Although definitive release date and pricing information for the hotly-anticipated Xbox Series X is now with us (and, despite several retailer sites crashing, pre-orders are now open) a stumbling block remains when it comes to streaming your favourite Xbox games to your smartphone – particularly if you own an iPhone or iPad.
Microsoft's new Xbox cloud gaming service launched on 15th September (with the working title Project xCloud) and it is available for free with a Games Pass Ultimate subscription. Currently though, Project xCloud only gives Android phone users access to play 100 titles from the Xbox Game Pass library on their phone or tablet, leaving Apple iPhone and iPad users out in the cold. As reported by all-things-Xbox website, Pure Xbox, this is because Apple's App Store rules have apparently made it impossible for Microsoft to integrate the service on the platform.
Don't despair just yet – there is hope for the iPhone-owning Xbox gamer. Speaking in an interview with CNBC yesterday (which you can see below, skip to 1:25 for the headline-grabbing quotes), Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that the company is "committed" to bringing the service to Apple users in the future.
"There are over three billion people who play video games today, many of them playing on phones, and we're committed to bringing Game Pass to all mobile phones out there including Apple phones," Spencer said, adding, "We'll continue the conversations and I'm sure we'll be able to get to some resolution."
For now then, it's a case of sitting tight if you're an iPhone gamer – and of course, keeping an eye on What Hi-Fi? for updates and responses.
Own an Android phone or tablet and fancy trying Game Pass Ultimate (and thus, xCloud) for next-to-nothing? The Netflix-style monthly subscription provides access to over 100 titles for a recurring fee (£10.99 per month in the UK, $14.99 in the US, and AU$15.95 in Australia), but UK subscribers can currently get their first month for just £1 here and Australian gamers can do the same for just AU$1.
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