Xbox Cloud Gaming, sometimes referred to as “Xcloud”, is the cloud gaming service built into the Xbox ecosystem. The service is available as a perk with every Xbox Game Pass subscription, including the lowest-tier Game Pass Core.
For many years, Xcloud was labeled as a Beta service. We generally had a good impression of the service – especially its ease of use, top-notch UX, and wide availability. But the stream’s quality was, without a doubt, lacking compared to competitors like GeForce NOW. We are delighted to report, though, that since leaving Beta a few weeks ago, the streaming fidelity of Xbox Cloud gaming has improved dramatically!
Before the update, Xcloud streams were often capped at 720p (never exceeding 1080p) with bit rates of 5-10 Mbps. Since leaving Beta, we are now regularly seeing resolutions as high as 2560x1440p at 60 FPS, with bitrates consistently above 20 Mbps and often above 30 Mbps.
Check out the video below that we captured while streaming Hollow Knight: Silksong.
If you used Xbox Cloud Gaming in the past, you may have experienced artifacting from time to time. Those days are now gone.
The Return of Stadia?
With Xbox Cloud Gaming now out of Beta, we’ve never been so close to the return of the Stadia like cloud gaming experience that so many of us cloud gamers adored. Xbox Cloud gaming is available on smartphones, smart TVs, VR headsets, tablets, and any device with a web browser. The service has a dead-simple user interface and is backed by all the niceties of the Xbox ecosystem, including friends lists, chat, parties, achievements, leaderboards, and more.
The service now also supports over 1,400 games – including titles from both the Game Pass subscription and your own Xbox games library (“Stream Your Own” games).
Other cloud gaming services have also been making moves recently. But, none of these services puts the full-picture together in the same way that Xcloud does. PlayStation Cloud Gaming has an impressive library and streaming quality, but its limited availability (PS5 consoles and PS Portal handhelds) is a significant drawback. GeForce NOW leads the pack in terms of fidelity, but the overall UX continues to suffer because it relies on accessing games from 3rd-party PC stores, which results in frequent, clunky experiences.
Have you noticed improvements in the quality of Xbox Cloud Gaming? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.
