The sales of the Xbox X and S have barely started, and Microsoft is already onto the next Xbox adventure. They’ve begun rolling out the xCloud streaming service, and next up could be an Xbox app being included on smart TVs. This could happen within the next year.
The Next Steps for Microsoft’s xCloud
Microsoft has already begun rolling out xCloud to mobile devices. Previously Xbox head Phil Spencer suggested there could be a TV streaming stick in the works for xCloud. This seems like it would be the next step for xCloud. They’re working on bringing it to the Web so that it will work on iOS. Once you take it that far, why not expand it to TVs?
The company has been working on a streaming service for some time. While working on it as far back as 2016, the hardware was then canceled. The idea of TV sticks has been a consideration since 2013 when the company streamed Halo 4 from the cloud to Windows and Windows Phones.
Xbox on Smart TVs
Spencer said we’ll likely see an Xbox app on smart TVs within the next year. “I think you’re going to see that in the next 12 months,” he said when questioned about the possibility of a TV app. “I don’t think anything is going to stop us from doing that.”
It would certainly make sense. If you can put Netflix, Hulu, Disney, etc., on a smart TV, why not Xbox? Further, why require a console if you could do the job with a stick?
However, while Microsoft is moving ahead with expanding xCloud’s reach, they aren’t planning on abandoning consoles or other hardware.
“I don’t think these will be the last big pieces of hardware that we ship,” said Spencer, presumably referencing the Xbox X and S.
What the company is looking for is just further expansion and utilizing both in a hybrid. “When we think about xCloud, which is our version of Stadia or Luna, I think what it needs to evolve to are games that actually run between a hybrid environment of the cloud and the local compute capability,” he added. “It’s really a hybrid between both of those.”
Additionally, Microsoft would like to integrate xCloud into Facebook Gaming at some point. Clearly, the company is putting a lot into its presence in xCloud. Earlier this year, it also partnered with Samsung for xCloud.
Just last year we discussed how the idea of streaming games was struggling and noted it would still in 2020 but thought it may be the future of gaming. Read on to learn the other tech predictions we thought were likely to come true in 2020.
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