south Mississippi... Weird

 

[NullZ3r0]

As a Stadia user, this pisses me off. There's literally a better service than Xcloud. Its trash.

 

[hououinkyouma00]

I'm glad it seems to work well, but you'd have to pay me to play console games on my phone.

In the last 5 years the only games I've played on my phone have been Deathsmiles, Threes, and visual novels. I generally hate playing games on my phone.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

As a Stadia user, this pisses me off. There's literally a better service than Xcloud. Its trash.

Technology wise yes, but Stadia has shit game support and established relationships with game devs like MS already has.

 

[Phrixotrichus]

As a Stadia user, this pisses me off. There's literally a better service than Xcloud. Its trash.

Well, latency and data rate wise the king is Nvidia s service by a pretty big margin. But those seem to have trouble with their library in the last few months. Not as bad as Stadia but still...
And compared to a local system all streaming services are crap....

 

[Warnen]

I have ok internet (500up 50down on my iPad right now) but niether stadia nor xcloud felt good to me. I want it to work but gonna be a while for sure.

 

[kretos]

 

[DavidGzz]

It's definitely next gen but since I've already had my mind blown by GE Force Now for a while, the newness has worn off. Amazing technology. Having immediate access to games with no console/PC or waiting for a download is pretty crazy. When they upgrade to next gen consoles and put it on an app it will be amazing.

Losers that enter MS threads just to troll. I'm getting both consoles but these fanboys really make me root for MS. They are endless and unrelenting. Nothing better to do like play one of those great Sony exclusives?

 

[DavidGzz]

As a Stadia user, this pisses me off. There's literally a better service than Xcloud. Its trash.

Stadia won't have 300+ games to play for the 1 dollar I paid half a year ago. It's a great service but the support is bad so far and buying games on there seems way more risky. Besides, Xcloud is a bonus to Game Pass. An option to play your games away from home, not many people would pay $10 a month for Xcloud alone. That's what Stadia requires. If this was a forum based on game streaming only, you'd have a case, but most of us have other ways to play games.

 

[Hendrick's]

We have to counter all the good PS5 news!

What good news?