Using touch controls has become a natural way for mobile gamers to interact. Project xCloud provides tools which enable you to add custom touch controls and develop native touch experiences for your game. SIMULATION ONLY; NOT ACTUAL PRODUCT. 'FORZA HORIZON 4' IMAGE COURTESY OF TURN 10 STUDIOS/PLAYGROUND GAMES. Learn about bringing touch to your. Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming Service Arrives on iOS, Mac and PC Upgraded to 1080p at up to 60 fps. Microsoft Microsoft Xbox Project xCloud Microsoft Xbox Series X. With Project xCloud (Preview) players can play Xbox games on their mobile phone or tablet directly from the cloud, including favorites such as Devil May Cry 5, Tekken 7, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, and many more — no waiting for downloads.
I’d probably shock twelve-year-old me if I went back in time and told him that for the last thirteen years I’d been an avid user of a game console built by none other than Microsoft.1 But here I am, on my second Xbox, and I remain pretty happy with my gaming choices over the past decade and change.
That said, I also own a Nintendo Switch, which has the benefit of being able to go wherever I do. The Xbox doesn’t match that portability…yet.
A few weeks back, I signed up for beta access to Microsoft’s new Project xCloud game streaming service, right on the heels of its availability on iOS. (Though Microsoft had announced the service would support the iPhone and iPad, earlier betas had only worked on Android.) I’ve spent a little bit of time with it over the past couple weeks, and though it’s not without its flaws, I’ve come away impressed at what Microsoft has put together, even in this early stage.
The idea behind Project xCloud is simple: use an app on your smartphone or tablet to stream console games. You’ll also need a Bluetooth-compatible Xbox controller which, thanks to iOS 13, can easily be paired with your iOS devices.2 During the preview period, Microsoft doesn’t require users to own an Xbox console or the games—it’s unclear what the final finished product will require.3
While the Android version of the preview apparently supports more than 50 games, the iOS version currently only offers a “single” title: Microsoft’s own Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which includes the first six Halo games, including updated versions of Halo and Halo 2. These are obviously good showcase titles for Microsoft, given that the newest game on there, Halo 4, is from 2012, so they aren’t as graphically intensive as games being released in 2020. But they’re not without their own inherent challenges: Halo is a very twitch-oriented first-person shooter series, meaning that running into problems with latency can significantly affect gameplay—especially in multiplayer.
I’ve spent most of my time in the single-player campaign of the original Halo‘s 2011 remaster, since it’s a game I’ve played only a little, and I’ve been mostly impressed with the performance. Though there is definitely some lag at times (especially with sound effects, weirdly), I haven’t felt that it impacted my enjoyment of the game—or, perhaps I’m more forgiving, given the title’s age.
I did try a little bit of Halo 3 multiplayer, something that I spent a lot of time with in its heyday, and I acquitted myself reasonably. Though I definitely experienced some lag here and there, I didn’t feel like it hurt me more significantly than my rustiness at the game, though I did find myself cranking up the look sensitivity to make the controls feel more responsive.
Graphics are a mixed bag: playing on my 10.5-inch iPad Pro, they were sometimes crystal clear, and other times—especially in outdoor scenes on Halo‘s eponymous ring—somewhat muddy and pixelated. Scenes that seemed less graphically demanding, such as driving through underground tunnels, were far clearer. It’s possible to chalk up some of this to my Internet connection or router, though my speed tests regularly register 100 Mbps downstream, which is far in excess of the 10Mbps connection Microsoft says is required. (I did occasionally get a notification saying my connection was weak.) Project xCloud does support cellular networks as well, but I’m not sure I’m willing to put my data plan through that as yet.
Speaking of usage, Project xCloud will definitely chew through your battery—but that’s no surprise, given the demands on graphics and CPU, display, and both the Internet and Bluetooth connections. Your mileage may, of course, vary, but don’t expect this to be an all-day gaming affair—or, at least, bring a charger.
There’s also the challenge of playing on a much smaller screen than usual, which raises questions of viewing angles and reading onscreen text. My first attempt at playing games was with my iPhone 11 Pro and I quickly understood why Microsoft recommends a clip for attaching your phone to your controller. Even propped up in a stand at the correct angle, getting close enough to the screen to see details like the HUD was a (often literal) pain.
I fared better on my 10.5-inch iPad Pro, though even there I still had trouble at times arranging it at the right height. But using the Smart Keyboard in its “stand” arrangement wasn’t too bad for playing at my desk.
