NOVEMBER 2020 PCWorld 99is that because Microsoft’s servers are doing
all the work, you don’t need to spend the
time or bandwidth downloading the game,
and it loads just as quickly as if it were
already on your device. Microsoft
assumes that you’ll be using a
phone for cloud gaming, but
you’re going to be using your
own wired or wireless network
instead. The quality of that
network will matter; if your
Netflix streaming already stops
and stutters, cloud gaming isn’t
for you.
Here’s what you’ll need to
enable cloud gaming on a
Chromebook. First, you’ll need
a modern Chromebook, one
that’s capable of running
Android apps. If your
Chromebook was manufactured
in 2016 or later, chances are that
Android apps are enabled. (If
you’re not sure, Google
maintains a list of
Chromebooks that can run
Android apps (go.pcworld.
com/glst).)
Second, you’ll need a
Microsoft account and a
subscription to its Game Pass
Ultimate subscription. Game
Pass Ultimate is a pricey $15
per month, but there’s an
“approved” trick to get three years’ worth for
just a few bucks (go.pcworld.com/fwbk), and
that’s before you begin using MicrosoftDownload the Xbox Game Pass app for Android to get started.
You can certainly go out and buy a dedicated third-party Xbox
controller, like this $49.99 8BitDo SN30 Pro (go.pcworld.
com/8btd) that will connect to a Chromebook via Bluetooth. But
you don’t have to, if you own an existing Xbox controller.