I think PlayStation Now is a decent service, which means I’m not against the impending future of cloud streaming – it’s the way things look to be going. Earlier today, Microsoft revealed plans to bring their xCloud game streaming service to consoles during their Xbox Gamescom 2021 show, which will only increase the value of their Xbox Game Pass-centric ecosystem.
https://youtu.be/BomfVh2PSkM
We’ve already been streaming video content through Netflix and YouTube for years, and the concept of streaming games over the internet has even seen usage all the way back in the early 2010s with OnLive. Does anyone remember OnLive? Well anyway, OnLive and Gaikai essentially became PlayStation Now after Sony bought out the two streaming companies’ technologies, and then Google jumped into the fray with Google Stadia. Now Amazon is in the game streaming business with their Amazon Luna service, and Microsoft rounds out that company with its xCloud service. An important distinction to make however is that Sony and Microsoft’s offerings are more ingrained in their existing ecosystems, while Google and Amazon are still finding their market.
In that announcement at Gamescom 2021, Microsoft dropped a video and images of the xCloud service in action. Games that can be streamed on Xbox Game Pass will have a little cloud icon next to them, so players will no longer have to wait for games to download to try them out. With the number of quality offerings available within Xbox Game Pass, streaming games via xCloud on consoles, PC, and mobile devices will accelerate the convenience of using the service that just seems to get better and better (provided you have a decent internet connection).
What do you make of this decision to bring xCloud to consoles? Have you checked xCloud out already, or used PlayStation Now or Google Stadia in the past? What did you think? Let us know by leaving a comment down below.
