First impressions of Microsoft's cloud gaming service xCloud – News

Project xCloud is gradually launched in France, through a beta phase currently reserved for smartphones and tablets running Android. Faced with Stadia or GeForce Now, how is this new 100% Microsoft cloud-gaming service positioned? First elements of response after a few hours spent on the service.

Note in the preamble that this article on xCloud does not act as a test, the service being for the moment incomplete and limited to only one type of device. This beta allows you to access a catalog of almost 100 games and stream them to a smartphone with at least Android 6 and Bluetooth 4. Also know that you can register for free. However, you have to be a little patient, Microsoft distributing access to the dropper.

Unparalleled accessibility

For our part, we have had access to xCloud since yesterday, and we were able to test it on a Huawei P30 Pro smartphone and a home Internet connection (fiber at 300 mb / s), as well as on a 4G connection debiting around 60 mb / s. Connections, on paper, largely sufficient, since Microsoft recommends at least 10 mb / s to take advantage of the service. The company, however, recommends using 5 GHz WiFi instead of 2.4 GHz

Concretely, the installation and configuration of xCloud are child's play: once your access is received (an email notifies you when this is the case), just download the Xbox Game Streaming application from the Play Store and to sign in with your Microsoft account. You will also need to connect a controller via Bluetooth. The Xbox One is still recommended, but nothing prevents you from pairing a DualShock 4 or even a Stadia pad. The “Project xCloud” section in the left side menu then allows you to access the entire catalog.

Each game is presented with its jacket and just tap on the icon, or select it with the stick of your controller, to launch it. And that's all. No settings beforehand, no additional purchase: the experience is smooth and without a hitch, but there is in return no adjustment option offered. Then follows a loading of 30 to 40 seconds, then you are on the main menu of the game. Note that these are Xbox One S versions, since the Azure data centers that host the xCloud infrastructure integrate console components.

Without 5 GHz WiFi, no salvation point

We haven't tested the 96 games included in the beta, but we've tried a wide variety of titles, from both the Microsoft team and third-party publishers: A Plague Tale: Innocence, Gears 5, Devil May Cry 5 , Forza Horizon 4, Bleeding Edge, Ori and the Blind Forest, Vermintide II or even Halo 5 have passed into our hands… for almost as many different experiences with latency and rendering quality

. On the one hand, if you are not on 5 GHz WiFi, forget: playing on 2.4 GHz is almost impossible and 4G is far too capricious for a long gaming session. At 5 GHz, the experience is generally satisfactory, even if some titles seem to be more sensitive to latency than others.

We had a hard time not feeling it on Gears 5 or Forza Horizon 4, while it turns out almost imperceptible on Halo 5, Ori and the Blind Forest or A Plague Tale. On the latter, on the other hand, video compression is particularly visible, while the other games are much cleaner in terms of rendering. The other observation that we make, supported by several colleagues with whom we discussed during this test, is that the latency is linked to the number of FPS in play: titles blocked at 30 frames / second are thus more sensitive to this aspect, than games which go up to 60 fps

. This explains the fact that Gears 5 (which runs at 30 FPS on One S) is less playable than Halo 5, which displays almost constant FPS 60.

Finally, note that the definition is currently limited to 720p. A limited resolution which is not annoying on a screen less than 6 inches, but which will be much more problematic on a PC screen or, worse, a TV. 1080p should however arrive “very soon” according to Microsoft. We also touch the limits of this beta: by restricting access to Android smartphones, xCloud necessarily limits the pleasure of play. Certainly, it is possible to use it on an Android tablet, but the visual impact remains decreases. Note also that MalloDelic, which also has access to the service, noticed a clear difference in latency between his Huawei P20 smartphone and his Samsung Galaxy S5E tablet. For no apparent reason, the former offers a satisfactory experience, while the use of the latter remains very disappointing.

In a nutshell: this xCloud beta is promising but turns out to be more frustrating than anything else. Between the limitation to Android smartphones, the 720p maximum and the very variable latency from one game to another, it raises more questions than it fills with certainty. That said, Microsoft has a very interesting service there, if only because it gives access to dozens of very good games, at no extra cost, and the use of the set remains very simple. However, we are now awaiting the opening to other platforms, primarily PC / MAC and iOS devices. The economic model of the final version also remains unclear, although the prospect of a “Game Pass ++” offering both streaming and local gaming is attractive. In the meantime, we encourage you to register to make up your own mind.