Overcoming Hurdles for Successful Xbox Cloud Streaming: Essential Fixes Needed by Microsoft

Key Takeaways

• Microsoft promotes Xbox Cloud Gaming without an Xbox, but price and image quality issues need fixing.
• Streaming games requires a costly Game Pass Ultimate subscription for a limited game selection, making the Xbox Series S seem like the better buy.
• Xbox Cloud Gaming falls short compared to PlayStation and NVIDIA’s similar services, with regards to image quality.

Like it or not, cloud game streaming is likely the future of casual gaming, and Xbox is the loudest of the three console platforms in promoting console gaming without a console. But Xbox Cloud Gaming suffers from two issues Microsoft has to fix if it wants cloud gaming to take off.

Microsoft Wants to Bring Xbox Games to Every Screen

Xbox

Microsoft is getting louder about promoting Xbox gaming without an Xbox. All you need is access to Xbox Cloud Gaming , a screen (like a smartphone, TV, VR headset, or computer monitor), and a controller or mouse and keyboard . The latest devices to get access to Microsoft’s cloud gaming service are Amazon Fire TV sticks, joining Samsung smart TVs, which have been able to stream Xbox games for some time now.

Aside from the two smart TV platforms, Xbox game streaming is already available on Android, iOS , iPadOS, Windows, macOS, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 3. Microsoft’s dream of bringing Xbox games to every screen you own via cloud streaming is getting closer to reality with each passing day.

But if Microsoft is serious about promoting its cloud streaming platform as the go-to option for casual gamers who don’t own a gaming console, it needs to resolve two massive issues preventing Xbox Cloud Gaming from becoming the best way to enjoy gaming without owning a game console or PC. The first is the high price of admission.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate lets you stream a massive catalog of games to Xbox consoles, PC, and mobile.

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Who Is Paying $20 a Month Just to Stream Games?

At the moment, the only way to stream Xbox games is via Game Pass, but the kicker is that you can’t just subscribe to the base Xbox or PC Game Pass tier and start gaming in the cloud. You need to subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate which, after the recent price increase , costs $20 a month.

I don’t know about you, but paying $20 each month to stream games feels like too much money, especially if you’re a casual gamer who just wants to relax and enjoy some games a couple of times a week. Don’t forget that not all Xbox Game Pass games are available for streaming. The $20 a month you’ll pay for Xbox cloud streaming doesn’t provide access to the entire Xbox Game Pass catalog. Only 432 out of 511 Xbox Game Pass titles are available on Xcloud.

Better yet, if you want to stream Xbox games on your TV but don’t own a newer Samsung smart TV or a Fire TV stick, the luxury will cost you $110. That’s the price of the Fire TV Stick and Xbox controller bundle that also nets you one month of Game Pass Ultimate.

You can snag a used Xbox Series S console for about $200 on eBay , a proper current-gen console on which you can play games locally. With a Series S, you can buy games and play them without an internet connection, all while enjoying better image quality and lower latency. The Fire TV stick bundle doesn’t look very attractive by comparison, especially since you’ll have to continue shelling out $20 a month for Game Pass Ultimate.

The solution here would be for Microsoft to introduce a new, cloud streaming-only Game Pass tier targeted at casual gamers who don’t want to buy a console. Something like $10 per month would be a fair price, and once Microsoft allows you to buy and stream games you own alongside Game Pass titles, the company could earn money from game purchases, too.

But even with the introduction of an affordable, streaming-only Game Pass tier, Microsoft must address the second stumbling block preventing Xbox game streaming from becoming more popular: poor image quality, especially when compared to the competition.

Xbox Cloud Gaming Visual Quality Isn’t Good Enough

Cloud gaming suffers from a number of issues , the most noticeable one being the poor image quality compared to running games locally. That said, cloud gaming services such as GeForce Now and PlayStation cloud streaming have come a long way from their early days, which were fraught with streaming artifacts, poor stability, and unplayable latency.

GeForce Now offers 4K streaming at up to 240Hz, and is so far ahead of the rest of the cloud streaming pack it’s in a league of its own (so I won’t focus on it here). Sony’s cloud streaming, on the other hand, is an apt comparison point for Xbox Cloud Gaming because it allows PlayStation Plus subscribers to stream most titles found in the PlayStation Plus library, from select PS3 games to the latest PS5 heavy hitters.

PlayStation Plus

The Premium membership tier unlocks access to classic games in Sony’s PlayStation catalog.

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You can stream PS3 titles at 720p, PS4 games at 1080p, and PS5 games at 4K. On the other hand, Xcloud only supports up to 1080p resolution, even for current-gen games. That wouldn’t be so bad if the image quality was up to snuff, but as the recent Digital Foundry analysis has shown, PlayStation’s cloud streaming has a clear edge concerning image quality compared to Xcloud.

The difference is clearly noticeable even with YouTube video compression, which says a lot.

Not only does Xbox game streaming look worse, but the service also delivers Xbox Series S versions of games to your screen instead of Xbox Series X versions that, in most cases, come with better image quality, higher frame rate, and better graphics.

Add the fact that PlayStation cloud streaming already allows you to stream many games you own that aren’t part of the PS Plus library, and you’ve got a situation where Microsoft’s offering is inferior in every way bar latency, which is admittedly a tad lower on Xbox Cloud Gaming. You can also stream Xbox games on virtually every screen, unlike PlayStation cloud streaming, which is only available on PS4, PS5, and PC.

Poor image quality was acceptable in the days when Xbox game streaming was only limited to tiny smartphones and slightly larger tablets. But nowadays, when Microsoft wants to embellish every screen you own with its cloud gaming platform, including massive 4K TV screens, it has to improve the image quality if it wants casual gamers to embrace the “Xbox gaming without an Xbox” future.

As it stands now, Xbox Cloud Gaming has a lot of ground to cover before it becomes good enough to recommend to casual gamers who want to enjoy the latest and greatest console games. The image quality is subpar, the service is overpriced, and the fact that you’re served Xbox Series S versions of games adds insult to injury.

According to Windows Central’s Jez Corden , a cloud-only Game Pass tier and the ability to purchase and stream games you own are in the pipeline, which is great news, but the image quality issue still needs to be sorted out.

Until a cloud-only Game Pass tier that’s lighter on the wallet officially launches, and until image quality is at least on par with what Sony delivers, you should forget about the “Xbox gaming without an Xbox” promise and get yourself an Xbox Series S instead, which is the better way to enjoy current-gen games if you’re a casual gamer on a tight budget.

If you’re more serious about buying a Microsoft console and can stretch a little further, we’d recommend strongly considering the Xbox Series X instead .

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