Luckily I switched to Android this year and havent looked back since.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Microsoft's xCloud and Xbox Game Pass Not Coming to iOS Due to Apple's Restrictions [Updated]
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Maybe the users don't care about Xbox stuff. I sure don't.
Sony using Azure makes financial sense since their previous setup was expensive and using Azure is far cheaper. Microsoft also is playing catch up with Azure since AWS dominates the cloud space. The deal is mutually beneficial. Regardless, PS Now is not on Xbox and Xbox game pass is not on PS Now.
The point was that if Apple was being anti-competitive with this rule, then Microsoft is also anti-competitive by not allowing PS Now on Xbox.
Far more people play games on phones than on consoles. Some games are designed for phones and really only work on them, in fact.
Last edited:
This is a lawsuit waiting to happen. All for what? To fight an app that competes with Apple Arcade, which accounts for maybe .01% of Apple’s revenue? It’s mind boggling that this is the hill that Apple has chosen to die on.
Netflix competes with them too. I think the app store review process is outdated and due for a refresh. Video game streaming is pretty new, and they don't know how to handle it. Just giving them a free pass to stream whatever apps through the service would be unfair to all the small app devs whose content actually has to pass review.
[automerge]1596765149[/automerge]
Well, maybe that's not the reason they're doing this.
Last edited:
Even a lot of casual games don't really work via streaming, anything that requires quick timing. Like, any platformer wouldn't be worth playing like that. It's not like Netflix where the show is watchable even at 144p since really the audio is more important.
The other issue is that it only makes sense to stream a game if the operating requirements (usually graphics) are beyond what the device could handle locally. Yet the game has to not require quick timing. There are games like this, like Assassin's Creed and BeamNG.Drive. But idk, mobile graphics chips keep getting faster, and we'll converge on graphics standards over time. So that leaves it to compatibility or exclusivity reasons.
So streaming a game isn't non-purist, it's a weird in-between. Really an average dude just plays a mobile game and doesn't care whether there's ray tracing or whatever.
Last edited:
People need to stop and really think when they bring up this argument.
A movie or show is not the same as a game.
One service streams video and audio data to your device.
The other streams code to your device, potentially opening the door for millions of streamable apps including malicious software.
This is essentially an embedded App Store, and Apple's policies make sense here. It is streaming code, NOT just video/audio that Netflix and other stream.
You cannot compare Movies/TV to Games. It is a 100% false comparison for the reasons mentioned above. People need to stop with this comparison.
This is a level playing field. So what if Apple allows this through, does that mean they should allow mine through? What happens if I release a "streamable" software that asks your credit card?
How does this get enforced? What if my app was hacked, which produced that streamable credit card stealer and Apple removes my App. How do I get it back on the store? What if it happens again?
It sure is a mobile game. Any game made to run on a mobile device is a mobile game. You may not like that definition, but that's just a fact.
That makes no sense. So if Apple had the "same level" of games then suddenly it's ok to block? What if Apple had far better games? That's okay too? So I guess Microsoft just has to make trashy apps so that they can block apps from being on Windows, right? Such a stupid argument. Quality of games is irrelevant.
I would love to play big title games on my Toaster too. What is the point here? Its one product with alternatives available.
I wish I could use Final Cut Pro X on my iPad, but I can't right now. I wish I could use the full Visual Studio 2019 on my iPad, but I can't right now.
From what I've seen working for Big Tech™, there's a lot less control than you'd think. Technical barriers are a real problem all the way to the end user. Startups focused on a particular area can often perform better than a tech giant.
I genuinely think they don't know how to handle this kind of app properly. There are plenty of ways in which I believe the App Store review process or Apple in general has malicious intent, and this isn't one of them.
Nope not at all. Movies/TV is sending audio and video data. Not code, not requesting user input. If the game requires you to type, what is to prevent me from creating a similar xCloud app and 4 months later release one that asks for your credit card details?
Yes, this has been my argument for a VERY long time. Why can't I write a game for Xbox One and release it on my website? Xbox and Playstation are just as locked down.
Wait, I thought this was game streaming like Stadia, where they do stream video and audio and stream your inputs back to a server. It's always hard to tell.
EDIT: Yeah, it is.
The Nintendo switch offers console games with a 7” screen, and people love it. Imagine playing console games on a 10” or 12.5” iPad. Coupled with a Bluetooth controller, I think it would provide a great experience. And with regards to latency, not all games need micro-second twitch reaction. In fact, most big budget AAA games are geared towards average casual players that won’t even recognize the latency. The hardcore players that play games at higher difficulty are not going to stream anyway. Lastly with every generation latency is only going to get smaller.
The use case is not just for traveling. For example - My wife likes to monopolize the TV in the evening, and we don’t have a second TV cause we don’t sit alone in separate rooms. If I could stream games on an iPad and just sit on the same couch with a controller that would be great. I expect that is going to be a very typical xCloud use case.
How can you people say this kind of stuff that they just don't want the competition. They allow Netflix which competes with Apple TV+. They allow Spotify which competes with Apple Music. They allow Dropbox which competes with iCloud Storage. They allow Microsoft Office which competes with Numbers, Pages and more.
You do realize that Steve Jobs blocked Kindle books right? Why just blame Tim?
Not exactly. Will the game allow user input? What it to prevent me from releasing some other type of service, then a month later release a "streamable" game that asks for your credit card details? Sure you will ignore it, but my grandma? She will type it in no problem!
It is not just audio and video that is being transmitted here. You are also sending data back. Naming your character, controller inputs and more.
There is a lot more evidence that apple does not prevent competition. Spotify, Netflix, Dropbox, Microsoft Office and more apps are allowed which are direct competitors to Apple.
[automerge]1596767101[/automerge]
Uuhhhh are they preventing Netflix, Spotify, Dropbox and Microsoft Office from being on iOS? Just to name a few. Those are direct competitors to Apple products and services.
They also allow inputs, as in naming your character, or typing something in. What is to prevent me from creating a similar service, and 3 months later create something that asks for your credit card half way through an AWESOME game?
It’s not an App Store because there is nothing to actually purchase.
You are sure about that? There is no way it can prompt the user for input, ask for the credit card details, and purchase an item?
I know not xCloud but others could do this. A "game" can be created to ask for user input and ask for the credit card.