Xbox Cloud Gaming 'Absolutely Will End Up on iOS,' Says Microsoft Gaming Boss

[MacRumors]

Microsoft's vice-president of gaming, Phil Spencer, has told employees that the company is still intending to bring Game Pass streaming to the iPhone and iPad, according to Business Insider.

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

Despite extensive testing via TestFlight on iOS, xCloud's launch on iOS was indefinitely postponed in August. Apple's App Store rules meant that Microsoft was unable to stream multiple games from the cloud via a single app, because Apple believes that its inability to review each game in the service's library is a potential security risk. Game Pass streaming would only be viable if each game was available as its own app under Apple's rules.

However, Microsoft seems to have renewed its intention to get Xbox cloud streaming on Apple devices using a workaround that would avoid the App Store. "We absolutely will end up on iOS," Spencer told Microsoft employees, according to Business Insider's sources.

Microsoft is reportedly targeting 2021 for the release of a "direct browser-based solution" to get around Apple's App Store restrictions and reach a considerably larger number of potential customers.

At the end of last month, Microsoft began publicly testing a new version of its Xbox app that lets Xbox users play games remotely on their iPhones and iPads using streaming over WiFi.

Article Link: Xbox Cloud Gaming 'Absolutely Will End Up on iOS,' Says Microsoft Gaming Boss

 

[PlainviewX]

Good to hear they're working on a way getting around it. It will be Apple's loss in the end.

 

[Techwatcher]

Awesome news. If this is the route Luna and Xbox Cloud have to take for now then so be it. Much better than having to download a separate app for each game.

 

[gphone 2]

How is the security risk any different than a browser being a portal to any webpage? Apple's not reviewing all web pages? Or, surely, xCloud can operate in a manner that mimics the way a browser handles that security issue...

"Apple's App Store rules meant that Microsoft was unable to stream multiple games from the cloud via a single app, because Apple believes that its inability to review each game in the service's library is a potential security risk. Game Pass streaming would only be viable if each game was available as its own app under Apple's rules."

 

[apparatchik]

A PWA (progressive web app) that can be added to the home screen and behaves and looks indistinguishable from a native app is the way to go ATM due to Apple's restrictions. With the added benefit that once its done, it will run on anything with a compatible web browser (even maybe SmartTV's).

 

[MVMNT]

It absolutely needs to end up on iOS.

 

[vbctv]

PWA's are the future in my opinion. And it's easy to install on iOS. You just hit the share button on the site and hit Add To Home Screen. If it is set up properly it will act as it's own app and will work outside of Safari browser. For my business we left the App Store over a year ago and set-up a PWA on iOS. Google & Microsoft allow PWA's in their App Store even.

 

[NightFox]

How is the security risk any different than a browser being a portal to any webpage? Apple's not reviewing all web pages? Or, surely, xCloud can operate in a manner that mimics the way a browser handles that security issue...

"Apple's App Store rules meant that Microsoft was unable to stream multiple games from the cloud via a single app, because Apple believes that its inability to review each game in the service's library is a potential security risk. Game Pass streaming would only be viable if each game was available as its own app under Apple's rules."

Agree, and a closer example is probably apps like Netflix, as all xCloud will actually be doing is streaming video of your gameplay to your device. Of course, you're interacting remotely with xCloud to influence that gameplay, but you also do the same when you select or deselect subtitles from your iPhone while watching a Netflix movie. Local input is processed on a remote server which streams video back to the local device based on that input.

 

[Rogifan]

How well does iOS support progressive web apps? And what is different about this than Microsoft having a single app in the App Store where you can stream these games from? In this case wouldn’t the single app be Safari or another browser?

 

[itsmilo]

still cannot believe Apples answer was to upload all games for review

 

[ruka.snow]

More people implementing web apps like originally intended for iOS sounds good to me.

 

[Azzin]

Apple could do with a few Phil Spencers in their org chart.

 

[69Mustang]

How is the security risk any different than a browser being a portal to any webpage? Apple's not reviewing all web pages? Or, surely, xCloud can operate in a manner that mimics the way a browser handles that security issue...

"Apple's App Store rules meant that Microsoft was unable to stream multiple games from the cloud via a single app, because Apple believes that its inability to review each game in the service's library is a potential security risk. Game Pass streaming would only be viable if each game was available as its own app under Apple's rules."

XCloud presented no security risk. The statement that Apple released was simply generic boilerplate. I personally think Apple's objections were broached to protect Arcade.

 

[lip008]

If MS innovated like this work around on their phone platform they wouldn't be in this predicament to begin with...

