There are several obstacles to cloud gaming, the most prominent of which is Apple, the developer of the iPhone 12, which has taken issue with cloud services and refuses to add cloud streaming apps to its App Store

This is unfortunate, as cloud-powered game streaming on iOS is still a ways off for Xbox This is because the latest version of the Xbox app allows you to stream games from your Xbox to your iPhone (or iPad) We have been hearing about this for some time, and now it has been made official

For those of you who don't remember, let me explain Officially offering an app that can stream games via the cloud is against the App Store's terms of service, and Apple is particularly concerned about not being able to rate each available game individually

Apple's rules only affect streaming from cloud servers, so streaming from a local console (or mirroring another machine's display) is not a problem PS4 Remote Play, Steam Link, and the current Xbox app That's why the latest versions are allowed in the app store

Too bad it's not the same as streaming directly from the cloud, as you can do with Android devices But until Microsoft perfects the workaround in the Safari app, this is the only way to play Xbox games on iOS; you'll need to make sure you have the proper games, either via Xbox Game Pass or on the console you purchased [Streaming via Project xCloud and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, or if you don't want to pay for a subscription, just play the games you already have

The new Xbox app for iOS came out just in time for the launch of the new iPhone 12 series And with all four models featuring Super Retina XDR OLED displays, Xbox games on the new mobile devices should look pretty impressive

The first thing you need to do to get this set up is to actually have an iPhone or iPad and download the latest version of the Xbox app From there, log into your account and the app will prompt you to do a number of things, including setting up the console

If you miss this prompt, head to the "My Library" page and click on the "consoles" tab at the top of the screen to see the prompt again Then click on "Get Started" Most people will want to set up an existing console, so choose that option, but if you get a new console, you can also set up an entirely new option Like the Xbox Series X, which will be released next month

You will be asked to log in, but the app might decide not to do anything It's frustrating, isn't it? In that case, restarting the app should solve the problem Similarly, if you head to the Consoles tab, the console should appear on the screen, waiting for you

Tap it, press "Remote Play with this device" and wait for the console to respond You will then be prompted to enable the Bluetooth controller, so make sure you have it handy Update the controller when prompted, but if not you should see the Xbox screen pop up on your iPhone or iPad

Connect the controller to your device in the usual way (the connect button at the top) and you're ready to start playing There is no need to turn on the TV

There are a few things to note The first is that you need a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox controller This means a controller from either the Xbox One S, Xbox One X, or one of the as yet unreleased Series X and Xbox Series S consoles Original Xbox One controllers will not work

Since this is streaming, you also need to make sure your console is turned on and your iPhone is on the same network Likewise, both the console and the device need to be well connected, so make sure both the console and the phone have a strong Wi-Fi signal You can also hardwire your game console if it is connected to the same Wi-Fi router

This can cause the stream to falter a bit My iPad would regularly disconnect even though the game console and router were in the same room Also, some games might not be playable while streaming, such as when trying to play two different Xbox 360 games (Fallout 3 and The Force Unleashed 2)

Similarly, pressing the Xbox logo in the center of the controller does not allow access to the console's menus, which must instead be accessed using the Apple device's touch screen

However, with a good enough network, this system works quite well In the meantime, until Project xCloud comes along, this should be satisfactory