Xbox Cloud Gaming is getting an upgrade as it rolls out a new feature to improve the sharpness when used in Microsoft’s Edge browser.
The new feature, called Clarity Boost by Xbox, lets players sharpen the image output when streaming a game. The idea is to make browser streaming clearer and sharper as a result.
“This feature uses a set of client-side scaling improvements to improve the visual quality of the video stream,” said Xbox Program Manager, Milena Gonzalez in an official statement. The goal is “providing the optimal look and feel while playing Xbox games from the cloud.”
These new “client-side scaling improvements” mean that Microsoft Edge has a bit more to do – handling extra processing on your end to improve the quality of the stream.
However, this new feature is only available for those using Microsoft Edge Canary – an experimental version of the popular browser which allows users to try out new features before they’re bundled into the main Edge releases.
Obviously, this means not all Microsoft Edge users will get access to Clarity Boost. At least, not straight away. But Microsoft assures users that Clarity Boost will roll out to all Microsoft Edge versions by 2022. “Clarity Boost will be available to all Microsoft Edge users by next year,” said Gonzalez.
If you want to try out this new feature, it couldn’t be simpler. First, make sure you’re using Microsoft Edge Canary and make sure you’re up to date, using version 96.0.1033.0 or later.
Then, simply head to the Xbox Game Pass website and start a game you want to play. Open up the more actions (…) menu, then enable Clarity Boost. You should see a difference in the way Xbox Cloud Gaming streams the game, with examples showing a much sharper picture.
It’s certainly one way to make Microsoft Edge more relevant – especially since Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer for Windows 10 will be discontinued next year. Microsoft also revealed that it plans to move Xbox beyond consoles by making its games playable on nearly any device.
Xbox Cloud Gaming for consoles recently launched in beta, allowing Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One players to stream a selection of top titles – as long as you have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
