As our internet connections improve with more bandwidth and lower latencies. Cloud gaming is becoming more and more popular these days. The main reason, of course, is the ease of access and the value it offers. You can now days even have a thin and light machine with minimal processing power and enjoy ray-traced games over the internet.
Many major gaming companies have launched their cloud gaming services, and it was about time we hear from Microsoft. The Cloud beta program from Microsoft just closed down recently. Microsoft said that they will now make a public release of this service. However, it looks like Microsoft and Xbox have some bigger plans in mind with its cloud gaming service, Project xCloud.
A post by u/TroLsauros on Reddit shows a recently updated patent from Microsoft. After the first inspection, It looks like Microsoft is aiming for something interconnected and diverse in its cloud gaming service. This update of the patent shows peripherals we use for controlling games.
Specifically, game controllers that users use as a mouse or a gamepad for the console. These devices are necessary for interaction with the games running on the console. They may be in any shape, size, or layout, depending on the intended use and device.
There are multi-purpose controllers which are useful for a wide range of games. In addition, some specialized controllers are designed for specific games. This type of controllers includes steering wheels for racing games, weapons for shooting games, and navigation sticks for aviation games.
Most of the time, companies design these controllers to work with a single gaming system in mind. For example, they could either work with computers or consoles or mobile phones.
A Collective System:
Talking about the gaming environment and ecosystem. Over the past few years, it has also evolved from solo campaign games to multiplayer and more interactive ones. People can now interact and play in real-time with their friends and other gamers. Conventionally, these gaming systems will require not only a gaming console or a PC but also a display for visuals and a network connection.
There can also be other devices like speakers and motion trackers to provide increased control and immersion. However, the game controller is limited in only controlling some devices such as personal computers. Hence Microsoft sees this as a frontier for improvement.
Also read: 4 reasons why Project xCloud is already better than Stadia
Looking at the image above, you can verify that there a few devices connected to the game console 210. We can see that there can be a game controller 231, tablet 232, headset 236, virtual reality device 250, and depth camera 234.
The headset 236, may capture audio input from a player and the player’s surroundings and may also act as an output device if it is coupled with a headphone or other speaker. The virtual reality device 250 may be a head-mounted device (HMD) for use with VR gaming and other augmented reality applications.
Now this entire ecosystem may tie up for the xCloud’s future for Microsoft. It could either mean local game streaming support from console to PC and other devices. Microsoft could also implement game streaming even on their older consoles so people can enjoy new features like Ray Tracing etc.
We have no idea where they might go with these ideas but know for sure soon enough. Microsoft will launch its Project xCloud on September 15th after the launch users will be able to play 100+ Xbox games on your Android mobile phone or tablet with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.