Xbox Cloud Gaming Finally Comes To iOS With Streaming Xbox Series X, Backbone Support

Jun 28, 2021 at 09:35pm EDT

After launching on Android devices last September, Microsoft has finally unleashed the full power of Xbox Cloud Gaming on a whole new platform. Released as a Progressive Web Application (PWA), Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available to players across all flavor of Apple device, needing only a Bluetooth (or MFi) controller and a steady internet connection.

Players eager to jump into Xbox Cloud Gaming on iPhone and iOS will first need a Game Pass Ultimate membership to take advantage of the newly launched software suite. If you aren't already a member, Microsoft is still offering your first three months of Game Pass Ultimate for $1. Protip: Microsoft converts all of your Xbox Live Gold membership 1:1 to GPU, so make sure you stack up before it upgrades your services to Game Pass Ultimate.

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We’re also making significant improvements to the overall experience: Xbox Cloud Gaming is now powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware. We’ve been upgrading Microsoft datacenters around the globe with the fastest, most powerful Xbox hardware to give you faster load times, improved frame rates, and an experience of a new generation of gaming. To ensure the lowest latency, highest quality experience across the broadest set of devices, we will be streaming at 1080p and up to 60fps.

Perhaps most surprising of all was the announcement that Microsoft was upgrading the backbone of the cloud gaming service with more powerful hardware, an announcement that was first teased earlier this month. Expect to see many of the titles you're eager to play boasting 120FPS and graphical options to give players full access to features previously exclusive to the Xbox Series X hardware.

If you're looking for a new iPhone controller that attaches directly for lagless play, the Backbone One is running a new promotion for the release of Xbox Cloud Gaming for iPhone. Gamers who purchase the Backbone One for Xbox will get access to 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Backbone One is available for purchase today for $99 USD in select Microsoft Store markets worldwide and at playbackbone.com.

About the author: Kai joined the gaming team of Wccftech in 2016 and has since penned over a hundred reviews and interview pieces, covering a bit of everything from one-man indie gems to AAA masterpieces and whatever lies in between. Over the recent months, Kai has expanded into preview and interview coverage of not only the gaming side of the industry but also tech and consumer electronics.

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