Update, 1:38 PM ET: Added more context about OnLive, Shadow, Remotr, Rainway. Microsoft’s cloud gaming service is finally making its way to iOS. Stadia does not currently stream games to iOS, and Nvidia has no plans for iOS version of GeForce Now. xCloud on iOS? Unlike the Android version, Apple puts a hard limit on TestFlight users.

the last several months running an xCloud test on Android, Apple blocked Valve from releasing the Steam Link app on the App Store. It’s not clear what Apple’s limits are, or why the iPhone maker keeps restricting cloud-based game streaming services from launching on its iOS devices. Microsoft wasn’t impressed with Apple’s approach, and xCloud’s potential launch on iPhones and iPads has been left in limbo as a result. “We’ve been testing an iOS client internally, and today, we’re taking the next step by making the Project xCloud preview available for iOS users through the TestFlight program,” Xbox evangelist Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft says it will be swapping out participants due to the testing limit restrictions, and hopefully we’ll see some more games added if Apple allows. Microsoft is working on a browser-based xCloud solution for iOS. It took nearly a year for Apple to approve Valve’s Steam Link app, even though it primarily streams games from your home PC.
This browser version would bypass the App Store, just like Amazon is doing with its new Luna game streaming service. But there’s a trick, a hidden rule. Microsoft is working on a “direct browser-based solution” to bring xCloud to iOS early next year. If you’re lucky enough to receive an invite for the xCloud iOS testing, it will appear in your email inbox. “We’ll end up on iPhones, and iPads with Game Pass.” Business Insider first reported the news of the web version for iOS. Project xCloud was the name of our public technology preview for cloud gaming that began in September 2019. After gathering feedback from players from around the world during the preview, we built the technology into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate so you can play 100+ Xbox games on your Android mobile phone or tablet, directly from the cloud. The company announced a Project xCloud beta is launching on Apple’s mobile operating system beginning today. Microsoft apparently needed to make some tweaks to appease Apple, though. Apple insists that developers must individually submit their games as separate apps using their streaming tech. Install Xbox Game Streaming (Preview) inside of TestFlight. In 2018, Apple blocked Valve from releasing the Steam Link app on the App Store. Apple’s policies, which Microsoft doesn’t reveal or explain, mean that only a single title will work with iOS devices. COVID-19 game security report: Learn the latest attack trends in gaming. newsletter, for Apple to approve Valve’s Steam Link app. Microsoft is now aiming to bring xCloud to Windows 10 PCs in 2021. You will then receive an email to get the app through Apple’s TestFlight service. It doesn’t want any competing store-like platforms on the App Store. We understand Microsoft is targeting an early 2021 release for a web-based version of xCloud for Apple’s devices. “We’ll distribute invitations to participate on a first-come, first-served basis.”. “To comply with App Store policies, the preview experience on iOS may look and feel different for those who have been testing on Android,” explains Microsoft’s Larry Hryb in a blog post. The software giant has been testing a preview version with employees for months, and it will debut at some point next year. This enables iPhone owners to stream Halo: The Master Chief Collection to their phone from the cloud. Microsoft, Google, and Nvidia are all going to have this same issue with their cloud services on Apple devices. Google launched its Stadia service with a basic iOS app that doesn’t support streaming, and Microsoft seems to be pushing ahead with testing in hopes that Apple will finally approve these types of apps. You’ll need to register (or re-register) using this link and select “iOS” as your phone make or model for Microsoft to select you as an iOS tester. Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming arrives on iOS with some Apple restrictions, Best Buy’s three-day sale on OLED TVs, headphones, and more ends Saturday, But there are plenty of other great deals, Woot is selling refurbished Pixelbook Go laptops that don’t have Google branding, This weird ‘debranded’ Pixelbook Go is kind of amazing, Sign up for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be available to the 10,000 testers whom Microsoft says it’s inviting to the preview. The company announced a Project xCloud beta is launching on Apple’s mobile operating system beginning today. Available for both iPad and iPhone. The biggest difference, of course, is that it only has one game. Microsoft’s cloud gaming service is finally making its way to iOS. xCloud iOS announcement could be incoming according to recent rumours. The app is also limited to xCloud, and does not include the Xbox Game Streaming feature that streams games from an Xbox console. Microsoft is bringing xCloud to iOS via the web, Best Buy’s three-day sale on OLED TVs, headphones, and more ends Saturday, But there are plenty of other great deals, Woot is selling refurbished Pixelbook Go laptops that don’t have Google branding, This weird ‘debranded’ Pixelbook Go is kind of amazing, Sign up for the It took a year for Valve to eventually work something out to release a version of the in-home PC-streaming program for iOS devices. Microsoft is expanding its Project xCloud service to the iPhone today.

Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming arrives on iOS with some Apple restrictions. Apple’s newly revised App Store guidelines, issued Friday, technically pave the way for cloud-based gaming services like Microsoft’s xCloud and Google Stadia to launch on iOS. Spencer described PC as a “great opportunity” for both Game Pass and game streaming. Major Nelson listed many of the differences that iOS users will encounter. The closest is Blade’s iOS app for Shadow, which lets you access a gaming PC that lives in a server farm, but which also does not include a catalog of games itself. Project xCloud wraps almost one decade of investment in its game-streaming technologies, and while still headed to other platforms, its iOS absence holds back Xbox moving forward.

Microsoft has spent the last several months running an xCloud test on Android with more than 50 games you can play at no cost. By Heather Wald 28 September 2020. Microsoft is reportedly working on a "direct browser-based solution" that will allow it to bring its cloud gaming service, previously known as Project xCloud, to iOS and iPadOS devices in 2021. And then you’ll need iOS 13.0 or higher, and you’ll probably want a gamepad.

Project xCloud is a game streaming service. The web app will be available in early 2021, and a PC version of xCloud is on the way next year, too. Run through the steps to register and select iOS as your mobile device. xCloud game streaming will come to iOS with a browser-based solution Frustrated by App Store rules, Microsoft will turn to the open web for is game streaming service. The question of whether xCloud will come to iOS devices is still up in the air . Similar apps like Remotr and Rainway have also made it onto the App Store, but not curated streaming services. “We absolutely will end up on iOS,” said Spencer during the meeting, noting that he “feels good” about the company’s iOS progress.

Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the company has been developing a web version of xCloud to run on iOS and iPadOS devices, alongside continuing its work on an app that it hopes will also eventually run on Apple’s platform. Apple devotees are only getting the one game for now due to Apple’s App Store policies. But it also doesn’t include the option to stream from your own Xbox hardware at home using Xbox Console Streaming. The software giant is launching a beta of xCloud through Apple’s TestFlight service, allowing xCloud testers to try the service on an iPhone or iPad. The thing is Apple wants streaming companies to submit their games as separate apps with the streaming tech they developed.

“To comply with App Store policies, the preview experience on iOS may look and feel different for those who have been testing on Android.”. Microsoft’s gaming chief, Phil Spencer, revealed the company’s browser-based xCloud work during a recent internal all-hands meeting. To get into xCloud on iOS, you’ll need to jump through some hoops. Microsoft and Google are free to create a “catalog”-style app that collects and links out to all of these individual apps.

newsletter. Apple has been blocking services like xCloud and Stadia from running on iOS devices via its App Store, and recently offered an olive branch to these services with some big restrictions.

While Microsoft is still only testing its technology, Project xCloud is already running into some of the constraints of Apple’s walled garden. Google’s Stadia and Nvidia’s GeForce Now are still not available on Apple’s devices, either, and neither company has been able to tell us when that might change. During the same all-hands call at Microsoft, Spencer also discussed the company’s plans for xCloud on PC. First, make sure you have a Microsoft account connected to your Xbox gamertag. “Up to 10,000 testers will be invited into the preview, but we anticipate that demand will exceed our capacity and we will be unable to accommodate all applicants,” writes Major Nelson.

Apple’s new rules allow services like Stadia or xCloud to exist on iPadOS and iOS. New, 44 comments. It’s the first time we’ve seen a cloud game streaming service appear on iOS since the days of OnLive — and OnLive’s iOS app wound up in limbo when Apple didn’t approve it.