Vratislav Holub With the advent of cloud gaming services, the rule that we cannot do without a powerful computer or game console has long since ceased to apply. Today, we can make do with an internet connection and the mentioned service. But there are more such services and subsequently it is up to each player which one he decides to use. Fortunately, in this regard, it is pleasing that many of them offer some form of trial version, which is of course almost free.
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The most popular platforms include, for example, Nvidia GeForce NOW (GFN) and Google Stadia. While with GFN it is possible to play for one hour for free and to use our existing game libraries (Steam, Uplay) to play, with a representative from Google we can try one month completely free, but we have to buy each title separately - or we get some as part of the subscription every month of them for free. But once we cancel the subscription, we lose all these titles. A slightly different approach is also being taken by Microsoft with its Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which is quite solidly starting to step on the heels of others.
What is Xbox Cloud Gaming?
As we mentioned above, Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) ranks among cloud gaming services. Through this platform, we can dive headlong into gaming without having the necessary hardware - we only need a stable internet connection. While rendering of individual games takes place on the server, we receive a finished image while we send back instructions to play. Everything happens so fast that we practically have no chance to notice any response. However, there is a fundamental difference here from the aforementioned services such as GeForce NOW and Google Stadia. To play within the xCloud platform, we cannot do without a controller - all games run as if on an Xbox gaming console. Although all officially supported models are listed on the official website, we can comfortably make do with their alternatives. In general, however, it is quite logically recommended to use it official Xbox controller. We used the driver for our testing purposes iPega 4008, which is primarily intended for PC and PlayStation. But thanks to the MFi (Made for iPhone) certification, it also worked flawlessly on Mac and iPhone.
Running games in Xbox Cloud Gaming
Of course, the price is also very important in this regard. We can try the first month for CZK 25,90, while each subsequent month costs us CZK 339. Compared to the competition, this is a relatively higher amount, but even that has its justification. Let's take the aforementioned Stadia as an example. Although it also offers a free-to-play mode (only for some games), in any case, for maximum enjoyment, it is necessary to pay for the Pro version, which costs CZK 259 per month. But as we already mentioned, in that case we will only get a few games, while the ones we are really interested in we will have to pay for. And it will certainly not be small amounts. On the other hand, with Microsoft, we don't just pay for the platform itself, but the entire Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. In addition to the possibilities of cloud gaming, this unlocks a library with more than a hundred quality games and a membership to EA Play.
Xbox Cloud Gaming on Apple products
I was extremely curious to put the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform to the test. I gave it a quick try some time ago, when I somehow felt that the whole thing might be worth it. Whether we want to play on our Mac or iPhone, the procedure is always practically the same - just connect a controller via Bluetooth, choose a game and then just start it. A pleasant surprise followed immediately in the game. Everything runs smoothly and without the slightest error, regardless of whether I was connected (on a Mac) via cable or via Wi-Fi (5 GHz). Of course, it was the same on the iPhone.
Personally, what impressed me most about the service was the library of available games, which includes many of my favorite titles. I literally started playing games like Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, Batman: Arkham Knight, GTA:San Andreas, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 5 or Dishonored (parts 1 and 2). So, without anything bothering me, I could enjoy undisturbed gaming.
What I like most about the service
I have been a fan of GeForce NOW for a long time, also an active subscriber for several months. Unfortunately, since its first launch, several good games have disappeared from the library, which I miss today. For example, a few years ago I was able to play some of the mentioned titles here, such as Shadow of War or Dishonored. But what didn't happen? Today, these titles belong to Microsoft, so it is not surprising that they moved to its own platform. After all, it was the main reason to get into Xbox Cloud Gaming.
But I must honestly admit that I was very worried about playing such games on a gamepad. In my entire life, I have only used the game controller for games like FIFA, Forza Horizon or DiRT, and of course I did not see a use for the other parts. In the final, it turned out that I was terribly wrong - the gameplay is completely normal and everything is just a matter of habit. Anyway, what I like most about the whole platform is its simplicity. Just choose a game and start playing straight away, in which we can also collect achievements for our Xbox account. So if we ever switch to the classic Xbox console, we won't be starting from scratch.
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The platform thus directly solves the long-standing problem of Apple computers, which are simply short for gaming. But if some of them already have enough performance to play, then they are still out of luck, because the developers more or less ignore the apple platform, which is why we don't have a lot of games to choose from.
On iPhone even without a gamepad
I also see the possibility of playing on iPhones/iPads as a huge plus. Due to the touch screen, at first glance, we cannot do without a classic game controller. However, Microsoft takes it a step further and offers several titles that offer a modified touch experience. Probably the most high-profile game to make this list is Fortnite.
