Microsoft promised that public xCloud testing would start in October. The company not only did not lie, but – which is rare with this type of declaration – it did not wait until the end of the month. The new platform for players has already started, but unfortunately not yet globally.
As a reminder: xCloud is a cloud service that allows you to play Xbox games "anywhere, anytime and on anything". At least this is how it will look in the future, because at the present stage xCloud does not meet any of these three assumptions.
Project xCloud is currently in three countries in the world
The preview version of the service has been launched in the United States, Great Britain and South Korea.
The tests are public, but Microsoft grants access to subsequent players gradually. If you want to live in one of these countries, you can sign up on this page.
Microsoft boasts that in every country it works with local operators to better adapt the service to their infrastructure. xCloud is supposed to work not only at home, but also – and basically above all – in the field.
Project xCloud: the hardware requirements are less than you might think
During public shows, Microsoft has previously used Samsung's flagship smartphones, which could raise concerns that xCloud will initially only work on a handful of devices. However, this did not happen.
Official requirements for smartphones and tablets are:
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow or newer;
- Bluetooth 4.0 or later;
- minimum 10 Mb / s transfer (5 GHz Wi-Fi recommended);
- Xbox One wireless controller with Bluetooth;
- Microsoft account.
In the case of a network connection, of course, the most important is the stability of the connection and low data transmission delays. Only then can the gameplay be comfortable.
Project xCloud: for now, the game library is also limited
In the future, xCloud is expected to allow mobile access to the entire Xbox library. So far there are as many games as there are countries in which xCloud works. These are:
- Halo 5: Guardians;
- Gears 5, Killer Instinct;
- Sea of Thieves.
Microsoft assures, however, that at the testing stage the xCloud library will be expanded with new titles.
As the service is currently in the preview version, players participating in the tests do not have to pay for access to games.
How long will the tests last? Microsoft only provides information that the commercial start of the service will start when xCloud starts to meet "internal quality standards". However, the company does not provide indicative dates yet, so it can be both months and years.