
You know things are bad for Google Stadia when even the Google sites say it's stuffed. But that's what they're saying: the latest upgrade heading for Xbox Cloud Gaming, which you can play not just on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S but on PC and some of the best phones and best tablets too, takes away the only real advantage Stadia has. The only good news for Google is that the feature isn't here yet.
As 9to5Google reports, Microsoft is adding support for keyboard and mouse input. That's not new to Xbox owners, who've been able to up their game with the best gaming keyboards and best gaming mice for years now. But Microsoft's cloud gaming didn't support those input devices, so this is a significant step forward. If developers choose to add it to their games it means Xbox Cloud Gaming will deliver an even better experience on PCs in particular.
Xbox is winning the cloud gaming battle
Microsoft is being incredibly aggressive in the cloud gaming space: it's brought cloud gaming to Samsung TVs and while its Keystone dongle is apparently being rethought from scratch, it's still intended to add Xbox cloud gaming to the best TVs in the very near future. Sure, Stadia tends to offer better frame rates, especially on mid-range broadband connections. But it doesn't have the same one-fee-for-everything approach that Microsoft offers, and we've already seen that Microsoft is investing hugely in blockbusters and Indies for Game Pass; it already offers more games than Stadia does, and for me at least the catalogue is much more compelling.
Don't get me wrong. Competition is good, and I'd hate to see Microsoft be the only game streamer in town: while Netflix gaming and the new PS Plus service for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 among others aren't for me, their very existence will keep Microsoft keen and competitive. But if Xbox and Stadia were characters in Mortal Kombat, I think Cloud Gaming's addition of keyboard and mouse support would have a very familiar soundtrack: "Finish him!"
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Nvidia Shield TV gets its biggest free experience update in years
Nvidia continues to support its Android TV streaming box, which is still one of the best around
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Build muscle and burn fat with just two kettlebells and this 20 minute workout
Don't have long to train? A fitness coach says this workout delivers plenty of bang for your buck
By Bryony Firth-Bernard Published
-
Xbox Game Pass to get one of the biggest day one releases of the year so far... and for free
Obsidian's first-person action RPG is coming to Game Pass this month, as well as Madden NFL 25 ahead of Super Bowl LIX
By Rik Henderson Published
-
I've fallen in love with my PS5 Pro at last thanks to this huge new game
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has put my console through its paces
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Microsoft talks next-gen Xbox plans – which could end the console wars forever
Xbox Next might not rival the PS6 at all
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Xbox greatly expands storage options to more than 16TB, but doesn't address the biggest issue
You can now add more than 16TB of external storage to your Xbox Series X/S
By Rik Henderson Published
-
The Switch 2 could be the greatest console ever, thanks to one key detail
That back catalogue is going to be genuinely crazy
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
PS5 could finally be getting Gears of War and Halo after game-changing decision
The age of exclusives is coming to an end
By Rik Henderson Published
-
I'm finally playing a game that makes my PS5 Pro feel worth it
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a visual powerhouse
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
How to watch the new Xbox Games Showcase – Developer_Direct 2025
Xbox will host a new Developer_Direct today, where we'll get deep dives on forthcoming games – here's how to watch it live
By Rik Henderson Last updated