A look at Microsoft’s device-agnostic game streaming model; sources say Microsoft prototyped a cloud-focused Xbox handheld, but its cloud gaming work has slowed 拆封筆電

拆封筆電
re enough for many. Cloud gaming on a phone isn’t a replacement for a true handheld, though. Phones are pretty terrible for cloud gaming, especially when someone’s trying to call you, there’s no Wi-Fi on a plane, or you get a notification in the middle of your game. Microsoft made its own Surface Duo better at handling cloud gaming, but there’s still room for improvement.A dedicated cloud gaming handheld that can also run mobile games — like the Logitech G Cloud — is a good alternative that at least removes the notification and battery hassles. Microsoft worked closely with Logitech on its handheld, but there’s still no official Xbox cloud gaming handheld in sight.Sources familiar with Microsoft’s Xbox plans tell me the company was prototyping a cloud-focused Xbox handheld previously. Microsoft has developed a lightweight version of the Xbox user interface that can run on handheld devices, dedicated cloud consoles, and TVs. While we’ve seen this interface appear on some Samsung TVs, the dedicated Xbox cloud console that Microsoft first announced in 2021 was canceled as Microsoft pivoted toward the TV streaming app instead.The prototype Xbox cloud gaming console. Image: Phil Spencer (X / Twitter)The Xbox maker had been very close to launching its dedicated Xbox cloud console last year before scrapping its plans just weeks before an announcement. The device, codenamed Project Keystone, was then spotted on Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s shelf in October, confirming that the company had manufactured some units.Work on Xbox Cloud Gaming has slowed over the past year inside Microsoft, sources tell me. Microsoft previously promised that Xbox Cloud Gaming would support your existing game library by the end of 2022, but that never happened. Microsoft also scrapped plans to launch a dedicated version of Xbox Cloud Gaming that players could subscribe to instead of paying for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. That’s likely all because regulators around the world have been focused on Microsoft’s cloud gaming efforts as part of a review of its proposed Activision Blizzard deal. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority even blocked the deal citing cloud concerns, and the European Commission shared similar cloud concerns but approved the deal thanks to cloud-related remedies.It was also a key part of the FTC v. Microsoft hearing. In the weeks leading up to that hearing, a source told me that Microsoft had started temporarily reassigning people working on Xbox Cloud Gaming to other parts of Xbox. During the FTC hearing, Sarah Bond, head of Xbox creator experience, revealed that Microsoft decided against a separate version of Xbox Cloud Gaming after the company got more data on the success and popularity of the service. “We’ve gotten more clear on the costs related to it, and we have signed partnerships with others who provide those services,” said Bond in June.The ROG Ally is the closest thing yet to an Xbox handheld.Windows handhelds need Microsoft’s helpAll of this scrutiny about the future of Xbox Cloud Gaming makes it unlikely that we’ll see a cloud-powered Xbox handheld or console anytime soon. But Microsoft is also well placed to create its own Steam Deck rival that’s powered by Windows and provides access to PC Game Pass, Steam, and other key launchers. After all, cloud devices don’t beat playing PC games on the go where there’s no internet connection required.拆封筆電asus’ ROG Ally is emerging as the go-to device for PC Game Pass on portables. Spencer is a fan of the ROG Ally, describing the handheld as his “Xbox on the go” in a recent interview with Eurogamer. He also downplayed the idea of Microsoft making its own Xbox handheld in that same interview. “I don’t need people to buy a piece of hardware from us specifically to go play,” said Spencer. “[The ROG Ally is] an amazing Xbox experience, even though we didn’t build the device. And I think that’s totally fine.”If Microsoft wants to stick to OEMs and partners leading the way on Windows handhelds, then it will still need to greatly improve the user experience. Most of the reviews of Steam Deck rivals have one gripe in common: Windows. Microsoft’s desktop-focused operating system doesn’t scale down well to smaller devices, especially when a touchscreen or analog sticks are involved. Both 拆封筆電asus and Lenovo have tried to create their own layers on top of Windows, but with everyone from OneXPlayer to Aya and GPD trying to solve the Windows problem, it really needs Microsoft to step in.“We are focused on making the Xbox and GP experience great on devices like the Ally … More to do,” admitted Spencer in a tweet in July. That more to do may include bringing features like Quick Resume to Windows gamers. Microsoft’s prototype Windows handheld mode. Image: @_h0x0d_ (X / Twitter)A leaked hackathon project for a concept Windows gaming handheld mode offered some hope earlier this year, but there’s still no sign from Microsoft that the company is willing to provide its own launcher and special Windows 11 UI for handhelds that’s designed for touchscreens and controllers.I truly hope Microsoft is seriously working on improving the experience of Windows-based handhelds. Otherwise, we’re in for years of hacked-together projects from OEMs that never really work that well. Valve put a lot of effort into the underlying SteamOS that powers the Steam Deck so that you don’t have to navigate around a desktop Linux environment to get to your favorite games. Windows deserves something similar.With analyst estimates of the Steam Deck hitting 3 million sales this year, Linux overtaking macOS on Steam, and rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, PC gaming handhelds look set to grow beyond their initial niche of the past decade. Microsoft is fully aware that these handhelds are growing in popularity and that it has to do something. “I don’t think those are going to be niche devices – those are going to reach scale,” said Spencer in the Eurogamer interview.If Xbox Cloud Gaming is at a potential standstill,

