Microsoft has unveiled their new game streaming service ‘Project xCloud’, which grants gamers the ultimate freedom in their choice of gaming medium – PC or console – but also aims to bring the game streaming service to smartphones and tablets.
Streaming services have exploded in popularity in recent years with the aim of bringing big games to your home without the need for a massive gaming computing system or console set up. However, instead of just console and PC platforms, Microsoft is planning on bringing Project xCloud to smartphones and tablets.
Microsoft has been testing the xCloud service with Xbox wireless controllers connected to consoles, mobile devices, and PCs, as well as touchscreen controls on mobile devices, and will be opening up testing to the public next year.
Microsoft has custom-built hardware for its data centres so that existing and future Xbox games will be compatible with the xCloud, which means developers can deploy and scale access to their games on xCloud without the need for additional work.
The xCloud is possible thanks to the existing cloud computing service Microsoft Azure which houses numerous data centres already set up around the world.
Microsoft’s Xbox game streaming service will face competition from a variety of existing services including PlayStation Now, GeForce Now, Liquid Sky, Shadow and of course Google’s Project Stream announced only days ago which allows gamers to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey via the Chrome browser.
Microsoft isn’t revealing too many details on how it differs from its competition, but more news will follow when public testing begins in 2019.
