Ooh ooh, let me try! Forcing IAP so Apple can take a portion of it for literally doing fuck all? Am I right?
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It's not perfect, but it'd be better than this situation and some users would pay. Some (like you) wouldn't, which is fine. Idk, like I said, I recommend everyone just get a cheap Android phone or table to stream games. Samsung's A series work well and so does a Kindle Fire once you sideload the play store.
But an alternative browser could be in the AppStore. Personally I use Brave, a browser with lots of privacy conscious features. It's sending my inputs to an arbitrary remote server, which is then executing logic based upon that. Some of these things are transactions. Why doesn't Apple get a 30% cut of that?
I'm not trying to be an asshole, but I genuinely don't see the difference between these things. Both a browser and xCloud are programs which capture your input, send that input to a remote server, then receive instructions from the remote server on what to render locally on the phone. The difference is that with a browser it's uploading form-data and JSON and downloading HTML and JSON from an infinite number of hosting entities, and with xCloud it would upload a raw octet-stream and download a video from only a single hosting entity (Microsoft).
Actually typing it out, I think this is the key difference; it's impossible to be a middle-man for browser transactions because browsers cannot detect that it's happening, and there are an infinite number of hosts so it is not a tractable problem to partner with all of them. But with xCloud, Microsoft is the only host and can detect when a transaction is happening, so it is tractable for them to do it. I don't think that makes it right, but that is why it is happening.
And let's not mention the choose your own adventure movies Netflix offers.
As a rule of thumb, iOS apps generate much, much more revenue than the corresponding Android apps (albeit in this case, where payments are not done with the app itself, the economics are weirder)
Why though. A fee for using data with my phone? It makes no sense. All of this makes no sense for me as a consumer.
If Microsoft were unwilling to take a hit on the $15 GPU price, they'd have to raise prices by just under 42.8%, to $21.42/month. I think most gamers would be fine with this, especially if they can just bypass the extra cost and login with an existing Game Pass Ultimate sub.
My concern would just be the quality of life stuff beyond that. Like:
- Does each individual app auto-sign-in to Xbox Live once I've installed it?
- Can I launch games from the catalog app?
Agreed, I already bought their device, I shouldn't be forced to use their app store that literally does nothing in a situation in which I am using my data providers plan to stream the game. Apple is providing nothing in this situation other than the device in which I already paid for.
I'm in agreement with you. It's far from ideal. Buy you know that want their cut. I'd rather do that then deal with a bunch of apps. But in the end, I'd prefer for it to work like it does on Android.
This is not really a win. Having a seperate app for each streaming game will just not work. They basically "allowed" it and said but here's our terms that to a judge in an antitrust will look fine but in real life can't be implemented. It's like it Netflix was required to make a seperate app for each movie and TV show. It's ridiculous.
I say this as an iPhone user who doesn't want to switch to android. It's a terrible, terrible position.
I say this as an iPhone user who doesn't want to switch to android. It's a terrible, terrible position.
For fuck's sake. They were SO close to getting a bunch of goodwill from people. I don't know if it's fundamental misunderstanding of what Xcloud and Stadia actually *do*, or if it's just pig-headed ignorance...
Wait... Hang on...
Oh, yeah, I know *exactly* which of those two it is.
Wait... Hang on...
Oh, yeah, I know *exactly* which of those two it is.
They've really been on a roll with shitty ass decisions lately. Fingers crossed the Epic law suit ends up with them being required to offer signed side loading via Safari install (think basically macOS apps outside the App Store), all this willfully convoluted stuff about game streaming wouldn't even be a matter of debate.
For stadia, surely the game can just be bought on the web and used on iOS? The iOS app would be a free download which uses your google details to authenticate whether you have access to that particular cloud game.
This whole thing seems indefensible on apples part.
This sounds like so much extra work and hassle. Thank god I don't care about streaming console games on a phone.
In the end they will loose customers over this. I would not buy a phone where I can't stream music or videos like I want. If streaming games becomes as important as this, people will leave.
Laughing at all the "Yes!" responses at the beginning of this thread. This is absolutely nothing.
I don't believe that is true, you can charge iOS users more. You just can't advertise it in app.
Finally. Was already looking for a cheap android tablet to get my streaming fix. Now I might even consider selling my 2018 iPad in order to get an iPad Pro.
It's better than nothing.
Maybe people are not so jaded and can be happy about the little things.
Even despite the rules change, there in theory would be zero difference performance-wise between a 2018 iPad and an iPad Pro (for 1080p video streaming anyways)
You'd assume you could. Like, either purchase it straight up in the app, or login to your stadia account.
Depending on how much work it would be to create these individual apps, it could still be worth it for MS and Google to do. I just don't see what changed exactly from Google previous stance. It sounds like Microsoft and Google could jave always done this, but opted not to?
They should make the app store really safe and consumer friendly by having individual movies and shows on video streaming services have separate listings on the app store. Hell, to be extra safe, maybe individual seasons or individual episodes should have independent listings and apps.
Ok....but wasn't the point of xCloud to install the games on the devices as well as streaming? Again - I could be wrong here because I have zero interests in GamePass or Stadia (I only play PS games mostly and while I do have a X1X, it's honestly my Ninja Gaiden machine when I'm in the mood for it).
installing them? Like on the device? It's a streaming service, iOS devices don't run Xbox games. You play on consoles/servers in the cloud
Small size apps for cataloging sounds reasonable. I'm guessing it'll all be seamlessly done within the cloud service apps so the user isn't downloading the apps themselves.
I'm guessing that would probably upset more people than are pleased with it. "X game is on iOS, but Y game isn't!? This sucks Microsoft!" when it's really Apple's issue.
Apple isn't requiring IAP, I don't know where people are getting that. If a game has features that you have to pay to unlock, then you need to provide IAP through the App Store. Otherwise, no. This rule wouldn't impact any xCloud games.
How does this change anything. Apple is trying to look decent here but they're not.
Microsoft isn't going to agree to this because they won't want people playing their games with zero in app purchases.
time is money
Microsoft isn't going to agree to this because they won't want people playing their games with zero in app purchases.
time is money
Eh, thats already how it works between gamepass PC and Xbox. There are many games available on both platforms, that only launch on console gamepass.. presumably, because of exclusivity deals with Epic
Actually, that's already the case regardless of iOS.
The issue is that it's a broken mess of a system with needless extra apps and hoops to jump through.
Yep. I Just think more needs to be done to make those alternate app stores viable too. Android allows them, and thats a first step, but so many consumers don't even know about them. That needs to change. This shit is waaaay to locked down right now, its gross.
So just list gamepass games individually and have the gamepass app catalog them. The apps will take 3 seconds to download and take almost no space.
it's annoying for both users and MS but
it's annoying for both users and MS but
Anyway, I think Apple might be on shaky ground here not because of Netflix but because of JavaScript games in the browser. Those meet all of the criteria for "streaming games" if they use any server-side processing but have never been required to approach the App Store in this way.