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| First look at xCloud for the web from Microsoft |
Microsoft has begun testing streaming games from its xCloud platform through a web browser.
A source close to Microsoft Xbox told The Verge: Employees are currently testing the web version of xCloud before conducting public inspections.
The service allows Xbox players to access their games through a browser and enables the xCloud platform to work on Apple devices (such as iPhone and iPad).
The web version of xCloud is very similar to how xCloud currently works on Android tablets and phones.
The web version includes a simple player with game suggestions, the ability to restore recently played games and access to all cloud games available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Once the game starts, it will run in full screen mode and you will need a joystick to play Xbox games streamed via browser.
The accuracy with which Microsoft will play the game over this web release is unknown.
The software giant is using Xbox One S servers for its existing xCloud infrastructure, so it won't support full 4K streaming until this year when the base hardware is upgraded to Xbox Series X components.
Microsoft plans to bundle this web version of xCloud via Windows 10 into the PC version of the Xbox version.
It appears that the web version is currently limited to Chromium browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, just like Google's Stadia service.
Microsoft plans to release a public preview of its xCloud web platform in the spring. This larger internal test indicates that the sampling is very narrow.
The main driving force behind the web release is support for iOS and iPadOS devices, as Apple imposed restrictions on iOS apps and cloud services and Microsoft discontinued iPhones and iPads when it launched xCloud in the beta version of Android last year. Hardware can support.
According to Apple, Microsoft has to send the game separately for review in what the software giant calls a bad customer experience.