Microsoft’s xCloud service will get 1080p game streaming soon

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Game streaming continues to gain popularity, even if there are some growing pains. With the negative press surrounding Stadia over the last couple of weeks, its competitors are seeing this as an opportunity to gain some ground for their own services. Microsoft’s xCloud is one of those competitors. Now, known as Cloud Gaming, the streaming service has reportedly begun testing 1080p streams on its platform.

Windows Central first reported that Microsoft is finally testing this feature. As of right now, games are locked at 720p on the xCloud streaming service. While 720p was the norm only a few years ago, it can be quite blurry on some of today’s games.

Most games today are designed to be enjoyed at 1080p and above. This means that gamers can miss out on some of the immersion and excitement that comes with a clearer, higher resolution picture. This is something that Microsoft is very aware of and it seems that they are actively trying to resolve this issue.

More new stuff coming to xCloud

This isn’t the only news coming from the xCloud team recently. According to The Verge, Microsoft is also testing its new PC streaming companion app internally. This app is poised to allow users to stream games both from their Xbox Series X|S consoles as well as from xCloud servers.

This will be the first look at Microsoft’s xCloud streaming service for PC. This app will have support for touchscreen controls as well as some form of gyro support. Maybe most notably, this feature will allow users to play Xbox Game Pass games, even when they are not around their consoles. It looks to be a big year for Microsoft’s game streaming platform.

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Editors’ Recommendations:

• xCloud is finally coming to iOS, but you’ll have to use a web browser to play
• Google is abandoning its Stadia gaming studios to focus on the platform, so they say
• Review: Nuu Mobile X6 smartphone – perfect for mobile game streaming
• All of the games shown off during PlayStation’s State of Play livestream

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.