Xbox Cloud Gaming

 Microsoft's Xbox cloud gaming service, Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly known as Project xCloud and popularly known as xCloud), was announced in November 2019. The service became available to Ultimate members on September 15, 2020, after having been initially released in beta testing in November 2019. Subscribers of Ultimate may use the service for free.

Development

Around 2016, during the same time that Kareem Choudhry developed backwards compatibility for the Xbox One, Microsoft's staff began proposing cloud services. Choudhry had this notion of whether they could provide these games without the need of a console, and he received Spencer's permission to start a small group to see if cloud gaming was feasible.

At the time, it was determined that the technology had been sufficient enough to warrant further research, and Microsoft subsequently established a larger team to develop the cloud gaming platform.

 Microsoft announced Project xCloud at E3 2018, and it was formally presented several months later, in October 2018. In March 2019, they showcased the service with Forza Horizon 4 on an Android phone using an Xbox One controller. Spencer utilized a private server during this period to test games while remotely connected on Xbox.

In May 2019, AT&T began testing the service in a lab setting before expanding it to the real world. It went through public testing later that year and was introduced at E3 2019. Microsoft said that its Xbox content library would make its service more appealing than competitors such as Stadia. The hardware at launch incorporated Xbox One S-based blade servers, although they were replaced with Xbox Series X-based servers in June 2021.

Each server originally had four customised Xbox One S-based units for the 2018 teaser, but this was increased to eight per server in a 2U enclosure for the service's launch in 2019. Through processor-specific power tuning, energy consumption has been lowered by 30% when compared to the normal Xbox One S. To minimize latency, video output is set for 120 Hz.

In October 2019, Super Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition's online service began. 50 games have been added to the system since then, with testing for Apple Inc.'s iOS mobile devices and Sony Interactive Entertainment's DualShock controllers.

On the mobile operating system of Apple, Project xCloud was publicly disclosed on February 12, 2020.

On May 5, 2020, Project xCloud made its debut in Spain (Europe) during a preview period (Video on live). On September 15, 2020, Microsoft launched Xbox Cloud Gaming across North America and Europe, as well as South Korea, for Android smartphones.

On August 9, 2021, the Xbox Cloud Gaming service was released as a beta feature of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for Windows users, although it also required those who wished to use it to be enrolled in the Xbox Insider program.

On September 14, 2021, the Xbox app for Windows was updated to include Remote Play support from Xbox consoles to a Windows computer. Microsoft introduced a Clarity Boost feature for Windows users through the Edge browser that improves streamed content on the client side by enhancing it visually.

In October 2021, Microsoft started offering Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox One test channels, allowing people with those consoles to play Xbox Series X/S games.

The following are the minimum and optimum internet speeds needed for Xbox Cloud Gaming's service: Upload bandwidth must be at least 4.75 Mbps, but no lower than 9 Mbps. Latency must be less than or equal to 125 ms below 60 milliseconds. 30 days of availability is required.

The following 28 countries have access to cloud gaming: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Ireland (EIRE), Italy (ITALY), Japan (JPN), Mexico (MEXICO), the Netherlands (NETHERLANDS), New Zealand (NZL) , Norway , Poland , Portugal , Slovakia , South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Starting in 2020, Microsoft wants to expand access gradually to more countries. In November 2020, Microsoft began accepting applications from users wanting to participate in preview testing in additional countries.

Games

The backward compatibility feature of the Xbox Series X allows xCloud to keep your current collection of games while also incorporating titles from the new generation. The Xbox Game Pass Library presently contains 358 cloud-enabled games.

The following are the Microsoft titles that will be available on December 11: Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Forza Horizon 4, The Outer Worlds, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. In addition, Microsoft has announced plans to extend the list of cloud-enabled games accessible through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to include specific Xbox game downloads from the Microsoft Store.

The first game to utilize full touch controls was Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Touch controls have since been implemented in another 124 games.

Microsoft began to enable cloud play for selected original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles using its backward compatibility feature in March 2021, with 16 titles available at first. Players who have previously used Xbox Live Gold on these games can use cloud-based saved games from their original release. When played on mobile devices, some of the titles support official touch controls.

Reception

The service was initially met with positive opinions from critics. Although the download speed on a T-Mobile LTE connection with just 25Mbps was insufficient, there was no impact on picture quality when playing over it. There was no perceptible loss of image quality even while playing on a moving bus and train.

Reviewers highlighted that the games on a phone feel faster because they are run on more powerful remote servers rather than a hard drive on a console. The time it takes to load a game is also reduced, and it resembles closer to playing on a PC.

Hardware

Series 2 (top) and original Elite (bottom) controllers

The Xbox Cloud Gaming service is powered by Microsoft's 54 Azure cloud computing facilities, which are located in 140 nations. In 2021, Microsoft replaced its server blades with the more powerful Xbox Series X hardware.

The app is compatible with most Android and iOS smartphones, as well as game consoles. The following are supported controller models:

• Official Xbox controllers
• Xbox Wireless Controller
• Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 1 and Series 2
• Xbox Adaptive Controller
• Razer Inc.Kishi (Xbox edition)
• Raiju Mobile Gaming Controller for Android
• Junglecat
• SonyDualShock 4 Wireless Controller
• DualSense Wireless Controller
• Steel Series Stratus Duo for Windows, Chromebook, Android, and VR
• Nimbus+ for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple TV
• Backbone One (Xbox edition)
• PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S (on Xbox Windows app)

Mobile devices

Android

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Google's Pixel 2 XL, and the newly released OnePlus 7 Pro are among the first devices certified to use Samsung Link. This Bluetooth-enabled system lets you stream games from your PC to a phone or tablet with an HDMI connection. The Galaxy S10e (Android 8.0) is also compatible with Cloud Gaming via Samsung Link but isn't yet supported by Amazon GameLift. All of these phones and tablets use Android 9 Pie as their operating system; select any one of them for free right now!

In March 2021, Microsoft released an update to the Android Xbox Cloud Gaming client that enables dual-screened devices like the Surface Duo to utilize the second screen to display the touch controls. Several popular games, such as Minecraft Dungeons and New Super Lucky's Tale, support a dedicated gamepad on the secondary screen.

Motion controls are available in some games, such as Gears 5, which support them and provide a specialized control method when using the gamepad mode.

iOS

xCloud was supposed to be available on iOS devices, but Microsoft halted iOS testing in August 2020 after discovering that Apple's App Store regulations limited the services they could provide. According to Apple, cloud streaming solutions like xCloud enable Microsoft to offer games for the iOS platform that skip through the app approval process that Apple uses for other apps. As a result, the software was refused entry onto the platform.

However, in September 2020, Apple loosened restrictions on xCloud and other cloud gaming apps, allowing them to operate on iOS with the provision that each game must be downloaded separately from the iOS app store and used before playing, although catalogs can list and link to these games as part of the service.

 According to emails unearthed during the Epic Games v. Apple trial, Microsoft had considered creating each game its own app in order to fulfill Apple's standards. According to The Verge, based on emails uncovered during the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit, Microsoft mentioned in October 2020 that it might bring xCloud to iOS as a browser-based web application, which would not be limited by the App Store restrictions.