It’s not the first time we’ve talked about cloud game. And we already know that we can play console titles from the palm of our hand. Our phones become makeshift consolesand thanks to the possibility of running video games from the Internet, it gets the power of a console (in a figurative sense).
I haven’t touched the console controller for a few months, actually yes, but to connect it to the mobile. Rather, I don’t turn on my two consoles, just as I don’t play native titles on my mobile either. The cloud has replaced my addiction to Clash Royale because it is an open window to a known world, which is now more accessible than ever. I tell you why and the reasons that encourage me to play through Xbox Game Pass.
Cloud gaming is the big cover
The new generation of consoles has been with us for a while, but generally the titles I enjoy the most They do not have to be the most beautiful visually or with a revolutionary gameplay.
I don’t mean just touch indies or low budget games, I could say that I am tired of the same formulas and look for more daring things. Precisely these less demanding works (at a technical level) are usually published for mobile devices.
The question is: I already pay religiously for a service every month, why should I pay for it in the Google Play Store? And there I began my journey with the game in the cloud. From my point of view, the game in the cloud is the great cover of the current generation of video games.
It is worth that at the beginning it offered a performance, sometimes, deplorable. This became more pronounced in titles that require quick reflexes such as shooterhowever, now we provides a satisfying experience. I accept some criticism related to the fact that there is still a way to go, or that latency should be improved, but for me it is enough.
It is a pleasure to take the games in the cloud
At the beginning I said that I was going to tell my reasons, here they begin. It has happened to me a thousand times that I have lost my games because I have reset my phone, or because I have uninstalled a game from my consoles (on Switch you have to pay to save the data in the cloud). It is a nuisance to play a title that you have already played before, to see the same again.
This does not happen to me in the cloud, every time I save the game these are stored on the same servers from where I receive the image of the video game. When I’m done with my session, I close the application and I don’t fear for my savegames.
The same when I have a space to enjoy: I open the app, connect my controller and play. Don’t have nothing to worry aboutprogress is always there available.
There is no room for updates
Another fact that is very annoying, and many players will agree with me, are the happy updates. Yes, sometimes we wish them to fix that bug that prevents us from continuing the game or ruins the experience, but the size they have and how impatient I am has made me touch the cloud more.
In this sense we do not have to wait for the download progress bar to complete. Back to the same: connect and play. It’s that simple because the servers that provide us with the games are permanently updated. As soon as there is a change, it happens quickly in the cloud.
Plug and play, I don’t need more equipment
This fourth section emphasizes what we have been discussing: we only need a mobile, an installed application and a remote. There is no need to have a television, nor to install a console with its peripherals. We forget covers, discs, readers, updates and of almost everything except playing.
I lied a bit, I usually wear one external battery for long sessions away from home, and when the battery of my smartphone is about to run out, cable and continue. The fast charge allows us to gain a few hours of autonomy with just a few minutes of charging, and each time this technology leaves us more amazed.
luckily for everyone It is not necessary to have a specific command to play Xbox cloud. Almost all the gamepads that we have are compatible, although the interface will not adapt to each one, but will show the buttons of the proprietary remote. Here you can check which ones are compatible with XCloud.
The speed with which we entered our game is one more reason. The cloud service takes a few seconds to load, then it is available without any delay or waiting. The experience it provides us depends, in large part, on our connection. Since I usually play at home, I don’t detect any obstacles to playing comfortably, all this with a fiber optic connection.
When doing it outside my home, the 4G seems enough to enjoy without jerks or delays. What I do notice is a higher response time, so I avoid titles that need quick intervention. Take a good look, because I was able to finish the ori saga With a 4G connection, when you have a rate that includes 5G, the experience should go up a notch.
Sometimes I don’t even need the remote
As we mentioned before, the only thing we need is a command… but I have slipped a half lie. There are titles that it is possible to enjoy without a controller, since the Game Pass application itself enables us some touch controls that have nothing to envy to those of native games.
This prevents me, for example, from going home if I have forgotten the remote. Notably not all games add touch controlin fact, they are the minority. But it is appreciated, even for a few, that this works like this.
Perhaps in the future more video games will be compatible with this function, allowing us to ‘forget’ the gamepad. Although to be honest, it’s the best way to play (if I do not take into account the mouse and keyboard).
In any moment, in any place
We come to the end with a more than obvious section, although we have mentioned it several times throughout this article. It is nothing other than play anywhere and anytime. We could make a huge list of situations in which it would be nice to play a game, while waiting for public transport, our appointment at the doctor or on a long journey.
The magic of cloud gaming is making it possible everywhere where there is internet connection. That this technology is here to stay is a fact, and we can only ask for more and more, since its possibilities are endless.
Bonus: a few snags
Where I said, I say Diego, because I didn’t want to say goodbye without saying something negative about playing through the cloud. As everything in this life, still has its limitsand possibly some of these last forever.
One of the drawbacks that I find is the impossibility of playing other titles that are not added to the service. Xbox sometimes reserves some games for consoles and PC, bypassing the cloud service. This makes I can’t enjoy them alland forces me to play from the Xbox Series S.
If the bet is total for Game Pass, it is a requirement that all are compatible with this modality. However, everyone has their reasons and it is not surprising that there are strange clauses in the contracts that add new games to the Microsoft service.
Another issue that I am reluctant to accept is why the works that I acquire legally (through the Microsoft Store) cannot be reproduced from the cloud. I understand that for now the cloud is reserved for those who do enter Game Passbut it is time for Microsoft to react and allow gamers to enjoy these titles from a distance.
Last (now for real) and not least is the support of mod. It is true that coming from the PC, I miss some changes that extend the lifespan of many games, add new features, or simply improve the graphics. I understand that the limit is in the consoles that play the games in the cloud, but there could be some tool that allows to install mods. Still, it’s not something I spend my life on.
Ultimately, the game clouds has made me forget, in part, the consoles, which continue to collect dust next to the television. But, contrary to what you may think, they are complementary services and they can survive without problems. The normal thing is, when we are at home, to use the console. Perhaps I am the rare one who enjoys having quick access to a fairly large library of video games, at my fingertips.
Cover image | Pepu Ricca with Midjourney
