In case you haven’t heard, Xbox is trying to move toward a model with more hardware flexibility. In this model, people can either buy a traditional console and play on their TV, or just stream games onto their phone (either from the cloud or from their console, if they have one). For the streaming audience, there is xCloud (which will most likely be renamed to Xbox Game Streaming or something). I finally got my xCloud preview invite in the last week, and it’s just great.
xCloud Preview (Beta)
xCloud is currently in preview mode (aka beta), so it’s invite only at the moment. You can register for the xCloud preview here, but you might not get the invite immediately. This preview allows you to stream 50 games from the cloud. You have to go here to register for the Xbox Console Streaming preview if you want to stream games from your Xbox One. I believe you also have to be a Windows insider (which involves a free signup) for the Xbox Console Streaming preview.
xCloud Preview Impressions
Just now, I played a little bit of HITMAN (one of the 50 games included in the preview). In case you’re wondering, my connection immediately after I stopped playing was 18.65 Mbps down/4.18 Mbps up according to Ookla. It was a great experience, with perfect audio, nearly perfect video, and very little input lag. In other words, it felt like a pretty much uncompromised HITMAN experience on my phone.
Take It To The Next Level With A Mobile Gaming Clip
The only problem with my HITMAN experience is that it was according finding a setup for both my phone screen and the Xbox One controller. This is where mobile gaming clips come in. I just ordered one from Microsoft for $15, and it should be here in a few days, after which I will basically have a portable Xbox (albeit one that can only play 50 games at the moment). There are also cheaper third-party versions available on Amazon, though they’re really only a little cheaper. Anyways, one of these phone controller gaming clips is a must-have if you’re gonna use xCloud. Just look at it.
While Stadia is looking like a flop (mostly because of its confused business model), xCloud (or whatever they end up calling it) seems like it will be a great supplement to the Xbox ecosystem. I’m already signed up for Game Pass Ultimate through the next few years, and I can’t wait to have the flexibility to play all sorts of games on either my computer or my phone, depending on what I’m feeling that day. I would recommend everyone sign up for the xCloud preview to see what it’s like.
