What Xbox Cloud Gaming for Console Means for You

Xbox Cloud Gaming has been around in beta form for the better part of a year, allowing gamers with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to stream Xbox titles to all sorts of devices (supported Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices).

Now, Microsoft appears poised to roll out Xbox Cloud Gaming to certain Xbox consoles, too. Here’s why this matters and what it means for you. But first, here’s a refresher on the broader Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is a game streaming service from Microsoft included in every Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. The service allows you to play a wide range of Xbox console titles, and the available titles change over time. In addition, you can play any currently available title on a range of non-Xbox devices.

When you play an Xbox game via Xbox Cloud Gaming, the device hardware you’re playing on doesn’t do very much of the work. Specialized Xbox-style servers in Microsoft data centers do the work instead. The actual computations and graphical rendering required to make a game function happen on a server somewhere else. The final video output transmits over the internet to your device, and your button inputs transmit back to the server doing the work.

That’s why Xbox Cloud Gaming can work on such a wide range of devices. As long as they can stream video (and your internet speed is sufficient), Microsoft’s servers will take care of the rest.

Though the service is far from new, it’s still considered in beta. Microsoft is prepping a new round of features, which may or may not mark the end of beta and the beginning of full release.

The most important of these new features is support for Xbox Cloud Gaming from certain Xbox consoles. According to Pocket Lint, other potential new features, possibly further out in the future, include smart TV apps for the service and even a Microsoft dongle or streaming device.

Microsoft is currently testing an Xbox Cloud Gaming experience on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X / Series S consoles. Members of the public who are part of the Xbox Insider program have the option of testing this service now.

Microsoft hasn’t announced a timeline for the public release of their console-based streaming offering, but it’s safe to assume it will arrive in months, not years.

Support for Xbox Cloud Gaming on actual Xbox consoles isn’t the most intuitive thing. The whole point of cloud gaming is seemingly to be able to play when you aren’t sitting in front of your Xbox, after all. So, why would Xbox console owners care about using Xbox Cloud Gaming on their console?

There are a few reasons.

Streaming a game doesn’t require installing the software on your own Xbox device. As Xbox owners know all too well, the downloading and installation process can be lengthy and frustrating, so having the chance to skip these steps is attractive — especially if you just want to check out a game without fully committing.

As the Xbox Series S and Series X consoles mature, fewer and fewer titles will work with the previous-gen Xbox One. But the older console can still access Xbox Cloud Gaming, giving Xbox One owners the chance to play certain titles that their console on its own couldn’t handle.

Xbox consoles have a limited amount of storage space for downloading and storing games. Once your Xbox gets close to full, you have to make painful decisions about what to uninstall if you want to add anything new. Xbox Cloud Gaming gets around these limits because you’ll be able to play games on your Xbox without downloading them or storing their data on your console.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is an exciting service that lets gamers play on multiple types of hardware. And soon, you’ll even be able to stream gaming sessions from your Xbox itself. Unfortunately, no matter what kind of device you use to access Xbox Cloud Gaming, it’s not invincible. Electronics are prone to accidental damage, component failures, and overheating.

The best way to protect your device is to purchase an Upsie extended warranty for your PC, mobile device or Xbox console. Upsie’s warranty plans are affordable and offer excellent extended warranty protection. With Upsie, warranties cost up to 70 percent less when compared to other warranty providers.

In addition, customers can make unlimited claims up to the purchase price of the device, ensuring that the device is protected for the entire warranty period.

Don’t wait until something breaks and you’re stuck with a big repair bill. Get Upsie now so you’ll be protected if you need it.