Microsoft has unveiled a new version of its Xbox app, that’s designed to allow users on iPhone and iPad to play their favorite Xbox titles remotely, using their devices to stream.
The company has been testing the feature for a number of months, and asked for beta testers back in September.
As of today’s release, users can set up new consoles and queue games from their iOS devices, play remotely from their iOS and iPadOS devices with their gaming console turned on, view, share, and record game clips and screenshots, and party chat with friends across different devices, including those who are playing on their Xbox.
Microsoft had previously planned to launch such features with its xCloud gaming service, but Apple rejected the plans due to its restrictions over cloud gaming.
xCloud was designed to allow users to stream top titles from Microsoft’s servers, but the new Xbox version means users must own an Xbox and have it turned on in order to play games from their iPhone.
Sony already offers a similar service called the PS4 Remote Play app, which allows users to access and play their PlayStation 4 games over WiFi on iOS and iPadOS devices.
What’s different about the Xbox app is that users can play away from home – the PS4 Remote Play app requires a WiFi connection, whereas the Xbox app works over a 5GHz WiFi connection or LTE/5G connection that provides 10Mb/s download speeds.
Are you excited to get your hands on the new Xbox app? What titles will you be playing from your iPhone first? Let us know your thoughts and check back to the site soon for more.