I could see giving xbPlay 5 stars except for one thing. XbPlay provides a very smooth, nearly lag free, remote play experience between my Steam Deck or iPhone and my Xbox Series X. It even includes pretty good touch screen controls on the iPhone. In those respects, the experience is way superior to remote play through Microsoft’s Xbox app for iOS which can get pretty choppy.
Unfortunately, when my Xbox is in stand-by mode and the TV is off, xbPlay will connect to my console, but only shows a black screen. I can hear UI clicks as I navigate around, but can’t see anything on my iPhone or Steam Deck until I turn everything on in my entertainment center including the TV. Once I do that, xbPlay displays fine on my remote device, but that kind of defeats the purpose of remote play. In this regard, Microsoft’s app is superior because I don’t need to be home to use it. The MS app connects to and displays what’s on Xbox while in stand-by mode, whether or not the TV is on.
So I can use the MS app from anywhere, but can only use xbPlay app if I’m at home and can turn the TV on. Still okay for sitting out on my porch and playing I guess, but only two stars for now unless I find out there is a fix.