Xbox Cloud Gaming: How the streaming system works in Argentina

Microsoft released Xbox Cloud Gaming in Argentina at the beginning of the month. It is a system for playing video games in the cloud: it is not necessary to have a gaming PC or an Xbox console, but a good connection to the Internet. Internet and a device such as a mobile phone, tablet or even a laptop with few resources.

The system is based on the technology of streamingthat means, play while rendering, in real time, on Microsoft servers. For this, not only is it not necessary to download the game: neither the mobile phone nor the laptop should be high-end, since all the logical and graphic work of the games, which is the one that requires the most resources, happens at a distance.

Therefore, by subscribing to Xbox Game Pass Ultimatea system that offers a library of 100 games and which is paid monthly, users can play without the need for a console.

Now, the natural doubt that arises with this system is: considering Argentina does not have the highest rates of connectivity or speed, how is our country?

Clarione tested on multiple devices, with Wi-Fi and cable, with different controllers (Xbox and PlayStation) and with different types of connections.

These were the results.

Xbox Cloud Gaming: Does it work well or does it cut?

Among the tests, those that most favor the service, of course, are those that are done with high-speed connections.

On a PC connected by cable to a service 100 MB of Internet, the service worked perfectly for games like Need for Speed ​​Heat, Psychonauts 2, and Quake.

In Forza Horizon 5one of the biggest Xbox releases of last year and a blockbuster with a very elaborate graphics section, even via cable with 100 MB the game ran with a few microseconds of input delay. Which suggests that a higher speed connection is required.

on a cellphone Moto G6 Plus (from 2018or an “old” model for a market that goes very fast with Android 9), the service worked, from WiFi (100 Mbps), flawlessly for games like Hades, Quake, Need for Speed ​​Heat and the last of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Shredder’s Revenge).

In both cases we used an Xbox controller to play and touch mobile phone functions in games that allowed it.

Something similar happened with two of the latest high-end mobile phone models in Argentina with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Moto Edge 30 Pro.

AAA (high production) titles were also tested with them on a graphic level, such as the latest version of the Microsoft Flight Simulator flight simulator, This War of Mine and the online cooperative third-person shooter Aliens Firepower.

In case of player pairing (matchmaking) ran smoothly, as if it were the same Xbox Series X connected to a local network. Although in the frenetic moments of greater action the possibility of quick aim suffered some delay (input lag) and played against experience

PlayStation controller on Xbox? Yes

Most of the peripherals on the market have models compatible with the Xbox Cloud Gaming service: Microsoft, Sony (DualShock 4 and DualSense), RiotPWR or Blackbone gamepads and Razer Kishi. There are also some not so popular options for the Argentine player, such as the products of SteelSeries, PowerA, MGYT, Ipega or 8Bitdo.

The controls wireless for Xbox consoles (Bluetooth or USB connection) and both generations of Xbox Elite Series are also supported, except the former is only supported for wired gaming on PC, however both were reliable. Keep in mind that you play it exclusively with batteries it can be used for about ten hours of entertainment.

Also, you can use the adaptive control for people with some kind of disability with Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Among the tests we carried out, a DualSense joystick, the same as the rival PlayStation 5 console, was used to play Forza Horizon 5 on a tablet Lenovo Yoga Tab (2018) and a 14-inch Dell laptop with Intel Core i7 processor (the processor, however, is not decisive when running in the cloud: it can be an i3 from several years ago and the service works correctly).

As expected, neither the touch technology nor the vibration provided by the Sony control was enabled during the slip or change of the surface.

Another fact to take into consideration is that pairing with the tablet took a little longer than with the notebook, although the response at the time of the game was completely different in terms of latency

Connectivity in Argentina: a potential problem

Since the Xbox system relies entirely on the Internet connection, the biggest potential problem with this Xbox offering is not the service itself, but Internet access available to the user.

According to the National Communications Authority (Enacom), Internet access in Argentina is very uneven: Optical fiber, which is the fastest connection you can have, is not the norm in the first place.

But secondly, the averages speak for themselves: the city of Buenos Aires has more than one access per family (111 percent of the population) and the average browsing speed is 42.2 Mbps (something that, for the Cloud Gaming service, is low). And among the worst connectivity cases there are cases like Formosa, with a 33.96 percent of Internet access and average speed of 14.93 Mbps.

In the Province of Buenos Aires the average is 30.7; in Tucumán, 29.8 and in Tierra del Fuego the average speed of navigation is 9.2. In Santa Cruz, 5.2 Mbps.

For this reason, it is important to ensure a speed of at least 20 Mbpsas recommended by Microsoft, as well as connect to the 5.0 band when accessed via WiFi.

Xbox Cloud Gaming: how is the “Netflix of video games”

Xbox Cloud Gaming it was taking shape over time. It was released in beta for Windows users on August 9, 2021 as an added benefit of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, although it also required users to sign up for the program. Xbox Insider.

A few months later it was officially released as part of the Xbox app for Windows on September 14, 2021, along with support for Remote playback from Xbox consoles to a Windows computer. This feature allowed to play on mobile devices to a certain number of meters consoles, which acted as servers.

Later, Microsoft introduced the feature Increased clarity for Windows users via the Edge browser which provides visual enhancements. It can also be enjoyed in Google Chrome or Safari.

Since its announcement during the E3 2018 Video Game Expo, the service has been preliminarily known as XCloud project to subsequently adopt the Xbox Cloud Gaming name as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions at no additional cost.

Microsoft has gathered community feedback over the years to refine the cloud gaming experience: added new content and has managed to expand Xbox Cloud Gaming to more countries.

All these tests have turned out the final form that it has today, with tests also in territories such as Argentina that do not have 5G mobile phone networks that allow high-speed Internet without latency everywhere.

Xbox Cloud Gaming: how much does it cost to play in the cloud

Since its announcement on June 9 in Argentina and New Zealand, Microsoft has launched an aggressive campaign to increase a rapidly growing user base, comparing the 18 million in January 2021 with the 25 million this 2022according to Statista data.

To play “where you want, when you want and with whoever you want”, the user must contract the service Xbox GamePass Ultimate. Among other features, this version differs from Game Pass Console and Game Pass PC by access to multiplayer and the option of cloud.

At the time of contracting the service there is a “trial” promotion that seduces wherever you see: 39 pesos. After any promotional period, the subscription will cost 899 pesos per month, unless canceled in your Microsoft account. To all this we must add the taxes for consumption abroad (remains in 1500 pesos, from).

As an advantage, Xbox also enables new games the same day they are released: for example, in the last month they have released Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, Ninja Gaiden Master Collection, FIFA 22 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

With this idea and with stable operation, always linked to the quality of the internet connection, Xbox Cloud Gaming is undoubtedly a service to be taken into account.

In a complex economic context like the Argentine one, where the latest generation consoles cost about 200 thousand pesos and the previews 16 thousand in physical format, Xbox Cloud Gaming is establishing itself as an interesting alternative for gambling is not an exclusively luxury pastime.