Network controller driver windows 10 pro. Using the Xbox controller was perhaps the best part of the experience, since it required no adaptation on my part whatsoever (other than making sure Halo was using my preferred control scheme). Supposedly xCloud will allow developers to roll out custom touch controls for games, though on something like an FPS, it’s really hard to match the precision of a controller, as many iOS game developers have discovered over the years.
That said, I did run into some issues with the controller where buttons didn’t react immediately and then sometimes “caught up,” resulting in double shots, or in some cases, turning an automatic weapon into a semi-automatic. In the original Halo in particular, the zoom functionality of the sniper rifle, which has both a 2x and 10x level was especially unreliable, requiring me to mash the button several times to get to the higher zoom.
Out of curiosity, I did at one point try to mirror my iPad’s display to my Apple TV to see if I could use it as though it were a console, but the graphics and sound stuttered unplayably. (Again, it’s quite possibly that my setup may be part of the problem there.) I’ll be interested to see if Microsoft will consider porting the app to the Apple TV, or if that would hew too close to its Xbox business.
I’m not sure if I want to play an entire console game via a streaming setup, but depending on how xCloud pricing and availability work out—things that Microsoft hasn’t discussed yet—it could be an attractive option for those who don’t want to invest in yet another console. And, as an Xbox owner, the ability to pick up and play where I left off on my console while I’m on the go—one of the major selling points of the Nintendo Switch—has a lot of appeal.
And, obviously, Microsoft’s not alone in this streaming market: Google has already launched its own offering, Stadia, though initial reviews have not been unequivocally positive. It’ll be interesting to see how these two competitors build out their services in terms of not only the quality of streaming offered, but also the game libraries. Given Microsoft’s existing status in the game market, it may have to worry more about cutting into sales of its hardware—though I imagine that whatever is offered in Project xCloud will not come close to what will be available on its next-generation Xbox Series X console, due later this year. Then again, for those of us who want to catch up on a whole generation of games that we may have missed, streaming older titles may be just fine.
But for a service that is only in beta so far, Project xCloud feels remarkably solid, if still in need of improvement. It’ll be interesting to see how that progresses throughout the beta process and into the final product.
- Also, he’d probably be wondering what the hell happened to all his hair? ↩
- Supposedly Sony’s Dual Shock controller will be supported in the future as well. ↩
- Confusingly, Microsoft also has a beta of a Console Streaming program that lets you stream games you own directly from your Xbox to a mobile device. It’s unclear how these two services will intersect or differ when they’re finally released. ↩
[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors. You can find him on Twitter at @dmoren or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His latest novel, The Aleph Extraction, is out now and available in fine book stores everywhere, so be sure to pick up a copy.]
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Growing up, I was a video game junkie. I played games in all my free time. My first game system was the NES, and the final one I personally owned was the PS2 and original Xbox. I even worked at EBGames (I still don’t accept the EBGames/GameStop merger). I have fond memories of playing Halo at LAN parties, the first time I played Madden online, and being scared to death of Resident Evil 1 when I was in the 6th grade. Once I got married and had kids, I just didn’t have the free time that I had before. Now that my kids are old enough to play games, I’ve been following the industry a bit more, and I just spent a few hours with the Microsoft Project xCloud for iOS preview that we wrote about yesterday.
Microsoft Project xCloud for iOS is really a beta
After debuting its Project xCloud streaming game service as a preview last fall on Android, Microsoft has today launched the preview for iOS via TestFlight. The iOS preview is limited to 10,000. 2019-9-25 Stream Xbox games from the cloud. Get a first look at game streaming with Xbox in Project xCloud (Preview). Play over 50 Xbox favourites on your Android phone or tablet, streaming directly from the cloud over Wi-Fi or your mobile network.
When I got access to it, I expected it to be one of those beta experiences that claimed beta but was actually really polished. However, Project xCloud for iOS truly is a beta. In playing Halo, I saw considerable lag (and was notified about network slowdown), but I was on a Wi-Fi 6 connection using a gigabit internet connection. This slowdown is certainly something you could attribute to the service being in beta. The lag went up and down during the match, and I was proud that I didn’t finish dead last.
Overall, I had a lot of fun though. I have so many memories from my college years of playing Halo with friends. It’s amazing how quickly the map layouts and weapon locations come right back to you despite not having played the game in over a decade.
