Microsoft is apparently not rushing the gaming cloud service even if the public trials will start this October.
Phil Spencer, EVP for Microsoft Gaming, said in an interview that they’d experienced some complications in the past during launches.
This is why they are taking their time to make sure they don’t commit the same mistakes for the xCloud.
But he also said that they don’t expect the xCloud to revolutionize gaming. The cloud service is not meant to replace consoles. What it does initially is to expand the capabilities and options of the existing customers for Microsoft.
In fact, Microsoft’s strategy is anchored in the long game. Spencer said they project about 10 years before the technology and the service will really take off. The company is offering two access points for games–the xCloud and consoles.
Spencer added that they are looking to reach out to millions of people who currently have no consoles. These are people who have no plans of buying a console, but through xCloud, they can play games on mobile devices. For instance, Xbox titles have more than 3,500 games, and people will have access to that library.
Meanwhile, Kareem Choudhry, VP for Microsoft Gaming Cloud, showed off the server rack that will host the games. He said they will spread out these servers in 13 locations all over the world. These servers will be used during the public trials in October. The guts of the Xbox One S are placed in the 2U Rack that will make up the whole data center.
The xCloud is a service that will connect the whole Microsoft gaming ecosystem. The idea is to play your favorite game on your phone, console, TV, tablet, and other devices. You can turn off your console and resume where you left off when you log on to your smartphone. It’s essentially gaming on the go.
Ultimately, this will also help game developers and publishers extend the lifespan of their games. In the traditional model, they make games dedicated to the current console. The latest generation consoles can only play old titles through backward compatibility.
Spencer explained that the cloud infrastructure will help expand access to these games as long as the device is compatible. He said developers are spending so much money on these games yet they become outdated by technology. The xCloud service will extend the lifespan of the game as long as possible, he said.
