Summary
- Xbox Game Pass introduced mouse and keyboard support for Cloud Gaming in the June Xbox update.
- Mouse and keyboard support currently covers 25 games in Xbox Cloud Gaming library, improving accessibility.
- Xbox Cloud Gaming can be accessed only through a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Xbox Game Pass has just made a major change to how games can be played on PC, and it could very well make the service worth a second look to anyone who's written it off until now. Between frequent announcements about changes to the library and updates about other Xbox ventures, it's easy to miss news about changes to more fundamental Xbox Game Pass features. The service has been on a steady road toward improvement since its debut, however, and the value that it offers today is definitely higher than ever before.
One interesting facet of Xbox Game Pass is the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which is only available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Xbox Cloud Gaming makes it possible to play even demanding games on weaker hardware, streaming the gameplay to the device while Xbox's servers handle the heavy lifting. Although this can induce some latency and compression depending on the strength of the connection, it's a generally reliable way to both save storage space and make options like phones and low-end PCs viable for serious gaming.
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Mouse & Keyboard Support Improves Xbox Cloud Gaming
Xbox's June 2024 Update Fixes Cloud Gaming On PC
The big overhaul for Xbox Cloud Gaming on PC comes in the form of mouse and keyboard support, officially announced on the Xbox Wire blog as part of the June update for Xbox platforms. This addition first appeared as a new Game Pass Ultimate beta feature for Xbox insiders in March, following the standard strategy of testing out major changes before rolling them out in full. A beta version of mouse and keyboard support was announced in May through Xbox Wire, introducing the basic functionality of the official launch version without offering full support in the Xbox PC app.
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At the moment, 25 games have received mouse and keyboard support in the Xbox Cloud Gaming library, covering a range of genres and including some third-party titles alongside IPs under Microsoft's ownership.
- ARK Survival Evolved
- Atomic Heart
- Cities: Skylines – Mayor’s Edition
- Cities: Skylines – Remastered
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Doom 64
- Fortnite (browser only)
- Gears Tactics
- Grounded
- Halo Infinite
- High on Life
- House Flipper
- Inkulinati (Game Preview)
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
- Pentiment
- Quake
- Quake 2
- Sea of Thieves
- Slime Rancher 2
- Sniper Elite 5
- State of Decay 2
- Terraria
- The Sims 4
- Valheim (Game Preview)
- Zombie Army 4: Dead War
Although the selection of games that currently offer mouse and keyboard support is still limited, it's arguably the best way to play a good portion of this library. FPS games can feel a lot more fluid with a mouse than with a gamepad, and options like Deep Rock Galactic, Quake, and Sniper Elite 5 showcase the best of what the genre has to offer. Being able to click around is similarly useful for many PC strategy and simulation games, with Cities: Skylines, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, and The Sims 4 being a few standouts among the selection.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Is More Convenient Than Ever
Requiring A Controller Added A Barrier To Entry
Mouse and keyboard support also significantly enhances the casual appeal of Xbox Cloud Gaming as a service, as the lack of hardware demands was always slightly complicated by the need for a controller on PC. There are plenty of affordable basic options for gamepads, but the barrier to entry comes across as much lower when nothing that a user wouldn't already have is required.
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Unfortunately, Xbox Cloud Gaming still doesn't come cheap. While other Game Pass plans cost either $9.99 or $10.99 per month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate raises that price to $16.99, and there's no way to access Xbox Cloud Gaming without it. For the skeptical, a 14-day trial can be purchased for a dollar, and deals for a few months of membership at a reduced price do occasionally come around. Unlike other plans, Game Pass Ultimate also covers both console and PC play.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, unfortunately, doesn't offer a yearly payment option to reduce the monthly price, although stacking digital codes can make it possible to pay for years in advance.
For anyone willing to invest, the practicality of Xbox Cloud Gaming has definitely received a significant boost with the new mouse and keyboard support. Controllers can still be the best option for many games, and it's generally useful to have one on hand for titles that demand it. A controller is no longer necessary to make use of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, however, and being able to enjoy games that are built for mouse and keyboard as intended makes Xbox Cloud Gaming better than ever.
