Microsoft is getting serious about their xCloud gaming initiative. Yesterday, the iOS beta invites went out that allowed Apple users to play their Xbox Game Pass games using a standard web browser on a Mac or iOS. This helped Microsoft bypass Apple’s rigid requirements for otherwise publishing their app on the app store.
Microsoft is looking to make xCloud even better
xCloud lets Xbox Game Pass subscribers enjoy the power of cloud computing and play their Xbox Game Pass games via a web browser. Add in native controller support and you can virtually game anytime, anywhere.
While its understandable that the tech is still relatively new and will have its fair share of issues with lag being the biggest one, the tech giant is looking to conquer that obstacle.
With the help of imitation learning, Microsoft is looking to reduce the lag players will face while using xCloud. While this could have a significant impact for gamers who are on the move, it also could be used for multiplayer games as well that are on the subscription.
While doing multiplayer gaming on the cloud is not an ideal method of enjoying a game, that was one of the biggest selling points of Google Stadia when they first pitched the idea – the ability to play massive (in terms of file size) games like Destiny 2 without the need of local files on your system.
This feature can be especially useful if cloud gaming is your only way to game with your friends and while it still has a long way to go before being ready for the average user, Microsoft’s drive to already improve xCloud is commendable.
The service is already giving a hard time to Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna (which has yet to publicly release), and with such a massive library, its understandable that the companies are going to have a hard time keeping up.
Xbox Game Pass can only go up from here, especially with the massive success of the newly launched Xbox Series consoles.
What are your thoughts on Microsoft mitigating the lag in xCloud? Do you see yourself using the feature down the road? Let us know in the comments section below.
