Microsoft's XCloud mobile project coming soon

For some time now, Microsoft has been talking about its XCloud mobile project. Remember, the company revealed the project atE3 in 2018. Since then, water has flowed under the bridge, but players are still waiting. There was a first closed test phase on Forza Horizon 4 and then public phases but never anything concrete to put under the teeth.

However, the long wait is coming to an end and Microsoft has announced the good news: XCloud is coming to mobile this fall. The multi-gaming service will not, however, be available to everyone straight away, there will be some restrictions at first. We take a look at what we know about the service today, which will allow you to play a number of Xbox games from your smartphone.

XCloud mobile release on 15 September

Those who were tired of waiting will at least have a landmark date. The XCloud will be launched on 15 September in 22 countries. France, but also Belgium and Switzerland are among the lucky European countries (in addition to North America and South Korea). We sympathise with gamers all over the world, but for the rest of us we'll have to wait a little longer.

It should also be noted that XCloud will initially only be available on Android.iOS users have not been forgotten, but the development team still needs to make some adjustments and the service should be available on iOS by the end of 2020. While the service has been integrated into Apple's system as of February 2020, not everything is yet operational.

A global subscription for less than 13 euros

Besides the imminent release of the service, the price is surely the good news of the Xbox service announcement. The XCloud will be included in the Xbox Game Pass The XCloud will be included in the Xbox Game Pass, which currently allows unlimited play of many console and PC games such as Grounded and UnderMine. This pass, which costs 12.99 euros per month, will soon include smartphones and tablets.

The name XCloud itself will disappear and the smartphone side will become a feature of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. When you consider how much a game can cost, this cross-media subscription offer is sobering.

Over 100 games available on mobile via XCloud

The exact list of games that will be available in the XCloud catalogue is not yet known. But the company has promised that more than 100 games will be available immediately after the launch. Now, beyond the quantity, we will also have to see the quality of the games. While the Google Play Pass has recently arrived in France, everyone is trying to make the most of it by offering an attractive catalogue.

In any case, the XCloud will have a strong case to make. Xbox Game Studios productions will be included on mobile as they are currently on PC and console. These include such tried-and-tested titles as Halo, Sea of Thieves and Minecraft. We are also certain that Destiny 2, the Halo sagas, Gears of Wars and Wasted Lang will be included.

The XCloud: a 100% mobile experience

The Pass will offer a totally mobile experience. Your game sessions will be linked to your Xbox account, which will keep track of your progress and controller settings for example. This means you can move from one medium to another without losing anything.

As phones are now the most mobile of all gaming devices, the XCloud once again extends the horizon of possibilities. Has the offer convinced you so far?