 

▲iOS與Android系統各有一票粉絲。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

記者張家瑋／綜合報導

你比較喜歡用iOS還是Android系統手機？每年不論是iPhone或是Android系列，各家都推出不少智慧型手機，而兩邊都各自有一票擁護者，究竟哪一邊好用呢？Podcast節目《娜你知道嗎》主持人莫娜就來分享兩種手機系統的體驗感受。

▲點擊收聽Podcast《娜你知道嗎》，分析iOS與Android優缺點。

如果你想嘗試更換手機系統，千萬不要擔心被生態系統束縛，莫娜認為，其實這只是習慣的問題，挑自己喜歡的最重要。她以自身經驗為例，當初從iPhone轉向Google Pixel時，也曾感到擔憂，畢竟Android是一個相對開放的系統，用戶可以自由更改設置和下載各種應用程序，有更多個性化體驗；而iOS系統則較為封閉，不允許用戶自由修改，只能通過官方應用商店下載應用程序，但使用過程相對穩定、易上手且界面簡潔美觀。

▲莫娜分享蘋果與安卓兩種系統的體驗感受。（圖／翻攝自娜你知道嗎）

另一方面，手機外型也是重要的考慮因素，每年的iPhone外觀基本一致，辨識度極高，並且注重耐用性和性能。然而，有多種品牌使用Android系統，如三星、Google、Sony、小米、Vivo、拆封筆電asus等，每個品牌都有自己的硬體設計和用戶界面，因此軟硬體的結合度不如iOS系統完整。儘管如此，每個品牌都有自己的特色，滿足不同用戶的需求。

此外，還有一些其他考慮因素，例如充電規格，像是今年iPhone 15系列已全面改為USB Type-C。或者是，如果經常換手機，可能需要思考如何處理舊手機，iPhone通常保值較好，而Android系統機的二手價值較低。另外，如果你是一位重度手遊玩家，系統可能會影響你與其他玩家的互動方式，因為部分手遊紀錄是根據系統分開的。

最後莫娜總結，儘管iOS和Android有不同之處，但近年來它們也越來越相似。像是iOS16開始，就增加了一些自定義功能，而Android則更加注重資安和隱私，因此，無論是從iOS轉向Android，亦或反之，都不再是一個艱難的決定，只需要一段時間，就會習慣新的系統，並能夠輕鬆上手，挑選一款符合自身需求和喜好的手機，才是最重要的。

拆封筆電 拆封筆電