Yesterday, Microsoft held its Xbox celebration event in London X019. Big M drowned us with new game reveals, release dates and much more. One particular highlight is detailed info about Project xCloud. The game streaming service is going to launch sometime next year across a wide range of platforms, including Android, iOS and PC. Furthermore, the service aims to support various input devices besides the Xbox One controller, such as the DualShock 4.
Microsoft’s Project xCloud has been available as a preview for a select audience in the USA, UK and South Korea since last month. Having started with just five titles, the service has now received a smattering of 50 titles. Eager readers can register for the preview here at no cost. The proper launch will happen sometime in 2020 and will no doubt kick start the next generation of gaming, alongside traditional new home consoles. Streaming gameplay over the internet looks to become a big thing going forward, with Google launching their own streaming service Google Stadia in just a few days, on November 19th. With launch line-up of just 12 titles, Microsoft’s Project xCloud is already offering a much larger range of games in beta.
In an interview with The Verge, Xbox head Phil Spencer also told the press that Microsoft plans to integrate Project xCloud with their Game Pass subscription without going into further details. We suspect detailed news about pricing to drop in the coming months. There’s also good news for anyone interested in Microsoft’s game streaming service who aren’t already in the Xbox ecosystem. xCloud will support third-party controllers like Sony’s DualShock 4 and others, lowering the entry barrier even further for anyone who owns an iOS or Android device. Project xCloud will also come to the PC which means that even owners of very low-spec laptops or desktops will be able to experience demanding games at high fidelity over the internet.
