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BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): Microsoft announced this Wednesday (4) that it has made two new features available for XBOX Cloud Gaming. The highlight is that players can now use a compatible Android or iOS cell phone as a control to play via the cloud on Smart TVs.
The option can be activated in Settings > Account > Preview Features in the XBOX Cloud Gaming app on compatible Smart TVs. Then, start a cloud session in any game without a physical controller connected, and the option to play with your cell phone will appear.
The company highlights that some games may have a pattern of customized buttons on the smartphone, similar to what already happens in titles like Minecraft Dungeons.
In addition to using the mobile device as a controller, Microsoft has also made a feature available to players in the United States that allows them to connect the new XBOX controller via Wi-Fi instead of a Bluetooth connection. The accessory in question is the XBOX Nano pocket controller, which costs the same as the standard one.
Called Cloud Connect, the feature allows players to connect “directly to the cloud server running the game” over Wi-Fi. Only US XBOX Insider members will be able to set up and test the new connection (via the XBOX apps on PC or Android). The promise is that the feature will reduce control input latency, with faster responses in cloud gaming.
The functions related to cloud transmission arrive shortly after Microsoft implemented hourly packages on XBOX Cloud Gaming, for those who are not subscribers. In September, the brand revealed a new XBOX Game Pass rule that cuts free use of the cloud and weighs on the player’s pocket.
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