Amazon recently announced a cloud gaming service called Luna which will be on iOS in addition to other platforms. The iOS version will be available through the web browser instead of a native application. Apple has been very inconsistent and made things very difficult for any sort of game streaming on iOS over the years. It took Steam Link a long time to show up on iOS as well. With the situation for xCloud looking grim thanks to Apple’s restrictions and even the new “rules" that would make things awful for end users, new reports from Business Insider and The Verge give iOS users some hope for xCloud on iOS and iPadOS. Microsoft is working on a direct browser-based solution to bring xCloud on iOS and iPad OS in early 2021. The company is also still developing an app in the hope that Apple will eventually hopefully approve. Microsoft showcased Minecraft Dungeons with touch controls through its game streaming recently. Check out the video below:
In an internal meeting, Phil Spencer said that Microsoft will absolutely end up on iOS and that he is feeling good about the progress made for iPhone and iPad. Microsoft is moving full speed ahead with streaming on Android. All promotion for Xbox Game Pass now also mentions Android for when a game is available on xCloud. In an ideal world it would just say mobile but Apple decided to deny iOS and iPadOS users from one of the better subscription service benefits available right now. With Amazon Luna already doing this, it is going to be interesting to see if Apple tries to do anything to hinder game streaming through browser-based workarounds. As of now, you’re better off buying an Android device if you really want to stream Xbox games right now. xCloud is also aiming for a PC release in 2021 with a preview version in testing. Have you tried xCloud through any of the previews?
[Source: Business Insider and The Verge]
