Xbox Nano’s direct Wi-Fi cloud connection reportedly in private testing

Microsoft’s Xbox Nano controller can connect directly to Xbox Cloud Gaming over Wi-Fi, Tom Warren reported for The Verge on Nov. 3. He wrote that the cloud-connect feature was being privately tested on the new Xbox Cloud Gaming website. Pairing would use the Xbox mobile app to connect the controller over Wi-Fi to Microsoft’s cloud servers. Warren described the connection as a way to reduce latency, but his report gave no measured improvement. Microsoft had not officially announced the feature as of his report.

Ben Schoon at 9to5Google reproduced a pop-up attributed to Microsoft that calls cloud connect a preview under development. The pop-up warns that it “may not function as expected” and that its features could change. Schoon’s account follows The Verge’s reporting, rather than providing a separate test of the connection.

In a separate hands-on account, Warren described the Nano as designed for younger people and those with smaller hands. He put it at just over 5 inches long, with smaller thumbsticks but an unchanged D-pad. He found its grips comfortable after a few hours of gaming and noted that it lacks vibration. Famitsu listed Nov. 4 as the controller’s planned release date. Warren gave no date for cloud-connect availability.