This week, Microsoft announced that xCloud is now available for iOS users; that is if you get invited to the preview program and live in a geographically supported region. But if you meet the requirements and have the right device, this release has been heavily anticipated.
I have now used both Android and iOS streaming (you can see more in the video above) but the short version is that, for now, Android offers a superior experience. For starters, only Halo is available on iOS whereas Android offers dozens of games for streaming; I do expect the iOS library to be updated in the near future.
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That being said, streaming on iOS, especially the campaign, worked well enough that I would consider playing this when away from my console. It’s not perfect and multiplayer still has room for improvement but it’s good enough. Meaning, if you really want to sit back in your hotel room and knock the heads off of a few aliens, xCloud will scratch that itch.
Online play on iOS works but Android feels more complete, or at least, a more solid experience. I had an odd issue when playing online, automatic gunfire would not work, it would stop shooting, but single fire weapons worked fine. It should be noted that while playing the campaign, I had no issues with automatic weapons.
Overall, this is a good start for iOS xCloud, it’s not perfect, but it’s good enough that the future continues to look bright.