Xbox tests phone and Nano Wi-Fi controller options for Cloud Gaming
Microsoft is previewing two Cloud Gaming controller paths: phone-as-pad on select smart TVs, and US Nano Controller Wi-Fi links aimed at lower latency.
Edited by Dot Matrix, Editor-in-Chief
Xbox is testing two new controller options for Cloud Gaming, rolling them out as preview features just ahead of new Cloud Gaming time limits that start this month.1
On a supported smart TV, players can stream Xbox games and use a phone as the controller. The layout opens in a browser, so there is no dedicated app to install, and Microsoft said some titles ship with custom phone layouts. The option is available today on select TVs: open the Cloud Gaming interface, go to Settings > Account, and turn on Preview Features.1
That phone path sits alongside services that already let a handset drive a stream, including Netflix. It is a practical spare when a pad is out of reach, especially on turn-based games; faster or denser control schemes may still want a full gamepad.1
The second option is for the Nano Controller in the US. After setup in the Xbox beta app on Android or the Xbox Accessories app on PC, the pad can join Xbox Cloud Gaming over Wi-Fi on the same account, with the goal of cutting input lag. PC setup requires Xbox Insider enrollment. Once linked, the controller connects over Wi-Fi when Cloud Gaming is opened on that account.1
Wi-Fi gamepads are not brand-new on the board—Google’s retired Stadia pad worked the same way, and Stadia also let phones steer TV streams—but the Nano path is now in Microsoft’s own preview stack. Right now that Wi-Fi link is limited to smart TVs and the web.1
Both features are still under review as previews. Microsoft noted that availability, supported devices, and supported games may stay limited while the tests run.1
For anyone who already owns an Xbox-capable screen, a phone, or a Nano Controller, the change is access, not a new box: more ways to drive the same Cloud Gaming library from the couch or the browser without hunting for a spare pad.
Our read: Two preview lanes land on the same service—browser phone control on select TVs, and US Nano Wi-Fi aimed at snappier inputs—with both still gated by device, region, and Insider rules where they apply. Season’s long, folks. Standings check: Xbox adds phone-as-controller and Nano Wi-Fi Cloud Gaming previews for players already on the service; what it costs you is the preview limits and the hardware you already hold.
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