I’m not impressed by Xbox Cloud Gaming coming to cars

Microsoft’s current strategy for Xbox is to make its games and services available in as many places as possible. Last month, that came in the form of Gears of War: Reloaded’s launch on PS5; this month, it comes through the announcement of Xbox Cloud Gaming coming to cars.

Microsoft and LG have announced that they are working together to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to LG’s webOS Automotive Content Platform. It’s definitely an unexpected place for Xbox Cloud Gaming to show up, but in practice, it won’t actually be usable by most Xbox players.

Xbox Cloud Gaming in cars is mostly a novelty

You probably won’t ever use this version of the Xbox app

Essentially, this is an announcement that an Xbox app will be included as part of LG’s PlayWare efforts to give drivers and passengers things to do on in-car TV screens. It’s like the Xbox app on Samsung TVs, but for your car.

If you have a stable internet connection and a Bluetooth controller, you’ll be able to use Xbox Cloud Gaming through the Xbox app in your car. That means you’ll be able to try most games in the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate catalog and other Xbox games that support cloud game streaming.

Right now, the actual user base for this is quite small. LG’s Automotive Content Platform is not widely available in most vehicles. If you do own one that features it, you’ll also need an automotive data plan and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription to utilize it.

Then, you’ll have to deal with all of the inherent ups and downs that come with cloud gaming without even having the reliability of your home internet connection. Because of those caveats, I don’t expect us all to be playing any of the Xbox games pictured below through screens in our cars anytime soon.

That said, I do understand how it’s a part of Xbox’s broader efforts to make Xbox as a brand feel important outside of the games and game consoles. That sentiment is reflected in the Xbox Wire post announcing this initiative, which says it’s part of an effort to “bring more of what players love about Xbox into more places.”

Still, as someone who frequently uses my Xbox Series X and plays pretty much everything that Xbox Game Studios releases, an announcement like this definitely feels like it’s not for me. It’s tailor-made to make Xbox’s brand synergy look impressive to Microsoft investors and executives.

It’s novel to be sure, but it’s not what Xbox really needs to compete with PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 in the eyes of gamers.