Project xCloud is Microsoft's upcoming game streaming service. While we haven't heard many details about how it'll work and factors such as latency, we do know that public trials should begin in 2019. However, a description posted on the Game Developers Conference (GDC) website gives us some insight into the project. GDC is the world's largest professional game industry event, with five days of learning, inspiration, and networking. It'll take place from March 18 to March 22, 2019 in San Francisco.
You can read the truncated description below. It seems like all native console games are able to stream through Project xCloud.
Project xCloud is enabling console native games to stream through our Azure-hosted game servers and streaming clients. Any console native game currently shipping in the Microsoft Store on Xbox will be capable of streaming to a mobile device. Project xCloud is an open platform with a customizable client user design experience where streaming starts with Xbox game developers not having to modify a single line of existing game code. This talk... will go deeper into how cloud-aware games built with the Project xCloud software development kit will help games adapt for mobile through the same graphics and input paradigms as console native development. You will also learn about the new microservices layer that allow customization such as glass and touch input when a game controller is not available, all outside of the game.
Project xCloud should allow you to play your games anywhere. However, given the fact that publishers like EA are developing their own game streaming services, they may not want to participate in Project xCloud. Only time will tell and Microsoft should make this a requirement for the next-generation of consoles.
What are your thoughts on this? Would you want to participate in the public trials? Let us know.
