While it seems that it’s still a little bit away being 100% on the mainstream, streaming for video games is slowly, but surely, becoming a new way to play. With Google’s Stadia launch and Sony’s PlayStation Now getting more popular, we already have some key examples of it happening. As announced yesterday, Microsoft’s take on this new tech is xCloud, and it’ll be coming to Game Pass Ultimate users this September, but for the Head of Xbox, it’s only the beginning.
Talking to The Verge, Phil Spencer said his ultimate vision is to expand xCloud. The launch alongside Ultimate is a start for him, but he ultimately wants to see xCloud expand far beyond just mobile and come to every possible screen.
“Over time we will continue to expand how we introduce streaming as part of the platform, and playing games that you own that aren’t part of the subscription,” said Spencer. “For launch we’re putting it in Ultimate for no additional cost. We think it’s a good audience for us to start with, and it’s an audience that plays a lot of games.
“We want to bring Project xCloud, eventually, to every screen that someone can stream games to. Right now we’re just saying mobile. There are discussions going on and we’re working through things. We’ll talk more specifically about which mobile devices through August and the September launch.
“We want that trial to be as easy as it is in music and video today, where I can send you a track in Spotify today and you can stream it instantly. Over time, anywhere I see a game I should be able to give it a try.”
This lines up with previous comments Spencer has made, specifically about hoping the surface will reach areas that traditional consoles and PCs aren’t as readily available in. xCloud is a pretty exciting little piece of technology, so it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out in the end.
