xCloud: Microsoft’s cloud gaming service tested on PC and iOS

That investments Microsoft There is no doubt in the service sector. We are now so addicted to the amount of items the Redmond house has to offer, that it becomes hard to believe that we can oversupply. However, the 23 million GamePass users announced a few days ago don’t seem to be enough and the desire to integrate every possible sector is what drives Microsoft’s own goals.

Several months ago there were discussions xCloud on PC and iOS devices. Cloud gaming service has become an integral part of Microsoft’s GamePass since last September, but it is limited to the Android market, both smartphones and tablets. After a series of ups and downs, Microsoft has managed to sift through the service even on Apple devices, while computer users can start enjoying the sweet taste of cloud games.

We have our side Try for several days The service emphasizing them both at times and on busy traffic days and not. What follows is an analysis of our experience, but we want to remind everyone that it is still the same Trial version, Like the entire xCloud project itself.

How to access, limitations and features

Let’s start with the basics: xCloud has been available for months on Android at no additional charge to all subscribers GamePass Ultimate. More than 150 titles and constant catalog updates represent the great strength of Microsoft and its flagship service that is finally beginning to hit Apple computers and devices.

The only way to use it for these first weeks of extended exams is to be invited by email. After making sure that the blindfolded goddess has kissed you, all you have to do is follow the link indicated in the email and full access to your profile. At that very moment you will find yourself inside what is called The application is online, Which is equivalent to a real app but managed through a browser. Something very similar to what is already in Stadia on PC that almost all players in the market are adopting to bypass Apple’s silly restrictions.

L ‘Webapp aesthetics It is compatible with PC, with titles released recently, the most recent titles added to the catalog and the ones to be released soon, all followed by different categories of genre. The advice – not just our advice, but Microsoft itself – is to add the web app to your apps, so you can access it with one click when desired. On iOS, it is possible to convert it to a fileThe real application, You upload the link to your home page, for inclusion in the place that suits you.

Once in, all you have to do is choose your game at the moment and click, which will load more or less important depending on the title in question. From this point of view, unfortunately, we cannot say that we are completely satisfied. nature Microsoft’s server farm based on the Xbox One S., Which is starting to get old and hard to accept, especially for all those who are used to current generation controllers. In this sense, we hope the move to Xbox Series X will happen as soon as possible, even if the lack of components and hardware scares us a lot and makes it hard to believe that we can fulfill the promise of seamless switching through the end of the game. The year.

To exacerbate the current situation, if we want to say so, there is also thinking 1080p shortage Max resolution, which almost always seemed to us to be fixed at 720p. What is certain is that Microsoft has started testing FullHD in recent weeks – coinciding with what Sony has done for PlayStation Now – and realistically speaking, the transition can be noticed within a few weeks.

PC experience

We also want to talk to you specifically about our experiences, both Computer Of the iOS / iPadOS. Let’s start with the most classic possibilities, the ones that can lead all gaming enthusiasts to take advantage of the convenience of the cloud on their PC or Mac. As we already said, the web app works and performs well. It is responsive and fluid, and respects all the basic requirements for excellent service.

However, the first issues are noted when launching games. Especially for those with screens higher than 1080p, the experience still comes close to unexplained. Bad decisions join a file Entry is delayed And that only gets worse during prime hours and days, making even light titles like Dead Cells hard to manage. Just like in the early days of the Android release, it will be extensive users, comments and tests that will allow the men at Microsoft to better solve the situation and we are sure they will succeed over the next few months. Currently, however, theUsed on a computer It is castrated by these structural boundaries and by the experience of use it comes out castrated and also incomprehensible in other respects.

And the symbolic example is what I see the pairing as the protagonist Mouse and keyboard. We are talking about Microsoft, not a newcomer in the sector, which has been developing all of your nicknames for PC for years now and forcing its users to use a tablet. Without any logical reason, in fact, even after testing different titles and equipment, it appears that there is no mouse and keyboard support, which greatly limits a certain type of experience.

What works really well is the promptness of the app, the client, and the launch of the game itself. That way, Microsoft comes back to remind us, if it’s still needed, of the comfort that cloud gaming will represent once it really finds its space.

IPhone iPad

It was weird to finally find a way to start xCloud playback on an Apple device. The strength of web applications specifically is allowing us to bypass unexplained commercial blocks like the ones in the house of Cupertino, and even if we have to wait a few months for a very long time, we finally have the opportunity to give a voice to our passion for cloud computing games. The procedure is exactly the same as we mentioned above, with the difference that we face in this case withIOS interface And the ability (recommended by the web page itself) to add an icon on the home page, to convert the link to the browser into a real application. Everything works very well and provides fluidity and promptness, which puts us in front of a clear and easy-to-manage screen.

For the PC version, we have been delighted to test different titles, from the most technically expensive like Gears 5, to highly interactive experiences like Dead Cells, passing through Forza Horizon 4, which is now almost a technical paradigm as far as the aesthetics and response of driving commands is concerned. Feeling in all respects is better than what we saw on PC and this just strongly confirms how xCloud is still associated with average mobile usage, which is trying to grow and grow, but this in the mobile world finds its true dimension.

Our testing was done on both iPhoneX and iPadPro, and if it was clear in the first case that the resolution of 720p was more than enough to bring back a satisfying experience, we were also positively surprised by the behavior of xCloud on the iPad and the picture gave us, enough Cleaner and smoother for sure Than that on a computer.

In addition to that, the iOS version also allows you to use the most recent version Commandy touch, Which has not yet been implemented for all titles, but can be easily erased thanks to the icon that identifies them and a specific category in the catalog. The writer doesn’t like touch controls, but we can’t help but appreciate an important app for many regular users that is also useful in the name of immediacy and portability.