Fortnite needs no Introduction as it is one of the biggest games in the world. And it makes sense that a free game of this caliber is now available to play on Xbox’s cloud platform as well as GeForce Now. But how does it compare?
Fortnite v Fortnite
The two cloud instances of Fortnite may appear to be an identical experience at first glance. But scratch beneath the surface and the differences start to show. The visuals here on Xcloud are great, depending on your internet connection. Vibrant and pin sharp. Just like GeForce now. The biggest visual difference between the two in my testing was letter boxing. Playing on the inner screen of my Galaxy Z Fold, the black bars on top and bottom of the screen. This does make the playable area smaller, but depending on the aspect ratio of the device you are using; this may not affect you.
The same touch controls are also available here. Play truly remote without having to remember a controller. And the ability to turn on auto fire is here too. So, no extra finger gymnastics required. The differences are much more subtle and nuanced.
The Xbox Experience
For me, convenience should be at the forefront of what cloud gaming offers. I look for the ability to play anywhere, at any time, in the most seamless way possible with the least amount of fraction. This quickly falls apart when it comes to playing Fortnite on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Loading up the Xbox Game Pass app on your phone or your PC, and searching for Fortnite will return no results. However, sign into the Xbox website and there it is, showcased front and center.
Is this a big deal? No, absolutely not. But if you’re new to this, less experienced, and have no idea how to save a shortcut to a PWA on your phone, this is friction that can easily be avoided. I am baffled as to why Fornite doesn’t show on either Xbox app. I am sure they must have their reasons. But from an ease of access and simplicity point of view, more work is needed here.
The saving grace is that going to Xbox.com/play, you are automatically prompted to install the PWA. This is your best option (your only option on iOS) not just because you’ll have access to Fortnite more easily, but also gameplay seems a lot more fluid on the PWA compared to the android app. The interface is slightly more polished, and of course, it will always be up to date with no app updates required.
Free to Play, Free to Stream
Although Fortnite is available to play on GeForce Now at zero cost on its free tier, the experience is hindered by having to queue to play and being limited to 1 hour of gameplay before joining the queue again. With Xbox, you can join the party at zero cost, without limitation. The experience will be exactly the same – whether you pay for Game Pass ultimate or not. There are no queues, no time limits, and no differences in visual quality. A true free to play experience!
Location, Location, Location
The other major component of Cloud Gaming for me is the freedom to play anywhere. Breaking free of the limitation of having to play on a console tethered to a television. If I am playing in the living room on an Xbox, but somebody wants to use that room, I want to be able to move to another room, without a console, and carry on playing, leveraging the power of the cloud. And, that is certainly possible with Xbox cloud gaming. Depending on what screen you’re happy to play on.
Microsoft is falling a little behind here. When it comes to mobiles, tablets, laptops etc. you’re covered. As discussed, the web app/PWA is great and provides a fantastic and fluid experience. But when you want to move to a bigger screen, it’s a different story. There is still no official way to play on Android/Google TV, FireTV, Roku etc. – only 2022 Samsung TV’s have access to the app, and Microsoft’s own rumored streaming dongle has allegedly been scrapped.
With the Xbox app coming to older Samsung TV’s soon, I am hoping this situation quickly changes. But, for now, to play in the most places possible, GFN is my go-to.
The Verdict
Fortnite is a consistently performing gem regardless of platform. It is unfortunate that there is slight friction and disparity between the PWA and downloadable apps. If you follow my advice and just go straight to the PWA, you should be fine.
During my time playing, I have experienced only one technical glitch where the game became unresponsive to touch. It hasn’t been repeated since, and I haven’t heard of it happening to anybody else. I am assuming I just got unlucky; so, I am reluctant to mark the service down due to it. When my connection has been good, so too has the gameplay. Regardless of device. From Pixel 6a to Tab S8 Ultra and my budget PC setup, the experience has been remarkably close to local gameplay. Given that there is no cost to playing, it’s easy to recommend this to any fans of this long reigning battle royale.
If you want a way to keep grinding when away from your console or PC, there’s simply no arguing against playing on Xbox’s cloud servers.
