Phil Spencer: Cloud Streaming to Consoles and PC Is on the "Long List of Cool Things" To Add

Phil Spencer: Cloud Streaming to Consoles and PC Is on the "Long List of Cool Things" To Add

Written by on | OpenCritic

Responding to a fan on Twitter, Phil Spencer has confirmed the Xbox Cloud Gaming team does have plans to bring streaming to consoles and PC, but it might be a while before they address it.

Currently, Xbox Cloud Streaming, or Project xCloud, as it was previously called in limited preview, is available with Game Pass Ultimate subscription. It allows players to instantly boot up over 150 games on compatible Android devices and play Xbox games on the go. Basically, it's Stadia for Xbox players with the benefit of being part of subscription. Many have wondered if streaming games via the cloud may come to other platforms one day. According to the Xbox boss, it's in the works.

Quote-tweeting Insider's Ben Gilbert's tweet about Game Pass and cloud streaming, a podcaster @Vyyyper asked some of the Xbox brass if something is in the works to allow players to use streaming as a sort of "demo" for games they may or may not choose to download.

"Hey @aarongreenberg @XboxP3 any chance this could happen at some point?"

As he often does, Spencer responded directly and actually provided some good news for the Xbox community. "Yes, we want to do this. It's in the long list of cool things the xCloud team is working on, just a bit further down the list. But we want console and PC players to be able to browse as easily as mobile players, it's a good gamepass feature."

Such a vision always seemed possible, if not likely, for the Xbox team, as it would further their goal of breaking down generational divides. If any game can be streamed from the cloud, then feasibly one day a Series X exclusive, like Fable or State of Decay 3, may still be playable on an Xbox One, just like they likely will be playable on Android devices.

As for Apple, that's still a sore spot for Microsoft, and one they'd clearly like to massage, but it's on Apple to alter their practices and allow gaming platforms such as Xbox and Google Stadia to offer their services on the platform in a way that makes sense for everyone.

 

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