If you’re still using a 2014 Xbox One and its performance hasn’t been updated, Microsoft may have the right solution for you. Xbox Cloud Games, also known as xCloud, will allow you to play games from Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no additional cost to your subscription. The Spanish channel ElAnalistaDeBits on Youtube has considered the performance of this online service on Xbox One, and it is more efficient than the latter.
Xbox Cloud Gaming on console is now available to all Xbox Insiders
What does Xbox Cloud Gaming offer?
Xbox Cloud Gaming was born on November 14, 2019. It was first shown on some compatible smartphones, and soon expanded to other platforms. iOS, PC, and Xbox devices have gradually joined the service, and now they are 100% powered by Xbox Series X. ! The transmission stream is 1080p/60 FPS and Microsoft is now aiming for 4K at 120 fps.
With these performances, the Spaniards on the ElAnalistaDeBits Youtube channel wondered if Xbox Cloud Gaming could get better results from an Xbox One console using the service in the latter, with enough connectivity. The answer is yes, as all the games tested are optimized, with image fluidity, resolution or even load times.
Make way for different tests on Xbox One
A total of six games tested: Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, Hellblade, The Medium, Battlefield V and Psychonauts 2. All titles perform better on the online service than on the console itself, but it’s now possible to play. The medium that is not available on Xbox One. In terms of in-game rendering, xCloud is closer to the Xbox Series S than the Xbox Series X, which is the fault of the dimming effect imposed by broadcast replay.
In general, all titles go from dynamic 1080p and 30fps to 1080p and 60fps. Load times have also been significantly reduced from 45 seconds to 7 seconds in Gears 5, which is one of the service’s best-improved titles.
In Forza Horizon 4, the difference in graphic is not very noticeable. On the other hand, the title goes from 30 to 60 frames per second, which is really a nice difference in a racing game like this. The game loads almost six times faster, going from 1 minute 20 seconds to 16 seconds.
Xbox Cloud Gaming also allows you to modify in-game graphics settings as provided by Hellblade on Xbox Series X | S. In addition to the original 1080p resolution, it is also possible to activate ray tracing. If you’re not interested in getting great reflections, you can also get 60fps. Charging times are four times shorter, from 40 to 10 seconds.
It’s hard to compare to The Medium, because it’s not on Xbox One! So the Cloud version was compared to the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, and the result was quite mixed. The online service version is lower than the one obtained on Xbox Series S. Resolution, ray tracing and FPS are similar, but on xCloud the graphics are a little lower, just note the texture of the book cover facing the mirror.
In Double Fine Studios’ newest kid, namely Psychonauts 2, you’ll now be able to play at 60 frames per second, which isn’t a luxury for a platform game like this. In this title load times stand out the most, almost ten times faster! Going from 1 minute 17 seconds to just 8 seconds.
The latest game compared is Battlefield V. That runs around 50-60 fps at 900 dynamic pixels on Xbox One, is now more stable on Xbox Cloud Gaming at 1080p, 60 fps, with load times cut in half and more No drop in frame rate. On the other hand, the difference in the graphic is not very noticeable.
Impressive performance but not without compromise
While the results are good, remember that playing through this system can be nerve-wracking. In fact, if your internet connection is unstable, your resolution like yoyo will have to go from 240p to 1080p while having coarse fluidity. Some titles are also less optimized than others, Gears 5 is the perfect example of a title that excels in service, unlike Forza Horizon 4 which suffers more from input lag, and latency between console and console.
Keep in mind that the service is constantly improving, and that even if some games aren’t perfectly playable yet, massive improvements have been made in a couple of years. Xbox Cloud Gaming can be a great compromise if you have enough connectivity and are always on the lookout for the holy grail: the Xbox Series X.
As a reminder, xCloud is integrated into a file Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no additional cost.