Xbox Cloud Gaming for iPhone and iPad is over its teething problems

UPDATE: A representative for the Xbox team tells Trusted Reviews that the updates rolled out over the last ‘few weeks’ and have optimised video output and data transmission while reducing aforementioned input lag.

Original story continues below…

Microsoft has announced ‘major performance improvements’ for the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform on iPhone and iPad devices.

In a blog post on Xbox Wire, the company says gamers enjoying their Xbox games library via the Safari-based web app should now benefit from a “smoother and more responsive gameplay experience.”

According to Microsoft, the changes seem to have already done the trick for iPhone and iPad-based cloud gamers, some of whom had been experiencing a little input lag.

“At Xbox Cloud Gaming, we listen to and value player feedback. You asked for a better iOS experience, and as a result, we have brought major performance improvements to all supported iPhone and iPad devices,” say product managers Nicole Hilbert and Akshar Pandia. “With these updates, you should have a smoother and more responsive gameplay experience.”

It’s not clear when Microsoft made the changes, but it appears to be a little while ago, as the company said more positive feedback and longer engagement times are already happening. Presumably there’s a large enough sample size for the company to back this up.

The company said it has seen “a significant increase in positive player feedback” and “35% loner play times” and is encouraging those who may not have been blown away by the experience originally to give it another try.

“We invite those with an iPhone or iPad to try our improvements and give us your feedback so we can continue to make your gaming experience the best it can be,” the product managers say.

The blog post didn’t go too deeply into specifics regarding the changes, but Trusted Reviews had contacted an Xbox representative for a little more information.

It wasn’t so long ago that playing Xbox games on an iPhone or an iPad was nothing more than a pipe dream, but that all changed when Microsoft announced it would by-pass the restrictive App Store rules by launching a Safari-based web app instead. We’re glad to see the gaming giant making sure the experience is as good as possible is a priority for Microsoft.