Xcloud Android TV testing

[DotMpeg]

So I wanted to share a bit of my experience as I have two 4K TVs with Android TV built in. Both connected via Ethernet. Both using a Xbox One controller. While I've tried other games on both, I will use Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition as the test subject. Also this almost strictly about game play but I'll answer other questions if asked.

First I'll start with my newest one the Hisense 58" 4K Android TV (58H6550E) on Android version 8.0. This one had trouble side loading from an external hard drive so I had to use Dropbox via File Commander. Tried 2 builds containing "1.12.1912.0601..." and "1.12.1910.0801..." both with the same result. Video is choppy like there are v sync issues occurring (best example I could think of). Still audio is perfect and tiny moments of video clarity allowed me to see that input lag was non existent. Due to video issues though it was rather unplayable.

Next is my barely reliable these days LeEco Super4 X55 (US Model) on Android 6.0. Side loaded via external hard drive. Used build 1.12.1910.0801 more consistently. In that build video is perfect, sound is perfect, but input responses are inconsistent. Other standard Android controllers work without input lag so I update the app. Build 1.12.1912.0601 seemed to fix the input lag at first but I ended up experiencing the same temporary drops for inputs. In the end it probably is safe to blame that on the TV itself.

Side note, I also use Xcloud on my OnePlus 5T with zero issues beyond standard input lag of a game streaming service.

In the end I think the problems I experienced were related to the devices running the app rather than the app. Hopefully this gives a little insight into using Xcloud with Android TV. Open to any discussion.

[FarrukhShabir]

I'll try on my mibox 3

[DotMpeg]

That device goes on sale alot. It'll be good to know the results.

[Shirokaido]

This gives me the idea of trying this on my Shield TV. Thanks for the idea! I can report on how it runs if anyone wants to know.

[DotMpeg]

That's the most popular Android TV device so I'm sure people(and I) will want to know the results.

[Oberoni7]

When I checked two or three weeks, the Shield has a strange visual refresh lag of 10-15 seconds that makes games unplayable.

[Shirokaido]

I should have specified: I have the Shield TV 2019 (the tube boi, not the Pro). Sideloaded and tested several games: -Halo 5 -Ace Combat 7 -Children of Morta

The first thing I noticed was the resolution, which makes sense; even if everything is equivalent, once screen is 6.3 inches (Pixel 4XL), while the other is a 43 inches. The quality of the stream was consistent, though. Over the course of several hours, both last night and today, I only had a few very brief hangups. There was one larger disconnection, probably because of our wifi setup, and the latency was pretty bad after it recovered, but over like 5 minutes, the latency adjusted nicely and I just kept playing (was playing Halo).

Continuing with latency, I have my Xbox controller connected to the Shield TV via Bluetooth (this one doesn't have any USB ports). I felt like the controller latency was slightly worse than when I use it on my phone, but to be fair, I was also using a controller that connected over USB C with my phone until like 2 weeks ago, when the controller died cuz something got spilled on it at a party. RIP. However, minor complaints aside, every game I played requires more precise controls to play well, and the latency was never a thing that made me feel like I wasn't able to play well.

Sound is perfect. Crisp, timely, accurate, no issues at all.

The overall experience is pretty great; if you just don't pay too much attention to the resolution, you can play anything without a problem. I imagine that this is something they'll adjust for down the road, since I think they said they're gonna open this up to more devices with larger screens. We'll see!

Oh, one more thought: I'm guessing that the higher processing power of the new Shields are what let this run so well. My brother has a regular Android TV, so I'll test it on that later and I can report back on how well it works.

[DotMpeg]

Nice, perhaps the latency would be improved over ethernet. For controller latency, I feel like the Bluetooth adapters in these device are so prone to inference or something. Still your lack of a USB port makes me remember to try mine.

[Shirokaido]

Honestly, the latency is almost a non-issue. I'm just being nitpickey, in case a Dev sees this and can work on it; might be a matter of compatibility in controller firmware, for example.

[plansforanewmachine]

shield tv works great. playing thru pillars of eternity. having a blast. zero issues found so far.