The other day, after I got into the xCloud preview and tinkered with it a bit, I wrote about how xCloud basically turns your phone into a portable Xbox. I was so impressed with how it worked that I instantly ordered a mobile gaming clip, especially because my only problem was trying to figure out a comfortable setup to use. Well, I got my mobile gaming clip all set up, and I’ve already spent hours playing HITMAN on the xCloud preview. It’s pretty great. Here are my impressions.
Feels Like A Handheld Gaming Console
With the mobile gaming clip, all you have to do is hold onto your Xbox One controller and that’s it! You’ll feel like you’re in some alternate universe where Xbox made a PSP/PS Vita competitor, albeit one with an unimaginative design. Still, it feels pretty great to have an all-in-one controller and screen combo that you can use to play modern AAA games with no compromises (assuming your network is cooperative).
But It’s Pretty Heavy
The only downside of the Xbox gamepad/smartphone/mobile gaming clip setup is that it’s substantially heavier than a PS Vita, as its weight is closer to that of a Switch. Possibly because of this heaviness, I also found that my palms were getting pretty sweaty after playing for a bit. Still, it really wasn’t that bad, and wasn’t even bad enough to stop me from playing during a long session. Considering that that was the only downside of the physical hardware, its a good setup overall.
Slight Streaming Issues
One more thing I should bring up is that there were occasional streaming issues. Some of these froze the game completely for a few seconds, but others only made the screen look slightly distorted while the video caught up. These streaming issues could be frustrating, but my connection is not great and was having some hiccups anyways. Overall, the streaming quality is pretty great, and I think once it’s out of this preview phase and they iron out all the kinks it will only get better. By the time xCloud is a full-fledged service that has been officially launched, I would expect any streaming issues to be few and far between.
If you’re in the xCloud preview, I cannot recommend a mobile gaming clip enough. It will take your game to the next level for only $15 or so, and make you feel like you have that portable Xbox that Microsoft has never released. Happy gaming!
