Xbox cloud gaming works so well, it could make consoles superfluous

Xbox cloud gaming works so well, it could brand consoles superfluous

(Paradigm credit: Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Back in Baronial 2020, I tested Xbox Cloud Gaming on Android for the start fourth dimension, and proclaimed that it was "the future of gaming — almost." Now that Xbox Cloud Gaming is available on consoles, that time to come feels just a niggling flake closer. Of all the companies currently attempting to make "play whatever game, anywhere" a reality — Google, Nvidia, Nintendo and more than — Microsoft has come the closest. Having tested Xbox Cloud Gaming on an Xbox Serial X, I've begun to wonder how much longer defended consoles will be the centerpieces of gaming setups, rather than just optional components.

Xbox Deject Gaming on consoles

An image of an Xbox controller and Xbox Game Pass — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

In case yous haven't followed the evolution of Xbox Cloud Gaming, there's some groundwork yous need to know. Microsoft offers a subscription service called Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($15 per month), which lets users download more than 400 games to Xbox consoles and/or PCs. Over the past year, Microsoft has expanded this functionality, also allowing users to stream many of those games to Android devices and non-gaming PCs. A few days agone (Nov 17), Microsoft announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers could at present also stream games directly to Xbox consoles.

At first, this may seem counterintuitive: Why stream a game to a dedicated console? Fifty-fifty under platonic streaming atmospheric condition, a downloaded game offers a amend feel, with steadier resolutions and frame rates, and no threat of lag or disconnections (at least for offline games). Streaming makes sense for devices like Android phones or productivity laptops, where running a full Xbox game would exist impossible. So, what'southward the advantage on an Xbox I or Serial X/S?

Microsoft offers four major reasons, three of which seem fairly minor, but one of which could exist a large deal. Xbox Cloud Gaming on consoles lets you lot start playing games instantly, which lets yous evaluate them before you commit to hours-long downloads. It besides lets y'all save hard drive space for games you play ofttimes versus games you dabble in. Y'all can also jump into friends' multiplayer matches without having to coordinate downloads in accelerate. These are all useful features, merely they won't make or intermission anyone'due south gaming feel.

What's more interesting is that Xbox Deject Gaming could someday obviate the demand to purchase a new console. Already, yous can stream next-gen-exclusive games such as The Medium to Xbox One via Xbox Cloud Gaming. Assume that Xbox Game Pass continues to grow over the side by side few years, and assume that Microsoft continues to refine cloud gaming's features, which include resolution, frame charge per unit, stability and and so on. It stands to reason that you could eventually just purchase a Game Pass subscription (or perhaps à la menu games) and play them on any screen in your firm, without having to buy a dedicated gaming device.

Xbox Cloud Gaming with Halo Space

Halo Infinite screenshot — (Image credit: 343i/IGN)

Of class, "panel gaming, minus the console" would be a wild fantasy if Xbox Deject Gaming didn't piece of work properly. That's why I decided to put the program through its paces with a game that had essentially nil margin for error: the Halo Infinite multiplayer beta. This is ane of hundreds of games that support Xbox Cloud Gaming on consoles. Other titles include fast-paced fare such as Dragon Ball FighterZ, Gears 5 and Sea of Thieves. Microsoft may not be promising perfect parity for streaming titles, merely the company conspicuously believes information technology's close enough for competitive play.

I loaded up the Halo Space multiplayer beta, which took less than a infinitesimal from browsing the Xbox Game Pass menu to setting up my first lucifer. I decided to endeavour my luck in a round of capture the flag, teaming upwardly with 2 other live players against three not-terribly-vivid AI bots. (I didn't want to be the weak link in a match against other players, in example Xbox Cloud Gaming wasn't upwardly to snuff.)

The game's resolution maxed out at 1080p, and the game stuttered momentarily in one case or twice. Aside from that, the lucifer ran perfectly. Every footstep, jump and shot felt instantaneous, and neither the resolution nor the framerate ever faltered. I admittedly take a fast connexion (230 Mbps downwards, 18 Mbps upwards), but I was likewise running on Wi-Fi. Players with Ethernet connections could theoretically get something even smoother.

As well, I tried out Haven to encounter how Xbox Deject Gaming handled single-thespian titles. My experience was about identical. Except for a few moments where the resolution dropped and the backgrounds got a picayune cloudy, the game ran virtually as well as if I had downloaded it. Considering that the service is still in beta, I have to imagine that it will get better from here.

Xbox Cloud Gaming and the futurity

While Xbox Cloud Gaming on consoles isn't perfect withal, it'south most of the way there and only a few days after launch. That leads me to wonder: In a world where streaming big-budget games is essentially the same as downloading them, how many people will really need defended gaming consoles or PCs? I'm certain some quondam-school diehards like myself will never give them up. But as consoles and PCs remain extremely expensive and almost impossible to find, it's hard to deny the appeal of a nearly seamless streaming substitute.

Right now, Xbox Cloud Gaming is an excellent perk for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. But in the hereafter, it could potentially brand Xbox consoles themselves feel a bit superfluous. I'm non sure how to experience almost that — especially since, at present, the functionality is tied exclusively to a game subscription service.

In the hereafter, we may have to charter all of our games indefinitely and play them on someone else's server. That sounds like a situation that would cross the line from convenient to deadline dystopian, if you'll allow me to be so hyperbolic. Ownership is already a nebulous concept in the age of digital media, and services like Game Pass seem poised to blur the line even further.

Like all new technology, Xbox Cloud Gaming itself is neither good nor bad. Only it does have the potential to facilitate good or bad practices. Let's hope that information technology makes console gaming more than convenient and affordable, rather than letting large companies dictate when, where and how we can play our favorite games.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom'south Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a scientific discipline writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and applied science. After hours, y'all can observe him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on archetype sci-fi.