Microsoft wants to offer xCloud streaming on PC and consoles eventually

News by Sherif Saed Contributor

Published on Oct. 7, 2020

Xbox Game Pass' Cloud Gaming is only an option on mobile, but Microsoft knows there's demand for it to be available elsewhere.

Though it seems kind of ridiculous, xCloud, or as it's now simply called, Cloud Gaming, is only an option on mobile. Though you may be an Xbox Game Pass member on PC or Xbox One, you won't actually get to stream games on those devices.

So why is that? Well, it turns out it's just a matter of priorities for Microsoft. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer answered this very question on Twitter today, explaining that the company is planning to making cloud streaming possible on PCs and consoles, just not right now.

"Yes, we want to do this," Spencer said, referring to the ability to stream Game Pass games on devices other than mobile.

"It's in the long list of cool things the xCloud team is working on, just a bit further down the list. But we want console and PC players to be able to browse as easily as mobile players, it's a good Game Pass feature."

Yes, we want to do this. It's in the long list of cool things the xCloud team is working on, just a bit further down the list. But we want console and PC players to be able to browse as easily as mobile players, it's a good gamepass feature.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) October 7, 2020

It is understandable why mobile takes precedent in this case. Someone with an Xbox console has less of a need to stream games than a different person on mobile with no access to a dedicated gaming device. Opening the feature up on PC, however, has the added benefit of allowing millions of laptops and other non-gaming machines access to the Game Pass library.

Competing platforms like Google Stadia already offer PC streaming, though you'll obviously need to buy the games you want to play first.

Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming launched in September in 22 countries with a selection of over 150 games.