


Immediately, I noticed that playing was simply far more comfortable, ergonomically, then squinting at a tiny phone screen-as I did in my hands-on last October. I tried a few games: Forza Horizon 4 Dead Cells, and Sea of Thieves, among others.

Visual quality takes a hit in graphics-intensive games like Forza Horizon 4, though you’re moving quickly enough that the background tends to blur, anyway. Alternatively, you can remotely play games from a physical Xbox console on your network, which Microsoft calls Remote Play. Game Pass Ultimate is a pricey $15 per month, but there’s an “approved” trick to get three years’ worth for just a few bucks, and that’s before you begin using Microsoft Rewards to let it pay for itself. Second, you’ll need a Microsoft account and a subscription to its Game Pass Ultimate subscription. (If you’re not sure, Google maintains a list of Chromebooks that can run Android apps.) If your Chromebook was manufactured in 2016 or later, chances are that Android apps are enabled. First, you’ll need a modern Chromebook, one that’s capable of running Android apps. Here’s what you’ll need to enable cloud gaming on a Chromebook. Mark Hachman / IDGĭownload the Xbox Game Pass app for Android to get started. The quality of that network will matter if your Netflix streaming already stops and stutters, cloud gaming isn’t for you.

Microsoft assumes that you’ll be using a phone for cloud gaming, but you’re going to be using your own wired or wireless network instead. The upside is that because Microsoft’s servers are doing all the work, you don’t need to spend the time or bandwidth downloading the game, and it loads just as quickly as if it were already on your device. Not all of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass suite of games are available for playing via cloud, but a hefty chunk are.Īny inputs you make via a controller or keyboard are sent back over the Internet, introducing the slightest bit of delay, or lag, into the gameplay. Here’s what cloud gaming on a Chromebook means: games powered by Microsoft’s Xbox cloud gaming service are running on a remote server and streamed to your device, just like Netflix. What you’ll need for Xbox cloud gaming on a Chromebook Make sure you’ve selected the “cloud” tab. Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass for Android’s home screen.
