Update, September 24, 2019: We have updated the article to show that Project xCloud public preview sign-ups have begun in the US, the UK and South Korea, and it will begin in October.
The idea of being able to stream console and PC-quality games to any mobile device or platform has been mostly just a dream for a while now. However, Microsoft recently announced it was trying to make that dream into reality with a new service called Project xCloud. In summary, it is supposed to be able to stream any game released for the Microsoft Xbox One console to smartphones and tablets, so owners can play them almost anywhere.
This is certainly ambitious, but if any company can accomplish this task, it's Microsoft. Let's take a look at everything we know currently about Project XCloud, compare it to other current and upcoming game streaming services, and see if Microsoft can pull off the dream of gaming anywhere at any time.
Editor's Note: We will update this article on a regular basis when more information is revealed about Project xCloud.
What is Project xCloud?
Project xCloud is the current name (likely a placeholder) for Microsoft's game streaming service. The company briefly announced plans to offer such a service in June 2018 as part of its press event at the E3 video game trade show. We know the company has been working on technology to stream games from cloud servers to smartphones and other devices for years. In September 2013, The Verge reported Microsoft showed off a demo at an internal meeting featuring the Xbox 360-exclusive game Halo 4 streaming from the cloud to both a Windows Phone-based Nokia Lumia smartphone and a Windows PC.
In October 2018, Microsoft revealed more information on its game streaming service, along with the Project xCloud code name. The announcement was accompanied by a video showing what Microsoft said was footage of live game streaming from this service. We saw players with Samsung smartphones and tablets playing popular games like Forza Horizon 4, Gears of War 4, Halo 5, and Cuphead with both Xbox One game controllers and, in the case of the tablets, actual direct control on touchscreens.
In both its blog post and the video, Microsoft said Project xCloud would leverage the features of the company's Azure cloud computing hardware and software, which is available in 54 locations all over the world. The company said it is already testing Project xCloud from an Azure cloud server located in Washington. Microsoft says it has created a special cloud server blade to hold the hardware of several Xbox One consoles. Each of these Project xCloud blades can be placed in Azure data centers around the world. Microsoft says when the service officially goes live, it should offer gamers a great streaming experience everywhere.
As we stated, the video showed gamers controlling the streaming games on smartphones via the Xbox One game controller, connected by wireless Bluetooth tech. However, Microsoft says it has also developed a "touch input overlay" to play Xbox One games direction on a smartphone or tablet's touchscreen, without the need for a controller.
During the Inside Xbox episode on March 12, 2019, Kareem Choudhry, head of gaming cloud at Microsoft, gave us another sneak peek into Project xCloud. Live on stage, the exec brought out an Android phone connected to an Xbox One controller and Inside Xbox host Julia Hardy used it to play Forza Horizon 4. The game looked fluid and crisp — although there's no telling what kind of behind-the-scenes trickery may have been employed to ensure a smooth demo.
Microsoft says it has been testing Project xCloud internally, and more recently allowed employees at the company to test it in their own homes. It has recorded download speeds of 10Mbps. It claims the service will not only work on current 4G cellular networks when it goes live, but also the upcoming 5G networks scheduled to go live in 2019. The company added it knows it will need to address a number of issues for this service to work well, like solving issues with latency, graphical quality in games and playable framerates for those titles. So far, Microsoft has not yet offered any specifics on how they plan to deal with these issues.
What kind of hardware and games will support the service?
In May, Microsoft announced it had put in its custom Project xCloud blades to datacenters across 13 of its Azure regions in North America, Asia and Europe. It also announced that major game publishers like Capcom and Paradox Interactive are already using those Project XCloud servers to test their games without having to port them to other platforms. More datacenters will house those server blades in the near future.
At E3 in June 2019, Microsoft announced that in addition to the remote Project xCloud service, it will also launch support for "Console Streaming". Basically, if you own an Xbox One console, this service will allow it to be used as a local xCloud server, so you can stream games from the console to your portable device via your home network or anywhere you have an online connection.
How many games will the service eventually support?
Microsoft claims when Project xCloud officially launches, it will support streaming of every single Xbox One game that's been published. It will also support other Xbox or Xbox 360 games that can be played on the Xbox One console. That's a total of over 3,500 games. Over 1,900 games are currently in development for the Xbox One console. All of them can be played via Project XCloud. Developers will be able to let gamers access their Xbox One games via Project xCloud with no additional work on their end.
In addition, Microsoft has added support for streaming games to its main Xbox Developer Kit (XDK). That includes the company's new "IsStreaming" API which allows any Xbox One game to know if it's streaming from the cloud. Those games can then automatically make changes to make them better for gamers who use the streaming platform. That includes making changes to the UI for smaller smartphone screens.
When and where will the Project xCloud public preview launch?
