Xbox Cloud Gaming Service Comes to iOS Devices, Windows 10 PCs

Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service (formerly called xCloud) is now available on iOS devices and Windows 10 PCs to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Back in April, the company announced an invite-only beta for Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS devices and PC and now, it is rolling out to everyone in 22 countries. iOS and PC users will be able to make use of Xbox Cloud Gaming via their browser if they have a decent Internet connection. There are over 100 games in the Xbox Cloud Gaming library that players can get access to right now if they have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

Vice President and Head of Product at Xbox Cloud Gaming, Catherine Gluckstein, shared through a blog post that Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who have Windows 10 PCs or iOS devices including iPhones and iPads. Users will need to use their browsers be it Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Safari to use Xbox Cloud Gaming and get access to over 100 games. The Verge was able to get it running on macOS as well via Safari and Chrome. As of now, the service is available in 22 countries including Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, the US, and others. India, unfortunately, is not on the list.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is now powered by Xbox Series X that Microsoft calls an upgrade to the most powerful Xbox hardware. This means while the game is streamed on your local device, it is actually running on Xbox hardware in a datacentre. The company says this will allow gamers to experience game streaming at 1080p at up to 60fps across “the broadest of devices.”

Xbox Cloud Gaming can be experienced on compatible devices using touch controls or supported controllers or even the Backbone One controller for iOS. As mentioned earlier, players need to have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription that costs $14.99 (roughly Rs. 1,100) in the US. Microsoft currently has a major discount running bringing the cost down to just $1 (roughly Rs. 75) and not just that, buying the subscription for one month gives you two extra months for free. In India, Game Pass Ultimate typically costs Rs. 699 per month but Microsoft has the same offer running here as well giving three moths subscription for just Rs. 50, though Indian users will not be able to experience Xbox Cloud Gaming just yet.