Microsoft has been playing its cards brilliantly with the launch of xCloud. After a trial period, the service is now available in Spain, allowing us to play an incredible Xbox catalog directly from our phones. But how can we make the experience even more convenient?
Video analysis
A controller for the cloud
Having more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox Series X games on your phone is a joy, but it is useless to be able to run a game in seconds and not enjoy it due to the limitations of the controls. Microsoft is working on including specific touch controls for many games so that players will be able to tap the screen on different button patterns to enhance the gaming experience, however it is not ideal. In fact, it's tremendously uncomfortable, since you can't figure out where the buttons are and the control of the D-Pad becomes especially cumbersome.
That's why the company has worked with Razer to offer an accessory compatible with Android phones that will allow you to turn your phone into a portable console, providing an experience very similar to that of a home console. But does it succeed?
great service
After several weeks of testing the service, we can only sing the praises of xCloud. The game catalog it offers is quite extensive, allowing us to play almost instantly any of the more than 100 games currently available . We say almost instantly because at the beginning of each game, we have to wait a few seconds for everything to load.
The secret of the service is that the servers offer the potential of an Xbox One S to emulate the games, so that will be the quality of the broadcast that will reach our screen. It is expected that in the future the xCloud servers will improve to make the leap to the new generation of consoles, but for now, that is the potential that is offered, which is not little.
A controller that fits
Regarding the Razer Kishi, this is an accessory that directly becomes essential for those users who want to use the service. This gamepad is made up of two pieces that fit on each side of the phone, thus making it a kind of portable console. The result is quite convincing and the phone fits very well thanks to the rubbers that are in the coupling hole, so the result is a firm and rigid body.
When gaming, the Kishi's buttons and triggers work well, but we can't say they're particularly eye-catching. The touch and pressure of the buttons is very similar to that of a low-cost controller, especially the triggers, something that does not fit with the official price of the device, which is 109,99 euros. It has a USB-C port that is used to continue charging the phone while we play, but not to recharge the Kishi's internal battery, because it does not have any. As a curious note, the triggers have been named as R1, R2, L1 and L2, instead of the RB, LB of Xbox.
And it is in that last detail where we find one of the most negative points of this controller, since we believe that due to its price it should include wireless capabilities to function as an independent controller. Whether using the controller with a tablet or any other device, the Kishi should be able to become a standalone controller, especially considering that it takes that form when it's picked up without docking on the phone.
Is the Razer Kishi worth it?
The product becomes especially valuable when we unite it with its true purpose, which is nothing more than playing in the Microsoft cloud. In that case, the xCloud and Kishi combo is fantastic, but it continues to show that the cloud service is a product that shines with its own light and improves everything that comes with it. Razer's product could improve, so we'll see if a new generation fixes the improvable details we've detected.