New to Gaming? Here’s Why You Should Start with Xbox Cloud Gaming

Xbox Cloud Gaming has received a lot of criticism for its shortcomings, but shortcomings aside, it’s a stroke of genius that’s often overlooked by experienced gamers. In the hands of new gamers, Microsoft’s cloud games can be a cost-effective entry-level tool.

Stop investing in a console and just play games

It’s hard to be new to the 21st century. Five minutes on any social media platform and you’re inundated with posts from fans trying to prove the value of one console over another. “There are no games on Xbox” and “PlayStation are just remasters” and “Nintendo offers a limited library that is not intended for adults.”

While there may be a hint of validity in each, it is exhausting to see and can discourage anyone entering the industry from making a significant leap. With consoles costing hundreds and peripherals, games and online services quickly adding to the final price, who would want to invest over $500 into something that is so heavily surrounded by constant public scrutiny and vitriol?

This is where the value of services like Xbox’s Cloud Gaming really comes into play. Cloud gaming is more cost-effective than a console and more convenient than a desktop PC, and literally gives the player a plethora of games to play. For Xbox Cloud Gaming in particular, that number hovers around 420 (as of January 2025), an impressive number that I’ll get to shortly.

Microsoft is doubling down on cloud gaming

Thanks to Microsoft’s “This is Xbox” marketing campaign, there’s no doubt that the company is committed to gaming beyond the console, be it on an Android phone, iPad or laptop. Although there are no signs that Microsoft will exit the hardware market anytime soon, especially given Rumor has it that a laptop is on its wayThe company also isn’t going to force everyone to invest in an Xbox console. At least not right away.

Xbox Cloud has been ignored for a long time, and Microsoft has not even been able to implement features that have been talked about since launch, such as Stream your game with Game Pass Ultimate a feature we’ll get to in a minute. By shelving its focus on cloud gaming, Microsoft inadvertently left behind a viable marketing tool that could sell consoles in the future and introduce younger children to both Xbox and video games.

It may be a harder sell for parents at first. After all, the console has been the mainstay of the gaming experience for decades. Shifting focus to an entirely new environment comes with the headache of explaining the changes to those who barely understand the game space as it stands. However, there is a pretty important benefit that marketers should pay close attention to if they want to sell Xbox Cloud Gaming as an introduction to the industry.

As someone who has poured hundreds of money into a new console, accessories, and games only to see them flounder (sorry, Wii U), and who has watched parents do the same; A no-obligation subscription for $19.99 sounds like an easier pill to swallow.

A year of Game Pass or just four games

It’s been a while since I worked in retail, but I remember helping parents choose the best console for their kids. They talked about their favorite movies or toys, maybe even talked about the Nintendo PlayStation they were playing at a friend’s house. They bet a lot of money on my ability to infer what their child wants based on fairly vague and often contradictory details.

Oh, how I would trade those days for being able to sell Xbox Cloud Gaming as an opportunity to let my kid decide what he likes before he commits to a console. The presentation is easy. Would you rather spend $20 a month for a few months or shell out at least $400 today? Even extrapolating this to 12 months Xbox Game Pass Ultimatethis is equivalent to the cost of buying four new Triple-A releases (some are available “for free” in the cloud).

It doesn’t even have to be for kids. I gave my older brother, who is currently loyal to his PS4, a few months of Game Pass Ultimate so he could use both PC Game Pass (a slightly different animal) and the Xbox Cloud Gaming libraries to decide if he saw value in upgrading and ecosystem switching. While the verdict is still out, he appreciates the opportunity to try games he’s interested in without having to buy them outright.

Game Pass cloud library is constantly growing

One of the criticisms often leveled at Microsoft’s cloud library is that it Missing important games in the Xbox ecosystem. Detractors of $20 a month will say that the cloud library should be identical to the Game Pass library available on consoles. Unfortunately, for reasons not confirmed by Microsoft but likely related to the publisher’s licensing rights, some games are not available in the cloud. However, this collection of games is constantly expanding.

In 2024 alone, Xbox Cloud Gaming added games such as Diablo IV, Senua Saga: Hellblade IIalmost all Call of Duty row, Age of Mythology: RetellingAnd Indiana Jones and the Big Circle. This is just a small portion of what’s available for mobile games, as third-party and indie developers typically add content on a monthly basis.

It’s important to note that games are leaving the cloud library in the same way as the Game Pass libraries on consoles and PC. It’s all about rights and licensing, which shouldn’t matter much when using cloud gaming as an introduction to gaming.

No console required: play on virtually any device

Back in the days of the original Super Mario Bros. And The Legend of Zeldagames could be played in front of a small TV on the fickle NES. Today, gaming is a travel hobby. Pocket PCs changed that back in 1989 with the advent of the Game Boy, and smartphones have only expanded its seemingly endless audience.

While mobile games tend to be disappointing with their ad-heavy experiences, Xbox Cloud Gaming creates powerful games like gears 5, DUM Eternal, And Dead Island 2 available in portable format. All it takes is mobile game controllerHow Trunk One.

Gaming on the go isn’t the only benefit of Xbox Cloud Gaming. Even if you want a desktop experience, the cloud can be used in several formats. The easiest one is on PC. It took me no time to log into Xbox Cloud via a web browser, log into my Ultimate account, and launch Indiana Jones. What’s more, the cloud version synced with my Xbox Series S, allowing me to play on multiple platforms without losing progress.

Don’t have a compatible smartphone or live in a home where other family members are constantly using the computer? Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TVs released in 2020 and later and even the Meta Quest line of virtual reality headsets can run Xbox Cloud Gaming. I can’t speak to the quality of the stream on these devices, but as long as it meets the minimum requirements, there shouldn’t be much difference to the incredibly smooth quality of cloud gaming on PC.

Having such seamless access to a library of modern games without a central hub like a console is quite a feat. Of course, there were some hiccups.

Obstacles to cloud gaming

While Xbox Cloud Gaming serves as a great introduction to modern gaming for new (and young) players, it’s far from it. from perfection and suffers from several problems. The biggest barrier to entry will likely be internet speed. Because games are not loaded from a disc, they rely solely on Microsoft servers and an Internet connection to operate.

A poor or slow connection can cause lags even in single-player games. Typically the answer is to hardwire your router via a network cable, but when playing on a mobile device or smart TV, wireless is your only option.

In one of the strangest moves in the history of Xbox Cloud Gaming, Microsoft has deactivated the dedicated app. This means that all mobile cloud games must be launched through a web browser. I haven’t seen this impact the quality of cloud gaming yet, but it’s a lot more inconvenient than having a dedicated app from which games can be launched directly.

Speaking of quality, don’t expect multiplayer games to run as smoothly as single-player games. The added layer of online gaming increases latency. This doesn’t mean it’s a round war zone won’t run smoothly, but occasional ping spikes shouldn’t be a surprise if your internet speed barely meets the minimum requirements.

If you’re using Xbox Cloud Gaming as an introduction to the Xbox ecosystem, it won’t be tedious, but current gamers still find it difficult to play games they purchased directly from the cloud. Although Microsoft has launched streaming of its game through Game Pass Ultimate, it still does not support the full library of purchased games. From day one it has been a promise that has yet to be fulfilled, although progress has been made.

Avoiding Console Commitments

There is still work to be done in the cloud gaming space, although progress has already been made with Xbox Cloud Gaming. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee the best performance for any game, but some trade-offs have to be made for a service that lets you play AAA games just about anywhere.

The more Xbox sticks to the “This is Xbox” concept, the more it will evolve an already profitable service, allowing more players to experience what it’s like to be an Xbox gamer before committing to a full-on console purchase.