Microsoft's xCloud Unavailable on iOS at Launch, Future Uncertain

[MacRumors]

Microsoft's upcoming "Project xCloud" game streaming service is set to launch on September 15th, exclusively on Android devices. Despite extensive testing via TestFlight on iOS, xCloud's launch on iOS seems to have been postponed indefinitely.

Project xCloud is Microsoft's "vision for game-streaming technology that will complement our console hardware and give gamers more choices in how and where they play." xCloud will be bundled as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $14.99 per month, with more than 100 games available.

App Store guidelines ban services that rely on streaming games from the cloud. Cloud gaming services, where users stream games live via an internet connection, are growing in popularity.

Although Microsoft has been trialing xCloud on iOS with a closed public preview of 10,000 testers, the company previously stated that testing was limited due to Apple's App Store policies. Unlike the Android version, the app was limited to streaming games from the cloud only, excluding the ability to stream games from an Xbox console.

"To comply with App Store policies, the preview experience on iOS may look and feel different for those who have been testing on Android," Microsoft warned ahead of launching the preview.

Only one title, "Halo: The Master Chief Collection," was available on the TestFlight app. This is because App Store rules state that "games offered in a game subscription must be owned or exclusively licensed by the developer."

"It's our ambition to scale cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass available on all devices, but we have nothing further to share at this time regarding iOS," a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge.

Apple initially rejected Valve's Steam Link app due to "business conflicts," and it took almost a year to eventually be approved. Steam Link and Sony's PS4 Remote Play was approved only because the App Store allows remote desktop technology, but it is limited to devices on the same network.

Similar game streaming services Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now are still unavailable on iOS. A spokesperson for Nvidia, when asked about the challenge of reaching iOS users with GeForce Now, told Bloomberg, "Ask Apple."

The TestFlight preview of xCloud has ended today and will no longer function. This is due to Apple's automatic expiry date on all TestFlight apps, indicating that it has been 90 days since the preview was updated. The future of xCloud on iOS now seems to be uncertain, and it is unknown whether development will continue.

Article Link: Microsoft's xCloud Unavailable on iOS at Launch, Future Uncertain

 

[johnnytravels]

I still haven’t found a good explanation for this policy...

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Apple needs to address this and find a solution. It’s getting to be absurd. I’m embarrassed for them.

 

[Sethal]

This is very upsetting for a lot of potential xCloud users and why these antitrust hearings and similar are necessary.

 

[JKAussieSkater]

I really hope the EU antitrust investigation into the App Store leads to resolving this problem once and for all:

Give power to the people, and let them make their own choices about what apps they want on their phones.

 

[jomjom1985]

Same problem with Google Stadia.

 

[Rychiar]

so we can stream movies but not games? explain that logic... you suck apple!

 

[dguisinger]

I am really getting tired of all these rules, why is it we took on the term walled garden instead of prison? Talk about blocking innovation, they are blocking a whole industry.

 

[HiVolt]

Its simple, they disallow it because they can't monetize it. its a joke.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Pretty cut and dry. Apple doesn't accept apps like this. Want it? Buy an Android and move on.

 

[Adoniram]

This is a counterproductive move, likely steered by people who neither game nor understand that segment of the market. Arcade does not make Apple competitive with PS4, XBox, or PC gaming.

 

[The Don Onez]

Pretty cut and dry. Apple doesn't accept apps like this. Want it? Buy an Android and move on.

Thanks for your divine input. ?

 

[itsmilo]

Pretty cut and dry. Apple doesn't accept apps like this. Want it? Buy an Android and move on.

that’s the same annoying saying as people yelling „then move to country XY!“ if you run out of arguments

 

[JokerPower]

Ask Apple

 

[480951]

Pretty cut and dry. Apple doesn't accept apps like this. Want it? Buy an Android and move on.

No, I don’t think I will. Whether by law or otherwise Apple can be forced to play nicely. There’s no reason in 2020 why there can’t be a way to download apps from elsewhere and not just the App Store like on a Mac. It’s anti-competitive behaviour.

 

[alexandr]

Pretty cut and dry. Apple doesn't accept apps like this. Want it? Buy an Android and move on.

that's a bit cocky, innit, jeremy?

 

[revanmj]

I still haven’t found a good explanation for this policy...

Explanation is simple - most cloud gaming services have their own payments and app on iOS would be a simple "viewer" that does not make any money for Apple. Just like with ability to buy ebooks right within the Kindle app - you can't do it, since Apple can't profit from it.

 

[progx]

Meh. May be a good reason to get a Surface instead of an iPad, but (for me) I have a Switch for the on the go gaming. No loss.

However, I will enjoy playing Series X games on my One X thanks to this technology. So, I'm looking forward to it from that perspective.

 

[MikhailT]

Expect more of this anti-competition stuff as Apple pivot to being a services company. This is exactly what happens when the company's only focus is on making money from its services and it owns the platform the services run on.

The worst part for me? Most of their services aren't even worth the costs or the loss of the third party support.

 

[Mark2series]

I’m confused about part of this story. I can stream games from my PS4 using remote play. Why can’t Microsoft work around it and implement it via remote play from the Xbox, which is streaming the game from the cloud?

 

[dguisinger]

No, I don’t think I will. Whether by law or otherwise Apple can be forced to play nicely. There’s no reason in 2020 why there can’t be a way to download apps from elsewhere and not just the App Store like on a Mac. It’s anti-competitive behaviour.

Its not even about downloading apps from elsewhere.
Cloud gaming, the games are running on a server and the screens are streamed..... like a netflix video or a remote desktop.

But that means Apple doesn't get a cut from anything.

Apple really needs to get out of the service business - they can't be trusted at this point to do the right thing for customers.

 

[supazeezun]

watch how apple fanboy will defend this absurdity. ridiculous herd mentality ?

 

[dguisinger]

I’m confused about part of this story. I can stream games from my PS4 using remote play. Why can’t Microsoft work around it and implement it via remote play from the Xbox, which is streaming the game from the cloud?

Huh? the whole point is you don't need an Xbox to play games in the cloud

 

[jayducharme]

The problem IMO is that Apple's attempts at appealing to gamers have so far been half-hearted. If they'd developed a top-notch competing platform, then I could see them wanting to promote it over rivals. But there are so many better gaming alternatives out there, I wish Apple would support those systems. Apple's hardware is capable enough.

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

The problem IMO is that Apple's attempts at appealing to gamers have so far been half-hearted. If they'd developed a top-notch competing platform, then I could see them wanting to promote it over rivals. But there are so many better gaming alternatives out there, I wish Apple would support those systems. Apple's hardware is capable enough.

That's part of the issue. The other is market share. Why develop a title using Apple's APIs, etc. when I can develop for the majority platforms and reach many more people?