Microsoft keeps flipping key switches and toggles to its cloud-powered Xbox Game Streaming Service. This week's update is the largest yet. Xbox Game Streaming has officially launched on all web browsers as well as iOS devices.You can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $15/mo and instantly access xbox.com/play using supported browsers (Chrome Safari, Edge, Edge), and you'll be able to play cloud-gaming instances that look like Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Google Stadia and Amazon Luna. You can connect your controller to your preferred gaming device and then connect to the lowest latency connection to gain access to over 260 games powered by Microsoft Azure. Many games won't run without a controller, but some titles have received Xbox Game Streaming updates that allow you to use a virtual touchscreen control on your smartphone. My latest article on Game Pass explains how Game Pass's pricing and game selection differ from the aforementioned competitors.This is in line with Microsoft's late 2020 promise to make Xbox's cloud service available via an HTML5 interface. This would allow Xbox Game Streaming on Apple's restrictive iOS ecosystem. Apple's App Store rules required that every Xbox game receive an Apple review and rating. This is despite the fact that streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ do not receive the same scrutiny for individual films and series. To add an app-like shortcut on your iPhone or iPad, you will need to create a web shortcut in iOS Safari.Advertisement$5 More for Ultimate perksGame Pass Ultimate members who were eligible had been able to access xbox.com/play in a beta program and this HTML5 version of it. Today's news extends that access to everyone and everyone. This is in contrast to the Xbox Game Pass app Android that has been available for all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers from last year. Cloud game streaming may not be for you, but you can still get a tier of Xbox Game Pass for your specific device, whether it's for PC or consoles. Game Pass Ultimate is a combination of both hardware families' access and cloud access. It can sync and save progress across all three families. This allows you to play a game campaign from your smartphone, bus rider, or work computer, even if your boss isn’t watching.This all happens on a recently upgraded Microsoft Azure server farm. It went into effect last Wednesday and allows all games to function as if they were running on Xbox Series X consoles. These performance benefits will be visible via streaming, especially faster gameplay loads and higher frame rate. Streaming limits currently limit streaming speeds to 60 frames per second and 1080p resolution. This means that Master Chief Collection's 4K and 120 fps modes won't work in your web browser via streaming. The server upgrade will give you significant performance improvements for many of the Xbox Game Pass libraries, as it surpasses the base Xbox One consoles.Microsoft already hinted at more bullish Xbox Game Streaming moves by the end of the year, including a dedicated smart television app and a dedicated app to base Xbox One consoles as well as Windows PCs.
