Microsoft is experimenting with a new form of playing Xbox Cloud Gaming that doesn’t require a physical controller in your hands. They’ve released a preview feature that essentially transforms your smartphone into a touch controller for Xbox Cloud Gaming. This essentially means that you can play the game using touch controls, tapping and swiping.
Touch interface removes need for physical controllers on smart TVs
The importance of this feature lies in the fact that this removes the need for an additional piece of hardware to get started with playing cloud games on bigger screens. You simply connect your phone to a smart TV and start playing right away via the touch controls.
What this new feature does is that it essentially creates a software based input layer on top of the Xbox Cloud Gaming service. What happens is that it renders an on-screen controller overlay in a mobile browser when you connect it to a compatible smart TV. This is designed for Android and iOS devices specifically.
So it has been made sure that the majority of the Android and iOS devices can use this feature. The feature is essentially baked directly into the cloud gaming session you’re already having. You don’t have to download an additional app for it.
This preview feature is one of many other things that Microsoft is doing as far as the monetization of access to cloud gaming is concerned. They’re launching paid time packages for cloud gaming sessions. This means that you will be able to purchase a certain number of hours of gaming time.
This comes just ahead of the launch of an ad-supported free tier that would give you limited access to cloud gaming. This is interesting, as it shows a shift towards offering more flexibility in terms of subscriptions for casual gamers, with paid time packages and the ad-supported free tier.
We’ve been keeping a close eye on developments for Xbox Cloud Gaming. We’ve reported on leaked controller designs in the past. Things like controllers with Wi-Fi connectivity and 8BitDo style controllers.
Now that’s the hardware end of things. This is the software side of things. This is all about using what’s available on your smartphone.
This new touch controls feature doesn’t require any new accessories or controllers. It’s as low barrier as you can get for new users. The new software direction is in addition to the experimentation on the hardware side. It provides a quick and easy control scheme for accessing cloud gaming on your TV.
Microsoft has confirmed the launch of a new preview for Xbox Cloud Gaming that essentially transforms your smartphone into a controller for Android and iOS devices. This essentially gives you cloud gaming access on your smart TVs using your mobile browser, as well as touch controls. Also, they have the paid time packages along with an ad-supported free tier in the pipeline for the service. This is all designed to make cloud gaming more accessible to users who don’t already have the controllers to do this.
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