<s>
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
(	O
formerly	O
known	O
as	O
Project	B-Application
xCloud	I-Application
and	O
colloquially	O
known	O
as	O
xCloud	B-Application
)	O
is	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Application
cloud	I-Application
gaming	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
released	O
in	O
beta	O
testing	O
in	O
November	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
later	O
launched	O
for	O
subscribers	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
on	O
September	O
15	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
cloud	I-Application
gaming	I-Application
is	O
provided	O
to	O
subscribers	O
of	O
Ultimate	O
at	O
no	O
additional	O
cost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ideas	O
for	O
the	O
cloud	B-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
came	O
within	O
Microsoft	O
around	O
2016	O
,	O
around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
that	O
Kareem	O
Choudhry	O
developed	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	O
backwards	O
compatibility	O
for	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
his	O
team	O
developed	O
this	O
solution	O
,	O
Choudhry	O
also	O
had	O
the	O
idea	O
if	O
they	O
could	O
provide	O
these	O
games	O
without	O
having	O
need	O
of	O
a	O
console	O
,	O
and	O
got	O
Spencer	O
's	O
go-ahead	O
to	O
start	O
a	O
small	O
team	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
feasibility	O
of	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
technology	O
was	O
deemed	O
successful	O
enough	O
at	O
around	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
's	O
introduction	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
assembled	O
a	O
larger	O
team	O
to	O
build	O
up	O
the	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
teased	O
the	O
service	O
at	O
E3	O
2018	O
and	O
formally	O
announced	O
Project	B-Application
xCloud	I-Application
several	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
in	O
October	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
demonstrated	O
the	O
service	O
in	O
March	O
2019	O
with	O
the	O
racing	O
game	O
Forza	O
Horizon	O
5playing	O
on	O
an	O
Android	B-Application
smartphone	O
with	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
controller	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Device
head	O
Phil	O
Spencer	O
used	O
a	O
private	O
server	O
during	O
this	O
time	O
to	O
test	O
games	O
on	O
a	O
remote	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
said	O
that	O
its	O
Xbox	B-Device
content	O
library	O
will	O
make	O
its	O
service	O
more	O
appealing	O
than	O
competitors	O
such	O
as	O
Stadia	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
hardware	O
at	O
launch	O
used	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
S-based	O
blade	B-Architecture
servers	I-Architecture
,	O
but	O
began	O
to	O
transition	O
to	O
Xbox	O
Series	O
X-based	O
servers	O
in	O
June	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
server	O
initially	O
had	O
four	O
customized	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
S-based	O
units	O
for	O
the	O
2018	O
teaser	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
was	O
doubled	O
to	O
eight	O
per	O
server	O
in	O
a	O
2U	O
enclosure	O
for	O
the	O
service	O
's	O
launch	O
in	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
the	O
standard	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
S	O
,	O
power	O
consumption	O
has	O
been	O
reduced	O
by	O
30%	O
through	O
processor-specific	O
power	O
tuning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trials	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
began	O
in	O
October	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
of	O
November	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
hosts	O
50	O
games	O
,	O
with	O
support	O
in	O
testing	O
for	O
Apple	O
Inc.	O
'	O
s	O
iOS	B-Application
mobile	O
devices	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Sony	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
's	O
DualShock	B-Device
controllers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
12	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Project	B-Application
xCloud	I-Application
launched	O
on	O
Apple	O
’s	O
mobile	O
operating	O
system	O
in	O
a	O
preview	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
5	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Project	B-Application
xCloud	I-Application
came	O
to	O
Spain	O
(	O
Europe	O
)	O
in	O
preview	O
(	O
Video	O
on	O
live	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
across	O
21	O
countries	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
,	O
on	O
September	O
15	O
,	O
2020	O
for	O
select	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
more	O
than	O
150	O
games	O
at	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
its	O
beta	O
form	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
users	O
on	O
August	O
9	O
,	O
2021	O
as	O
a	O
perk	O
of	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
subscription	O
,	O
though	O
also	O
required	O
users	O
to	O
be	O
registered	O
in	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Insider	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
officially	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
app	I-Protocol