Streaming gaming services are good for Apple
Some people might think Microsoft Project xCloud for iOS is a competing service to Apple Arcade, but I don’t think it is in reality. Apple Arcade is a low-cost service that has, for the most part, included games that you can pick up quickly and get right into. Project xCloud is a way to take the Xbox One experience with you. My kids got a Nintendo Switch last year, and the more I think about that system, the more genius it becomes. It can dock with your TV, but you can easily take it with you as well.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16334298/microsoft_xcloud_e3_2019_1.jpg "What is project xcloud")
Microsoft Project Cloud
Project Xcloud Mcc
With Microsoft Project xCloud, any iOS or Android devices effectively become a mobile version of your Xbox (once all of the games are added). All you need is an Xbox controller and fast enough internet connection. Microsoft is building a Nintendo Switch like experience without having to build and sell a portable console. They can focus on their living room hardware while Apple and Google get to build mobile devices.
On Apple’s end, this service makes all iOS devices a mobile console for Xbox fans. If you were someone who hadn’t cared about owning an iPad before, Project xCloud turns your iPad into a mobile Xbox.
Apple can still sell Apple Arcade to people who subscribe to Project xCloud just as people will easily sign up for Netflix and Apple TV+. Both services will offer a different experience and different types of content. It’ll be the same with Apple Arcade and Project xCloud. Both services will offer something unique to gamers. Especially on the Apple Arcade side, the cost is low enough that even if you play a few hours a month, it’s worth the cost.
Wrap-up
Project Xcloud Mac Download
Sims 4 anime eyes mod. I am excited to see where Microsoft Project xCloud goes in the future. If I can play console-quality games on my iPad during my lunch break, then it’s quite possible I might start playing games again. I would love to be able to play the full version of Madden with a controller on the go.
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Microsoft Project is the best project, portfolio, and resource management solution—but it’s not available on macOS®. However, with Parallels Desktop® for Mac, Apple® users can use a Windows virtual machine (VM) to run Microsoft Project on Mac®.
Getting started with running MS Project on macOS is easy:
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Parallels Desktop is the #1 virtualization solution to run Windows, Linux, and other popular operating systems on Mac. Virtualization of a Windows OS on Mac has endless benefits, including:
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If you’re still deciding if Parallels Desktop is right for you, continue reading to understand how a program manager utilizes virtualization to run Microsoft Project.
As a self-employed program manager, Tim specializes in large-scale data migrations and the development of sustainable business intelligence (BI) and analytic solutions. He has a wealth of experience in both IT and capital asset delivery, as well as general management, operational, and strategic roles in asset-intensive industries and regulation.
Like most consultants, Tim needs slick and stable IT to allow him to focus on the real issues. He doesn’t want IT issues to constantly be distracting him. Parallels Desktop offers a reliable platform that allows him to deliver. Kurdish fonts zanst.
As an avid personal user of Apple products, Tim also wished to migrate his work life to Mac. However, for most clients he needed to use Microsoft Project as a Gantt chart management tool. Being able to manage multi-project plans is an essential element for any program manager. Unfortunately, Microsoft Project is one of the few pieces of Microsoft software that has not been developed to run on macOS.
After online research, Tim concluded that the only successful way to use Microsoft Project on a Mac was through a Windows virtual machine. He discussed the issue directly with Apple, and they recommended Parallels Desktop as a solution.
Is Project Xcloud Free
Following a very simple installation of Parallels, Tim can now use Microsoft Project natively within a Windows environment on his MacBook Pro®. This means there’s no translation between products claiming to act as a Microsoft Project editor—quite simply, he’s running a Windows version of Microsoft Project on his Mac. It has proved to be an excellent solution for Tim.
Tim wholeheartedly recommends Parallels Desktop, which he has now been using successfully for several months. Installation was simple, and there are many configuration options that can be changed. (For example, the amount of memory dedicated to the Apple or Windows operating system.) This gives greater flexibility to the user. Tim hasn’t had any issues with Parallels Desktop at all, and the product is extremely stable in every way. Tim also added that Parallels® Toolbox (which comes included with Parallels Desktop) has been useful. He particularly likes the disk cleaning tool, which ensures his laptop is always operating efficiently.
Project Xcloud On Mac
If you’d like to use Parallels Desktop to run popular Windows programs on Mac (without rebooting!), download a free 14-day trial.