The hype builds on as Xbox lead Phil Spencer shares more details about the future of the Xbox Platform. He shed light on the future of Xbox Game Pass as well as some other services. These details come from Phil Spencer’s latest interview with Stratechery. In the interview, he shared some new insights into new ideas for the platform such as Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud game streaming service. Although the event is paid content we do have some details from it thanks to The Verge.
There were definitely some interesting ideas that he had to share. Spencer hinted that “I think you’re going to see lower-priced hardware as part of our ecosystem. When you think about streaming sticks and other things that somebody might want to just go plug into their TV and go play via xCloud.” He said that they could also include this feature as part of their Xbox Game Pass. People will then just need a controller and dedicated stick that they can plug at the back of their television to see games streamed from their console.
This is not the first time we’ve heard of a Chromecast like implementation from Microsoft. There were rumors that Microsoft was previously experimenting with a game streaming dongle codenamed Project Hobart. In addition to that Phill Spencer also revealed that there might be a new “Platinum” tier for Xbox Game Pass. This tier will include extended features like free hardware as well as bonus perks. Kind of like the Xbox All Access feature for Series X and S.
Project xCloud is one of the biggest Microsoft projects to date and it looks like it’s been making waves in Eastern Europe and South Korea. Microsoft has partnered with Samsung to promote Xbox Game Pass’ cloud streaming features in South Korea. They have shown how this new feature could bring the games directly to your smartphones and tablets.
Cloud Streaming:
Cloud Streaming games is a new frontier for Microsoft. However, their solution is showing a lot of potential. The new game service will be subscription-based so it will also generate new revenues for the company. How Microsoft convinces people to pay for that is another story. It is clear from all these possible rumors that Microsoft is looking to add more value to their service. Keeping in mind that the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release is drawing near, it’s a busy time for Microsoft right now.
In terms of adding new platforms, the service is already ready for Android and Windows devices. Microsoft is currently working on a web-based solution for iOS devices to run xCloud. This new platform might get support in early 2021. Phill Spencer confirmed these plans in his interview with Stratechery. Apple has been blocking services like xCloud and Stadia from iOS and iPadOS. this is still a big challenge for Microsoft to overcome.
Phil Spencer did assure iOS users in his interview. He said, “We have a good solution on iOS that I think it’ll be coming kind of early next year, I feel good about the solution that we have.” Let’s hope what he feels about the new workaround is true and we get to see box features on every device. The new consoles drop on November 10th, be sure to check out your local retailer if you want one.
In addition to the release, Microsoft has also planned a special event for the consoles make sure to check that out as well. More details on the event here.