for	O
Windows	B-Application
on	O
September	O
14	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
Remote	O
Play	O
support	O
from	O
Xbox	B-Device
consoles	O
to	O
a	O
Windows	B-Application
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
a	O
Clarity	B-Application
Boost	I-Application
feature	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
users	O
through	O
the	O
Edge	B-Application
browser	I-Application
that	O
provides	O
client-side	O
visual	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
streamed	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
began	O
rolling	O
out	O
testing	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
for	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
consoles	O
on	O
test	O
channels	O
in	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
on	O
those	O
consoles	O
to	O
play	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
internet	O
speed	O
requirements	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
's	O
service	O
is	O
as	O
follows	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
is	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
28	O
countries	O
:	O
Argentina	O
,	O
Australia	O
,	O
Austria	O
,	O
Belgium	O
,	O
Brazil	O
,	O
Canada	O
,	O
Czech	O
Republic	O
,	O
Denmark	O
,	O
Finland	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
Hungary	O
,	O
Ireland	O
,	O
India	O
,	O
Italy	O
,	O
Japan	O
,	O
Mexico	O
,	O
Netherlands	O
,	O
New	O
Zealand	O
,	O
Norway	O
,	O
Poland	O
,	O
Portugal	O
,	O
Slovakia	O
,	O
South	O
Korea	O
,	O
Spain	O
,	O
Sweden	O
,	O
Switzerland	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
's	O
backward	O
compatibility	O
allows	O
xCloud	B-Application
to	O
retain	O
the	O
existing	O
library	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Device
games	O
while	O
adding	O
new	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
Library	O
currently	O
lists	O
382	O
cloud-enabled	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
list	O
includes	O
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Master	I-Application
Chief	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
,	O
Forza	B-Application
Horizon	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Outer	I-Application
Worlds	I-Application
,	O
Yakuza	B-Application
Kiwami	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
has	O
also	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
expand	O
the	O
list	O
of	O
cloud-enabled	O
games	O
to	O
include	O
select	O
Xbox	B-Device
games	O
that	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
members	O
have	O
purchased	O
from	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hellblade	B-Application
:	I-Application
Senua	I-Application
's	I-Application
Sacrifice	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
support	O
full	O
touch	B-Application
controls	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Touch	B-Application
controls	I-Application
have	O
since	O
been	O
added	O
to	O
another	O
186	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
cloud	O
play	O
support	O
for	O
selected	O
original	O
Xbox	B-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	O
titles	O
using	O
its	O
backward	O
compatibility	O
program	O
starting	O
in	O
March	O
2021	O
with	O
16	O
titles	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
saved	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
of	O
these	O
titles	O
if	O
they	O
have	O
used	O
that	O
service	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	O
Gold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
also	O
support	O
official	O
touch	B-Application
controls	I-Application
when	O
played	O
on	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
runs	O
via	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
54	O
Azure	B-Application
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
centers	O
,	O
hosted	O
in	O
140	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
upgraded	O
its	O
server	B-Architecture
blades	I-Architecture
to	O
the	O
more	O
capable	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
hardware	O
in	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
phones	O
,	O
either	O
with	O
touchscreen	B-Device
controls	O
or	O
game	O
controller	O
over	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
works	O
with	O
any	O
Android	B-Application
phone	I-Application
or	O
tablet	O
that	O
has	O
at	O
least	O
Android	B-Application
6.0	I-Application
and	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
4.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
supported	O
devices	O
include	O
the	O
Samsung	B-Device
Galaxy	I-Device
Tab	I-Device
S5e	I-Device
,	O
the	O
OnePlus	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
S20	I-Application
Ultra	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
an	O
update	O
to	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
client	O
that	O
allows	O
dual-screened	O
devices	O
like	O
the	O
Surface	B-Application
Duo	I-Application
to	O
use	O
the	O
second	O
screen	O
to	O
host	O
the	O
touch	B-Application
controls	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
notable	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Minecraft	B-Application
Dungeons	I-Application
and	O
New	B-Application
Super	I-Application
Lucky	I-Application
's	I-Application
