Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming – previously known as Project xCloud, has been a defining moment in the gaming world with the ability to play some of your favourite games on the go with your phone, laptop or tablet. It originally launched in 2019 with a Android-only app, along with a iOS and desktop web-based app.
Microsoft have recently introduced Xbox console support for Cloud gaming, allowing Xbox Series X|S exclusives to be playable on older Xbox One consoles. Now, it looks as though Microsoft are looking to add mouse and keyboard support for select titles, according to some recent comments from Jorg Neumann, Microsoft Flight Simulator head.
“The next step for us is mouse [and] keyboard,” Neumann stated in a recent community Q&A. “This is platform-level support, so it has nothing to do with us. Obviously, mouse and keyboard works for our sim. So the platform team is working on this. I know I can’t give a date because it’s the platform team. I don’t know their dates, but it’s coming.” Microsoft Flight Simulator does currently support mouse and keyboard on PC and Xbox consoles but currently requires the use of an Xbox controller when streamed using the cloud.
Having mouse and keyboard support will provide more options for cloud gaming, along with improving ease of access via the web on PC. It will also make various PC titles a ton easier to play on the cloud such as Age of Empires IV. Though, it’s not clear when this will begin to rollout.
As well as the mouse and keyboard support, Neumann also stated that they’re planning on bringing touch controls to Microsoft Flight Simulator in the near future. It’s hoped that these updated will release in the first half of 2022.
