A system that translates motion-based user input between a client device and an application host computer. In various embodiments, the system and methods enable an application host computer, application server, or cloud server that supports a first type of input/output (I/O) devices (e.g., mouse, keyboard, and display) to interpret I/O commands from a client device that supports a second type of I/O devices (e.g., touchscreen display), wherein the I/O commands of the client device support motion-based user input. The operations of the interpreted I/O commands are then returned from the application host computer, application server, or cloud server to the client device and rendered on the display thereof. The system and methods enable cross-platform application execution by translating I/O operations that are native to the user's remote device to I/O operations that are native to the application host computer, application server, or cloud server.