Digital Foundry: Project xCloud Beta Tested: Can Streaming Deliver A Handheld Xbox One Experience?

[digitalrelic]

People just need to have reasonable expectations of how streaming a game on a mobile device is going to feel. It's not going to look or feel identical to local play , and it probably never will. That's why Google has taken the wrong approach with Stadia by claiming it's going to replace your consoles, and why Microsoft has taken the correct approach with xCloud by advertising it as a way to take your gaming on the go.

xCloud would be GREAT for:

• Single player adventure games (The Witcher 3, Dragon Age, Red Dead 2, Shadow of the Colossus, etc..)
• Single player sports games (Madden, NBA 2k, FIFA, etc..)
• Single player story-driven games (Edith Finch, Telltale-style games, Life is Strange, etc..)
• RPGs (Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Ni No Kuni, etc..)

xCloud would be GOOD for:

• Single player 3rd person shooters (Uncharted, The Last of Us, Tomb Raider)
• Single player action games (Souls games, Jedi Fallen Order, Sekiro, God of War, etc..)
• Single player platformers (Ori, Cuphead, Celeste, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, etc..)

xCloud would be FINE for:

• Single player 1st person shooters (Halo, DOOM, Wolfenstein, etc..)
• Single player racing games (Forza, Crash Team Racing, etc..)
• Single player fighting games (Tekken, Injustice, Mortal Kombat, etc..)

xCloud is not a good fit for:

• Multiplayer shooters (Call of Duty, Battlefield, Overwatch, etc..)
• Highly competitive fighting games
• Many other online experiences

 

[Prine]

So I think they key is as an additive service not a replacement.

Click to shrink...

Perhaps, but some may not be sensitive so it could be an option for then if so.

 

[LCGeek]

Again, Oculus wired is good, but maybe PS4's encoding just isn't low latency in comparison to the PC GPUs.

Click to shrink...

it's older amd gcn so even compared to what's in ps5 or more up to date amd cards it's semi slower.

 

[Deleted member 4552]

Considering what it is you will always have some, unlike google you can't have negative latency since it's inherently a measure of delay.




Everytime I hear that word applied without a specificity I will show up in these topics.

7ms for 1000miles. You don't need billions of data servers just dozens or hundred in well placed spots. Not hard considering we have billions of networking devices out there.

For some the compromise and struggle to get there is worth it. You clearly don't feel it is so I'm wondering where all your points really lead to even if they are factually correct.

offline games will always be compromised by low level OS functions doesn't mean I stop playing games.

Click to shrink...

These are not simple networking devices.

 

[Ploid 6.0]

I kind of feel bad for Phil Harrison, looks like streaming will never be ready (not sad about that). It seems like Phil can never catch a break, no matter how many chances he get. Though it's not like he's struggling or anything so it's whatever.

 

[LCGeek]

These are not simple networking devices.

Click to shrink...

you're implication is that companies that with billions of dollars who run cloud data centers can't do better than they already are?

 

[Green Yoshi]

Killer Instinct looks rough. :-(

 

[tzare]

Well, latency is still an issue for any streaming service, that is obvious, there's probably some room for improvement but all services seem to be in a very similar spot right now. In fact even if two are commercially available, still seem like work in progress, just like xcloud, but in the real world. All will improve for sure in the upcoming months, and all will probably offer a similar playable experience. Differences will be the commercial product itself ( catalog, pricing, availability, devices that can be used to play) , since performance will be very similar unless someone reinvents the wheel.

 

[h0mebas3]

I've been playing on my NVIDIA Android TV wired and have had an amazing experience so far. When I did a packet capture, for me at least, I was being routed to 13.104.35.40 which is being hosted by Microsoft out of Redmond Washington. 37ms of latency on average from the West Coast. Can't speak to wireless...

 

[Governergrimm]

People here were never going to give Stadia a chance. They were shitting on since the day it was announced.

Having used both, I don't personally see any difference in latency in either service using my phone. Both have worked really well for me.

Click to shrink...

Spot on. This site hated Stadia out of the gates.

Stadia then compounded their issues by not having the majority of their services online at launch, a poor launch lineup (compared to competitor's current libraries), poor hardware launch, and (the biggest sin) promising 4k/60 RDR2. I haven't used Stadia... Yet, but I was impressed with how xCloud worked.

Here's hoping Google can turn Stadia around and get it in a competitive place.