Tale	I-Application
support	O
the	O
dedicated	O
gamepad	O
on	O
the	O
second	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Gears	B-Device
5	I-Device
support	O
motion	B-Device
controls	I-Device
using	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
built	O
in	O
gyro	B-Application
and	O
provide	O
a	O
dedicated	O
control	O
scheme	O
when	O
using	O
the	O
gamepad	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
planned	O
to	O
release	O
xCloud	B-Application
for	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
halted	O
iOS	B-Application
testing	O
in	O
August	O
2020	O
,	O
asserting	O
that	O
policies	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	O
App	O
Store	O
limited	O
what	O
functionality	O
they	O
could	O
provide	O
for	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
clarified	O
that	O
cloud	O
streaming	O
services	O
like	O
xCloud	B-Application
allow	O
Microsoft	O
to	O
release	O
games	O
onto	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
platform	O
that	O
bypass	O
the	O
normal	O
checks	O
that	O
Apple	O
performs	O
for	O
other	O
apps	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
refused	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
app	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
,	O
Apple	O
altered	O
its	O
rules	O
that	O
allowed	O
xCloud	B-Application
and	O
other	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
apps	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
with	O
restrictions	O
that	O
each	O
game	O
must	O
be	O
offered	O
as	O
an	O
individual	O
download	O
on	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
store	O
which	O
the	O
user	O
must	O
use	O
before	O
playing	O
,	O
though	O
catalog	O
apps	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
can	O
list	O
and	O
link	O
to	O
these	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
suggested	O
in	O
October	O
2020	O
that	O
to	O
work	O
around	O
Apple	O
's	O
restriction	O
,	O
it	O
may	O
bring	O
xCloud	B-Application
to	O
iOS	B-Application
as	O
a	O
browser-based	B-Application
web	B-Application
application	I-Application
,	O
which	O
would	O
not	O
have	O
its	O
content	O
restricted	O
by	O
the	O
App	O
Store	O
limitations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
later	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
will	O
use	O
this	O
approach	O
to	O
bring	O
a	O
browser-based	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
service	I-Application
to	O
both	O
personal	O
computers	O
and	O
to	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
sometime	O
by	O
the	O
second	O
quarter	O
of	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
full	O
version	O
for	O
all	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
subscribers	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
June	O
28	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
also	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
bring	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
to	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
consoles	O
later	O
in	O
2021	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
also	O
allow	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
users	O
to	O
play	O
games	O
that	O
are	O
only	O
able	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
Series	B-Device
X/S	I-Device
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alongside	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
browser-based	B-Application
version	O
,	O
browser-based	B-Application
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
through	O
supported	O
browsers	O
in	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
computers	O
was	O
added	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
subscribers	O
on	O
June	O
28	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Invite-only	O
beta	O
testing	O
launched	O
alongside	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
beta	O
test	O
on	O
April	O
20	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spencer	O
has	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
is	O
working	O
to	O
bring	O
the	O
service	O
to	O
smart	B-Device
TVs	I-Device
and	O
streaming	O
sticks	O
,	O
though	O
a	O
challenge	O
here	O
is	O
assuring	O
minimal	O
latency	O
between	O
the	O
television	O
and	O
the	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
by	O
November	O
2022	O
,	O
Spencer	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
ceased	O
development	O
of	O
this	O
device	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
too	O
costly	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
S	I-Device
price	O
and	O
surpassing	O
the	O
$	O
99-	O
$129	O
price	O
range	O
they	O
had	O
envisioned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2022	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Gaming	I-Application
was	O
launched	O
on	O
select	O
Samsung	O
Smart	B-Device
TVs	I-Device
and	O
Smart	O
Monitors	O
via	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
app	I-Protocol
,	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
controllers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
said	O
that	O
other	O
smart	B-Device
TV	I-Device
brands	O
were	O
being	O
evaluated	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
app	I-Protocol
for	O
smart	B-Device
TVs	I-Device
.	O
</s>
