Microsoft is rolling out its xCloud streaming service on mobile devices, but TVs are possible the next step. Xbox chief Phil Spencer has already revealed that an Xbox app will probably appear on smart TVs over the next year. Microsoft is currently working on bringing xCloud to the web to run on iOS devices.
The company was already working on a lightweight Xbox streaming device in 2016, but the project got shelved. But the company has been testing the idea of streaming and TV sticks ever since the company initially demonstrated Halo 4 streaming from the cloud to Windows and Windows Phones in 2013.
Spencer stated, “I don’t think these will be the last big pieces of hardware that we ship. When we think about xCloud, our version of Stadia or Luna, I think it needs to evolve to games that run between a hybrid environment of the cloud and the local compute capability. It’s a hybrid between both of those.”
We know that Xbox Series S and X consoles are getting access to xCloud soon. It will allow players to try a game quickly before they fully download it from Game Pass. It will also be possible to even stream a demo of a game before purchasing it.
Microsoft also has plans to integrate xCloud into Facebook Gaming in the future. So we can expect a lot of changes to come in the xCloud soon. Microsoft is also planning to upgrade its server blades to the more capable Xbox Series X hardware at some point in 2021. So with this regard and its new partnership with Samsung, we can see the Xbox app for smart news next year.
