Microsoft is announcing Project xCloud, a new game streaming service that works on computers, phones, and consoles. However, the company says that this is a “multi-year journey” and public trials are expected to be available sometime in 2019.
Streaming console-quality games is complex, and for that reason, the company is building custom hardware for its data centers to allow current and future games to work with xCloud. In addition, Microsoft is aware of problems with latency, as such it will be using advanced network techniques along with video processing that should address this issue and make Xbox streaming a reality on slower networks.
While this is an exciting news for gamers, Microsoft is not the first one getting into game streaming. There are already a number of companies offering a similar service, such as PlayStation Now, Shadow, and GeForce Now.
The company just made the announcement, but it hasn’t reveal a lot of information on more specifics, as such we’ll have to wait until the public trials begin in 2019 to learn more about the service.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.