Microsoft has confirmed it will begin public trials of Project xCloud in October 2019. Those trials will be in the US, the UK, and South Korea. If you live in US and UK, and you own an Android phone or tablet, you can sign up for the public preview right now at the link below.
Microsoft has already confirmed that it will be available in South Korea, via the carrier SK Telecom, for select 5G/LTE subscribers. Those folks can sign up for the public preview at the link below:
In the US and UK, the public preview will work with any 5GHz Wi-Fi or any mobile data connection with a 10Mbps download speed. However, T-Mobile customers may get some special treatment for xCloud in the US, and UK Vodafone users will get some extra special treatment as well. Microsoft says the deals with the carriers "are technical partnerships that will help us optimize the experience, but gamers across all carriers are eligible to participate in the preview."
The Android phone or tablet has to run Android 6.0 or higher with Bluetooth 4.0 to participate in the preview. Users must also have a Microsoft account and a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One Wireless Controller. It will also be helpful, but not required, to get a phone mount for the controller. Finally, you will need to download the preview version of the Xbox Game Streaming App.
Microsoft says that invites for the public preview will begin to go out in the coming weeks.
What games will be a part of the public preview?
The public preview of xCloud will let users stream and play four games; the sci-fi FPS Halo 5: Guardians, the sci-fi third-person shooter Gears 5, the pirate action game Sea of Thieves and the fighting game Killer Instinct.
When and where will Project xCloud officially launch and how much will it cost?
Microsoft has yet to reveal an official launch date for the service beyond the public preview. There's also no word on how much the service will cost beyond the preview stage.
What smartphones and tablets will work with Project xCloud?
It's a safe bet Microsoft will officially launch Project xCloud for Android-based mobile devices. However, support for Apple's iPhone and iPad products might be a bit more difficult.
Earlier this year, Valve launched its Steam Link app for Android, which allows people who have a PC and a Steam account to stream games locally in their own home to a mobile phone or tablet. However, when Valve tried to launch the same Steam Link app for iOS, it was blocked from the iOS Appstore by Apple, for apparently violating the store's guidelines. So far, Valve's Steam Link app has yet to appear on iOS, and if it stays off that app store, it's likely any Project XCloud app from Microsoft would also be banned by Apple.
Are there any current and future competitors to Project xCloud?
The concept of a game streaming service, similar to how Netflix and Hulu stream videos and Spotify streams music, is nothing new. However, it's proven very hard to launch. The closest we have come to something similar to Microsoft's plans for Project xCloud has come from Nvidia. It's GeForce Now service allows owners of its Android-based Shield tablets (original and K1), the Shield Portable console and it's Shield TV set-top boxes to purchase and stream a selection of high-quality PC games to those devices.
Nvidia has since expanded the scope of GeForce Now to include support for people who own games via Steam to stream their selections to Shield TV boxes, along with beta testing for Windows and Mac computers. So far, Nvidia has not revealed how many people have signed up to use GeForce Now in any of its incarnations. However, in August 2019, it announced plans to expand the beta test to include select Android smartphones.
In addition to Nvidia's efforts, Sony offers its PlayStation Now service. Launched in 2014, the service now has more than 650 PS2, PS3 and PS4 games to stream for a monthly fee. However, Sony cut support for PlayStation Now for a number of previously included devices, including smart TVs and the PlayStation Vita portable in 2017. It now works just on PlayStation 4 consoles and Windows PCs. Like NVIDIA, Sony has chosen not to announce just how many gamers have used PlayStation Now in the past four years.
In October 2018, Google joined the game streaming trend with the rather bland sounding "Project Stream" code name. It launched an invite-only beta allowing members of the public to stream and play the full version of Ubisoft's action-adventure game Assassin's Creed: Odyssey on laptops, desktop PCs, and Chromebooks with the Chrome browser, if they have an internet connection 25 Mbps or faster. That test ended in January 2019. In March, Google revealed more information on its streaming game plans, including its new name: Google Stadia. The company will also release its own game controller for Stadia. Stadia will launch in November 2019.
Finally, game publisher Electronic Arts revealed in June 2018 at the E3 trade show it was working on its own game streaming service, even showing live demos of it running on smartphones. EA had previously announced it had acquired the cloud gaming technology assets and personnel of the GameFly service for an undisclosed amount. Since E3 2018, EA has been silent about its plans for its own game streaming service.
Conclusion
Microsoft's Project xCloud announcement could be the biggest hope yet for game streaming technology. Microsoft certainly has both game experience with their Xbox division and a ton of cloud server technology development. that will help in their plans to successful launch Project xCloud. However, we have seen promising game-oriented technology at Microsoft crash and burn before (we are looking at you, Kinect). It remains to be seen if Project xCloud will be a true revolution for the portable and mobile game industry, or just another streaming service that fails to live up to its potential.
What are your impressions of Microsoft's Project xCloud at this point? Do you think the company will be successful in bringing game streaming to the masses or are there too many technically hurdles to overcome at this point? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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