Xbox began rolling out two Xbox Cloud Gaming previews on November 4, one that turns a phone into the controller on supported Smart TVs and one that links the new XBOX Nano Controller straight to the cloud server over Wi-Fi, the company announced in a post on XBOX Wire.
On supported Smart TVs, the Xbox app is designed to prompt players to use their phone, Android or iOS, as a controller when it starts without one connected. The controls open in the phone’s browser, so there is no separate controller app or device to set up, and Xbox says some games will get phone controls tailored to how they play. Players turn the preview on through the Preview Features toggle under Settings > Account in the latest supported Smart TV experience, and the rollout covers countries where Xbox Cloud Gaming is already available.
US players get the Wi-Fi cloud connect preview
In the US, players can also preview cloud connect with the new XBOX Nano Controller. “Instead of a Bluetooth connection to your TV, cloud connect uses your Wi-Fi to connect directly to the cloud server running your game,” Team Xbox said, adding that it “can help reduce input latency, so gameplay may feel more responsive.”
For now, cloud connect works on supported Smart TVs and the web. Setup runs through the Xbox beta app on Android or the Xbox Accessories app on PC, and Xbox says XBOX Insider enrollment is required for the PC route.
The previews extend a cloud push that already includes pay-as-you-go cloud gaming packs for Insiders without a Game Pass subscription, and the Nano Controller, reported at $49.99, fits the same no-console strategy as a pocket-sized pad.
A staggered rollout, with feedback channels open
Xbox says both previews are still being tested and that availability and supported games or devices may be limited while it gathers feedback. Players can submit cloud connect feedback through the Xbox Accessories app on PC or the Feedback icon in the Xbox mobile app, and one writer testing a compatible Smart TV and phone reported that the phone-controller prompt had not appeared yet, which fits the staggered rollout rather than contradicting it.
Outside the US, the phone-as-controller preview is the only one of the two available, and Xbox has not said when either preview will leave testing.
