Xbox Cloud Gaming service now available across iOS and PC

Xbox Cloud Gaming yesterday became available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members on PC and iOS, via browser, across 22 countries.

Known as xCloud, the service has been available through an invite-only game beta since April 2021. Now, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can access hundreds of games from their devices following Microsoft's recent announcement that Xbox Cloud Gaming would arrive on Apple devices after a limited beta test run.

• Buy an Xbox Series X with no upfront cost at Walmart right now
• My Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 dream is coming true – and here's the proof
• If Sony's rumored PSP 5G looks like this, I'll be happy – but that's the problem

Xbox Cloud Gaming is designed to let users access a plethora of games from the Xbox Game Pass Library using your web browser. The service can be used in tandem with Bluetooth controllers, and it's also compatible with controllers connected via USB.

Microsoft's webpage says that the Xbox Cloud Gaming service can be accessed through Google Chrome and the Edge browser on PC. iOS users can open their Safari browsers, tap in xbox.com/play, which then delivers access to the myriad games now available in the Xbox Game Pass library.

Microsoft says that the service is now powered by Xbox Series X hardware, which means that while you're playing one of the many games natively on your iOS device, the game itself is effectively being run by an Xbox Series X console at Microsoft's datacenters to improve framerates and deliver speedier loading times. 

The nature of cloud gaming often leaves users frustrated with slow loading and even laggier gameplay. To combat poor performance and ensure low latency, Microsoft will stream at 1080p at up to 60 frames per second, which it believes will offer the "highest quality experience across the broadest set of devices."