Yahoo Finance Xbox One games headed to mobile as Microsoft announce xCloud streaming service
Microsoft has announced Project xCloud, a ‘state-of-the-art’ streaming service that is aiming to bring console quality video games to devices such as mobile and tablet.
The streaming service will start public trials in 2019 and is looking to allow gamers to stream any Xbox One game, such as Halo or Forza Horizon, on any device, with developers able to ‘deploy and dramatically scale access to their games with no additional work.’
Microsoft’s intention of building a cloud-streaming service was revealed at the E3 2018 conference in June, in which Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced that Microsoft’s engineers were working on a solution to bring Xbox games to mobile.
In an announcement video, Microsoft said that the technology is up and running, using the company’s Azure cloud computing service. Microsoft demonstrated Forza Horizon running on a mobile device, controlled with an Xbox controller connected by Bluetooth, and Halo running on a tablet using touchscreen input.
In an effort to combat the latency possible in any kind of streaming, which would be particularly crippling for video games, Microsoft said that they are building custom ‘blades’ using the component parts from an Xbox One S console to slot into their cloud datacenters.
“Cloud game-streaming is a multi-faceted, complex challenge,” said Microsoft’s Kareem Choudhry in a blog post. “Unlike other forms of digital entertainment, games are interactive experiences that dynamically change based on player input. Delivering a high-quality experience across a variety of devices must account for different obstacles, such as low-latency video streamed remotely, and support a large, multi-user network.“
Microsoft said that xCloud is capable of running on a 4G network and the company will look to improve the service for 5G users as the improved network becomes more readily available.
Microsoft has 54 data-centers in Azure regions around the world, with the service available in 140 countries, which Microsoft believes will give it a strong base to roll out its game-streaming service.
The announcement for xCloud comes following the news that Google is trialling its own game-streaming service, Project Stream, which is running a limited test in the United States allowing users to play Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey directly in Google Chrome browsers.
Sony Playstation, the main rival for Xbox in the console gaming market, already has a streaming service in the form of PlayStation Now. But after discontinuing the service on Sony Bravia TVs, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3, users of the subscription based service can only stream games to a PC or their PlayStation 4 console rather than mobile devices.
Microsoft did not reveal any details on pricing plans or how the service might work for existing Xbox One owners. But it was at pains to say it was committed to its flagship console and that gaming on a native console would still be ‘the best place to play.’
Instead, Microsoft is targeting xCloud at gamers less likely to buy a high-end console as the tech giant continues its attempt to take the ‘Xbox’ brand beyond just the console market.
Analysts believe that console gaming would not be under threat from cloud-based gaming in the immediate future, particularly after Microsoft committed to building the next generation of Xbox consoles at this year’s E3, but that the xCloud service could roll out by the end of next year.
“Microsoft continues to work on a next-gen console which will supersede the Xbox One X and it has been clear that it believes that cloud gaming will be an incremental opportunity for Xbox for the foreseeable future,” said Piers Harding-Rolls, head of gaming at analyst firm IHS Markit. “What is interesting is that xCloud will initially be built using Xbox One S hardware. Although Microsoft states that the infrastructure will be easily updated in the future, this suggests that a commercial service will launch sooner rather than later and quite likely before the end of 2019.”
