Xbox has opened previews of two new ways to control games on Xbox Cloud Gaming: using a phone as a controller on supported smart TVs, and a Wi-Fi-based "Cloud Connect" mode for the Xbox Nano controller. Both began rolling out on 4 November, and both are early tests.
Phone as controller on smart TVs
The first feature turns an Android or iOS phone into a gamepad for cloud games on supported smart TVs, according to Xbox Wire. Controls open in the phone's browser, so no separate app is needed. Some games get tailored layouts, while others fall back to a generic on-screen pad, Windows Central reports.
To try it, owners switch on Preview Features under Settings and Account in the latest supported Xbox experience on their TV. When a game launches with no physical controller connected, the TV offers the option to use a phone for that session, and a QR code on screen links the two. Xbox says it is rolling out in countries where Xbox Cloud Gaming is supported, though it has not published a country list in the post we read, so Indian players should check the Xbox app and their TV's supported-device list before assuming access. Pure Xbox adds that certain Amazon, LG and Samsung TVs are among the supported sets.
Xbox warns that availability and supported games or devices may be limited while it collects feedback. It gave no end date for the preview and did not say whether any subscription tier is required.
Cloud Connect for the Xbox Nano
The second feature is more technical. Instead of sending inputs over Bluetooth to the TV, which then relays them to the cloud, Cloud Connect lets the Nano controller join a home Wi-Fi network and talk to the cloud server running the game directly. Xbox says this may reduce input latency. Windows Central goes further and describes input as "noticeably more responsive," but neither it nor Xbox gives measured figures, so the benefit is unquantified for now.
This preview is limited to the United States. It works only with the new Xbox Nano controller, which went on sale on 4 November and which we covered separately. It also works only on supported smart TVs and the web, and Xbox says it will not work with every cloud gaming experience yet. Windows Central has reported that the feature may reach other Xbox controllers later, but Xbox has not confirmed that.
Setup takes a few steps. Owners connect the controller to their Wi-Fi network through the Xbox beta app on Android, or through the Xbox Accessories app on PC, where Xbox Insider enrollment is required. They then open a supported cloud gaming experience and sign in with the same Xbox account used during setup. Xbox links a support page with the full guide, and feedback goes through the feedback icon in the Accessories app or the mobile Xbox app.
Why it matters for cloud players
Both changes aim at the same weak point in cloud gaming, which is the controller. Without a console, a player on a TV needs a paired gamepad, and many households do not have one handy. A phone-as-controller mode lowers that barrier, since nearly everyone owns a phone. Latency remains the harder problem, and Cloud Connect is Microsoft's first public attempt at shortening the path between the controller and the server. Whether it helps in practice will depend on home Wi-Fi quality and on how many games Xbox supports.
There is no India-specific information for either feature. The Nano controller's own India price and availability have not been announced in the sources we checked, and since the Cloud Connect preview is restricted to US players, Indian owners should not expect it soon.
What to watch next
For now the practical advice is simple. Owners of supported TVs can try the phone mode today by switching on Preview Features, while Nano owners in the United States can set up Cloud Connect through the beta app. Everyone else will have to wait for Microsoft to widen the tests.
Watch for Xbox to widen Cloud Connect beyond the United States and beyond the Nano controller, and for a published list of supported games and televisions for the phone mode. Independent latency tests will show whether Cloud Connect delivers a real improvement over Bluetooth. Xbox has not said when either preview will end or when the features will reach all users, and we will report any date once Microsoft names one.
Published 6 November 2026. Gadgets365 will update this article as more information becomes available.
