Microsoft’s game streaming service is in its preview phase.
The service is currently available in the preview state in the US.
At XO19 held in London, it was announced that the service will come to India along with Canada, Japan and Western Europe in 2020 as a preview.
At XO19 held in London, Microsoft announced that Project xCloud would reach Indian shores as a preview in 2020. The registration page where users can sign up and be a part of the preview is not live in India as of writing this story. With Project xCloud, gamers will be able to stream their Xbox games from the internet to their smartphone or tablet. Along with expanding to new regions, xCloud will be available to Windows 10 PC’s in 2020 as well. Adding more features to xCloud, Microsoft has said that they are planning to integrate Project xCloud with Xbox Game Pass in 2020. This will give players access to their Game Pass library via the cloud streaming service. With all the good news, there are some questions that need answering, the most important of which is a concrete launch date and pricing.
Combining a subscription service like Game Pass with a cloud streaming service like xCloud is what we thought Google would do with Stadia. Google’s cloud streaming service looks to be heading towards a rocky launch with a number of key features missing from the service on day one. These features include Buddy Pass (the ability to invite a friend to the service if you purchased the Founders Edition bundle), family sharing and more. Not to mention the lacklustre launch lineup of games with the service.
With xCloud, Microsoft is looking to take its time ironing out the kinks before it announces a price and availability of the service. At XO19, Microsoft also announced that the company is looking to include support for Sony’s DualShock 4 controllers on xCloud next year. Other Bluetooth controllers and gamepads from Razer will also see compatibility with the service.
It looks like Microsoft wants its fingers in all aspects of gaming. If you are a console gamer then there is the Xbox One family of consoles and the upcoming Project Scarlett. If you are a PC gamer, then the company’s exclusive lineup of games, along with Game Pass is available for PC as well. If you are a smartphone gamer then you can subscribe to the company's cloud gaming service and play the games on your smartphone, when the service launches next year.
Microsoft announced a bunch of games, both exclusive and third party at XO19. However, it looks like Microsoft is saving the big guns for the Project Scarlett reveal or E3 2020. None of the games announced are heavyweights that can take on PlayStation’s lineup of exclusives that includes Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us, and more. The only heavyweight coming next year is Halo Infinite which is confirmed to be a Project Scarlett launch title.
Those interested can check out all the confirmed and rumoured specs of Microsoft’s Scarlett console here.
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Sameer Mitha
Sameer Mitha lives for gaming and technology is his muse. When he isn’t busy playing with gadgets or video games he delves into the world of fantasy novels. View Full Profile
