The Xbox Game Pass deal continues to get sweeter. Microsoft announced on Tuesday that Xbox cloud gaming will be coming to both PC and IOS next spring for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Members.
“Expanding Xbox to new players is central to our ambition of helping games and developers find an easy path to the world’s 3 billion gamers,” Microsoft said. “We are doing this by embracing multiple devices and providing a consistent Xbox experience wherever you log in, whether that’s on your Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One, Android device or – starting in Spring 2021 – your Windows PC and iOS device from the cloud.”
Xbox cloud gaming is Microsoft’s answer to videogame streaming, and currently allows Android smartphone users to stream a select number of Xbox titles directly to their phone. Emphasis on the select: Not every Xbox title is available on Xbox cloud gaming. Microsoft’s official tally puts the number at right over half of current games, but the move will allow PC Game Pass members to play previously console locked games like Control and NieR:Automata.
This change also brings Xbox cloud gaming more inline with Google’s Stadia and nVidia’s GeForce Now streaming services, which have been available on PC for some time. PC players will be able to access cloud gaming through the Xbox app and browser, and those with IOS devices can access the platform through mobile web browsers.