 

[Appleman3546]

I would like to point out that game pass games can be downloaded to a user’s Xbox in the iOS game pass app, but then in the Xbox app (in TestFlight) play those games downloaded onto a user’s Xbox from game pass. Essentially, Apple is just blocking A to C, not A to B to C. Kinda shows that Apple’s rules are arbitrary when they trust the games already downloaded by users that were reviewed by the ESRB, but not game streaming services. Glad that Microsoft and Amazon found yet another way to circumvent Apple by utilizing Bluetooth in browsers.

 

[69Mustang]

If MS innovated like this work around on their phone platform they wouldn't be in this predicament to begin with...

This isn't innovation, it's a fallback plan. But this? ↑↑↑ Are you implying that if they had a successful phone platform they wouldn't also want to have XCloud on iOS? If you are, help me understand the thought behind that implication. If you aren't, what exactly are you talking about here.

 

[mac.ross]

I would like to point out that game pass games can be downloaded to a user’s Xbox in the iOS game pass app, but then in the Xbox app (in TestFlight) play those games downloaded onto a user’s Xbox from game pass. Essentially, Apple is just blocking A to C, not A to B to C. Kinda shows that Apple’s rules are arbitrary when they trust the games already downloaded by users that were reviewed by the ESRB, but not game streaming services. Glad that Microsoft and Amazon found yet another way to circumvent Apple by utilizing Bluetooth in browsers.

Amazon didn't 'circumvent' Apple, they worked with Apple on their implementation of Luna.

 

[amssullivan28]

Could a web based solution work on macOS too?

 

[Sasparilla]

Its okay to have (basically) a remote desktop app in iOS that remotes to a machine you own (that is what the PlayStation 4 has on the App Store - and a different app Microsoft is working to bring out for the Xbox).

Had Microsoft pushed along that line originally - remote to your xBox and then expanded it as a remote desktop to the xBox your renting on their servers there probably wouldn't have been any problem. But they went with Stadia streaming (which Apple is blocking) PR stuff and here they are.

In the end I see Apple being on the wrong side of this - because you're essentially just remote desktoping (that's the app) to a virtual xBox, PC whathave you on a server (which your essentially renting) instead of the device inside your house. Guessing factions inside Apple don't like the competition it would provide to the (presumably struggling) Arcade service....but its the wrong way to look at this and its going to cost them numbers of young technically adapt teens etc. that like to play games on their phones (and - here's the key - who often guide household tech purchasing decisions). The longer it goes the more potential young customers they'll loose. The sooner Apple execs see around this, the better for Apple.

 

[ian87w]

If MS innovated like this work around on their phone platform they wouldn't be in this predicament to begin with...

The difference between Ballmer and Nadella?

 

[ian87w]

Could a web based solution work on macOS too?

A web solution should work with anything that runs a web browser, as long as the necessary requirements are met.

 

[darkslide29]

Agree, and a closer example is probably apps like Netflix, as all xCloud will actually be doing is streaming video of your gameplay to your device. Of course, you're interacting remotely with xCloud to influence that gameplay, but you also do the same when you select or deselect subtitles from your iPhone while watching a Netflix movie. Local input is processed on a remote server which streams video back to the local device based on that input.

And Netflix has a handful of “choose your own adventure” interactive shows/movies where user input is required to progress in the story. I don’t think Apple individually reviewed those or required them as standalone apps in the App Store.

Unfortunate that Apple is on the wrong side of history with this.

 

[apparatchik]

Could a web based solution work on macOS too?

Yes, of course, a PWA or web-based solution, ala Google's Stadia, has mainly two -solvable- challenges: controller support, which is done at the OS level in iOS and Macs, but, I dont know ATM if a PWA would have access to the inputs, and second, make use of the correct codec (h265, vp8, etc.) to target the video hardware decoding for minimum latency and best performance. As I said, IMHO these two challenges can be overcomed. Maybe someone with more experience on developing PWA's can step in to give feedback on this.

Just to add a bit of context, my understanding on why Google Stadia launched requiring its own gamepad has to do with it connecting directly to Google's cloud, thus avoiding the issue of receiving the input from the browser's host OS. In that scenario (you connect a special controller directly to the service, the video displays the input) you could run the service on anything with a compatible web browser, compatible meaning supporting hardware acceleration of your chosen codec.

 

[m11rphy]

This is a massive win for apple. Microsoft is about to prove to the world that the apple App Store is not the sole method for get apps on a iPhone and Apple wont have to the quality of content on the cloud app as it wasn't download via their store so not their problem

 

[cocky jeremy]

Good to hear they're working on a way getting around it. It will be Apple's loss in the end.

lol. No it isn't.