After several months of limited beta testing, Microsoft today is officially launching the public and open beta of its new Xbox Cloud Gaming Platform. This includes support in Safari on iPhone and iPad for playing a subset of Xbox Game Pass games by streaming them from the cloud.
As first announced in an Xbox blog post, Microsoft has officially debuted its new Xbox web interface for accessing the public beta of Xbox Cloud Gaming. The website touts that you can play “over 100 high-quality console games” directly in your browser with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and a compatible controller.
As we shared at the end of last year, we’re bringing Xbox to more players on more devices via the cloud this year. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin sending out invites to select Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to start testing the Xbox Cloud Gaming limited beta for Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets via web browsers. The word came straight from Microsoft on Monday. “Starting today, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets, via. Google Stadia and Microsoft Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming services aren’t debuting on iPhone or iPad anytime soon. And the holdup isn’t for technical reasons. It’s about Apple’s App Store. GamesDeal is a rapidly growing gaming marketplace. We sell cards and CD Keys for Steam, Uplay, Origin, Battle.net, PSN, Xbox and more with fast delivery.
Starting today, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets, via browser, across 22 countries. If you’re a member or want to become a member, simply go to xbox.com/play on Microsoft Edge, Chrome, or Safari on your PC or mobile device to start playing hundreds of games from the Xbox Game Pass library.
Microsoft says that cloud gaming on Xbox.com is supported on iPhone and iPad devices running iOS 14.4 or higher. Other requirements include a 10Mbps minimum internet connection and a Bluetooth or USB controller. The company also touts improvements to the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience:
We’re also making significant improvements to the overall experience: Xbox Cloud Gaming is now powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware. We’ve been upgrading Microsoft datacenters around the globe with the fastest, most powerful Xbox hardware to give you faster load times, improved frame rates, and an experience of a new generation of gaming. To ensure the lowest latency, highest quality experience across the broadest set of devices, we will be streaming at 1080p and up to 60fps.
An Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will run you $14.99 per month, but you can get your first three months for $1 as part of a limited-time promotion. As our colleagues over at 9to5Google note, support for browsers and iOS devices means the service now matches Google Stadia.
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Microsoft will expand its cloud gaming efforts to mobile Safari on the iPhone and iPad as promised, with an expected launch in spring 2021.
Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming Mac Download
Cloud gaming is the next frontier on mobile and while Apple's rules restrict these games to streaming in Safari platforms are still jumping on board. Microsoft previously promised to push its project xCloud to iOS and iPadOS, and now we have a timeline.
Xbox Vice President Jerret West shared the plans for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in a blog post. The post covers how quickly Xbox Game Pass is being adopted and how this will push their initiative to expand to more devices.
Starting in spring 2021, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will arrive on iOS and iPadOS devices in beta. Users will access the service via the Safari web browser, which is a requirement set by Apple's game streaming guidelines. In order for the service to exist natively on iOS, Xbox would need to submit all of the games available on Game Pass to the App Store for review, which isn't ideal.
Project Xcloud
Nvidia GeForce Now was one of the first game streaming services to launch on mobile Safari with the ability to play compatible games purchased on Steam. Amazon Luna launched in October with a limited sign-up program and a proprietary controller. Other services like Google Stadia have already promised future compatibility with mobile Safari, though Playstation Now remains a holdout.
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