Cloud gaming is becoming the new battleground for big tech companies, and Microsoft could be one of the big players in 2020.
While Google’s cloud-based gaming service, Stadia, launched on November 19th, it didn’t go smoothly.
Pre-orders arrived late and many of the games simply not running at the true 4K resolution that was promised as standard.
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But we’re already hearing about Microsoft’s entry into the space, and though their streaming app isn’t official yet, it’s already looking much better than Google’s cloud service.
Project xCloud
Streaming is the future of video games.
The cloud streaming market is going to become the new battleground for Tech companies in 2020
No less than five major companies are testing or have already launched cloud gaming services that can stream blockbuster games directly to Android phones, laptops, and other devices.
While Google believes Stadia can outmatch the PlayStation and Xbox hardware, Microsoft wants Project xCloud to bring new players into the existing Xbox ecosystem.
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Project xCloud is a new video game streaming service from Microsoft that lets gamers stream any Xbox One game directly to an Android phone.
During its beta testing period, Project xCloud is giving users access to dozens of free games in Microsoft's cloud, or they can stream their own collection from their Xbox at home.
Project xCloud uses technology similar to Google's Stadia, another streaming video game service that launched in November.
The Stadia faced an extremely controversial launch, where shortcomings had users up in arms
However, Google is asking Stadia users to spend $130 to access the service, and users only have access to roughly 20 games — many of which are not free.
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Microsoft is positioning Project xCloud as a supplement to its existing Xbox business, while Google is hoping that gamers will ditch their home consoles in favour of its streaming-only Stadia service.
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