20% of Xbox Cloud Gaming users use Touch Controls exclusively (more than 30% for some games), 2x increase in usage when implemented

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We have seen a tangible increase in usage and user sentiment across different genres for games that have implemented touch controls.

20% of our Xbox Cloud Gaming users use touch as their exclusive method of playing games. As such, it’s important to us that the touch-enabled games we launch are relevant and, most importantly, play well with touch controls. We’ve seen, on average, a 2x increase in usage for titles available via Xbox Cloud Gaming, across genres, that implement touch controls, and the sentiment of users who play with touch controls is on average equivalent if not higher than on the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform all-up.

Additionally, we’ve seen even more engagement with touch controls for many games on an individual basis. Below are some of the 100+ titles where more than 30% of players exclusively use touch controls.

  • Dragon’s Quest XI
  • Football Manager 2022 Xbox Edition
  • Hades
  • Minecraft Dungeons
  • New Super Lucky’s Tale
  • Scarlet Nexus
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon

I wonder what prevents Forza Horizon 5 (and FH4 before) from having these controls…

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Cool that it exists as an option but I wouldn’t touch this with a 10 foot pole lol. It’s so fast and easy to pair a real controller.

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Explains why they are pushing touch controls out for so many games

Not something id use but cool that it seems to be good enough for a lot of people

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what is weird is there’s obviously a push for touch in xcloud yet some of the most popular genres on mobile is not getting any touch controls - Racing ie Forza Horizon. They should find ways to make touch controls that adapt to the genre of the game where possible instead of just plastering the Xbox controller layout on the screen.

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What’s weird is that Wreckfest and DIRT 5 have Touch and it works very well. But FH5 (and FH5) don’t. That’s a mystery.

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Microsoft doesn’t make sense as always :phil_lmao:

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that’s even more weird lol. It’s not like FH5 is a hardcore sim. I play on PC with keyboard because my controller has a problem with turning left lmao, and all I use is the WASD/arrow keys, and one brake button and that’s been the entirety of my FH5 experience, which has been great. You can map that arcade setup onto touch rather easily without needing too much real estate or complex hand motions, and additionally say that if you want more precise control, use a controller.

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Forza Horizon is not just driving. It has a very extensive user interface for tuning, painting, building tracks, … To make this all touch friendly is a lot of work.

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I honestly wish they would allow you to override with a default on-screen controller when none is provided. Especially for remote streaming my Series X. I don’t want to have to hookup a controller just to poke around the UI.

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Well, driving is what you do the most in the game, and that can have its streamlined control setup like the usual mobile racing games while when in the UI or other places, you can press a button and get an on-screen traditional controller layout (like most touch enabled games currently do) to do more of the non-racing stuff. Sure it’ll not be as good, but neither is most of currently touch-enabled games. They are just barely functional anyway. But having touch for FH5 will be huge for the game’s reach because racing is absolutely massive on mobile, Asphalt, Real Racing and the like are enough evidence. Same with First Person Shooters. Literally entire countries are hooked on mobile FPS games right now.

IMO the work is justified (especially for what’s currently one of THE biggest xbox games ever) if they really are serious about reaching those high number of people on mobile (the whole “billion gamers” thing) besides launching in more countries of course. The reason why you see this 20% of users using touch is not because 20% of the xcloud userbase prefer using touch exclusively as much as 20% of people who would have never used xcloud to begin with if there wasn’t a touch option, because they don’t have a controller or a 100 dollar Kishi laying around.

And also because AFAIK this is not taking away time and resources from Playground in any way as the Xcloud touch support team gotta be the ones focusing on bringing it.

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Microsoft just don’t make sense sometimes. There’s a 3rd party app that does that already for years

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FH4 was used to present what interface could look like back in 2019 at GDC

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yeah where is this? lol

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oh, i absolutely agree - the work here to get FH5 a good touch enabled UI would be justified.

i mean it says it right there: “simulated images, not actual product”

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What’s the app and does it require root?

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Xbstream, it’s in the Play store, no root.

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I am sure touch controls will come, most of these games don’t launch with special touch controls.

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Yeah I could swear they showed a default overlay of touch controls during a presentation about two years ago. Seems odd that it isn’t there at go for each game that comes to the service, and than they of course make the custom overlay for other games as they are doing now. Perhaps certain 3rd parties weren’t happy with it. But if you’re going to try and drive engagement to this part of your ecosystem by drawing in players from the mobile gaming audience then surely each game at least needs the option available.

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I don’t know if this has changed, but touch controls weren’t available last time I tried local streaming. I guess it’s not technically xCloud but would still be nice to have.