I don’t want a console: we tested XBOX Game Pass on the Samsung Note 20 Ultra

Spain has experienced a fever for video streaming, with applications such as Netflix, HBO or Prime Video existing in the majority of smartphones and smart televisions in the country. And once this way of consuming content has taken hold, it’s time for video games.

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, analysis and user experience

In the analysis of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra we know the most differential aspects of Samsung’s latest flagship terminal, an even more extreme mobile.

In addition to Google with Stadia or the recent Amazon proposal, the company that is pushing this market the most is Microsoft, which has made Xbox Game Pass one of the most attractive products in this market.

We tested XCloud: turn any Android into an Xbox with the power of the cloud

Project XCloud allows us to play Xbox games from mobile thanks to the cloud. We have tested it and these are our impressions.

As you can see in the link above, my partner Iván Peñalba already analyzed it a few months ago, and gave you his opinion from the point of view of a classic console gamer. Now I have had the opportunity to test this service myself, together with a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and I give you the point of view of a daily gamer who, oddly enough, hasn’t bought a console since 1992.

The comfort

One of the reasons why this service has seemed very interesting to me is because it allows us to enjoy all the titles that it has anywhere. By only depending on having a compatible remote control and an internet connection we can play not only in any corner of the house, but anywhere, especially if we have 5G coverage.

In this way, we can take our mobile anywhere and play from there. The quality of the connection will be the one that determines our gaming experience although in the tests that I have carried out I have not had major problems.

Of course, some titles did have certain lag in very specific moments, although they were not games that required low latency, but role-playing games. In racing or fighting titles the performance has been impeccable.

In addition, one thing that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra allows us is use the USB port as an HDMI connector. This means that we can connect it to a TV and enjoy the game in a similar way to how we do it on the XBOX. I have connected it to a projector, which is another possibility.

No need for a down payment

From my particular experience it has been interesting for me to be able to enjoy titles like Forza Horizon or Batman Arkham Knight without having to buy a console.

When you know that you are going to use a device that costs between 300 and 500 euros every day, the outlay seems more than justified. The problem comes when you don’t know if you will use it daily, on weekends or just leap years. Being able to pay month to month facilitates this quite logically.

And the same goes for games. By having a certain catalog available, you can enjoy many without paying for them, use them whenever you want, and then move on to another that we want more.

Sometimes I have found myself playing a complex role-playing game, only to later switch to an indie game with simple graphics and addictive gameplay.

Pay for XBOX Game Pass only on vacation

And as a perfect example of what was commented in the previous section, it is a very viable option for me to register this service when I am on vacation. In this way I make sure I have the time available to play, in the same way that other people only read on vacation, which is when they are most carefree.

Being able to use XBOX Game Pass on a mobile such as the Note 20 Ultra, a device that you always carry with you, only forces me to remember to take the controller and the anchor with me when I leave.

Of course, although when the next generation consoles were announced I doubted whether I would buy one, the other or none, now I am clear that it will be the latter. In my case it is the most convenient.

The entry I don’t want a console: we tested XBOX Game Pass on the Samsung Note 20 Ultra appears first in The Free Android.