Microsoft confirms that its game streaming service Project xCloud will become publicly available in October. The company shared more information about its launch plans for the technology as part of its E3 2019 press conference.
At E3 2019, Microsoft said that Project xCloud would be available to those in the Xbox Preview Program in October. The technology will put the power of Xbox consoles in the cloud, allowing users to play Xbox games from mobile devices by streaming the game. The company is allowing E3 2019 attendees to test out Project xCloud on smartphones and tablets, playing games such as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Halo 5: Guardians. Microsoft has confirmed that digital Xbox One games will be available on Project xCloud and that will mean games that players own or those they have access to as an Xbox Game Pass subscriber.
By allowing people to use the technology at E3, Microsoft is confirming that Project xCloud development is going well. However, the company did not confirm when members outside of the Xbox Preview Program would also be able to use the technology. Microsoft isn’t expected to wait long to launch Project xCloud in full, though, as it faces heavy competition from services like Google Stadia which allows users to stream games on mobile devices too.
Microsoft also didn’t announce any pricing for the service. Google just announced its pricing for Stadia, offering a subscription that costs $10 a month. This is for a much smaller library of games but Microsoft may want to price its service at around $10 or less if people are used to the idea of paying that much for games. Subscribers would also have to pay for mobile data and home Internet connections which is another reason why Project xCloud can’t be too expensive if it wants to be hugely popular.
There is also potential to bundle Project xCloud in with Microsoft’s growing list of other Xbox game services. Microsoft now offers Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which is a Game Pass subscription with Xbox Live Gold and then there’s the Xbox Game Pass PC subscription. As Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox Game Pass games work through Project xCloud, gamers wanting to save money would probably happily sign up to the two services at once. The full Project xCloud launch is still some time away, though, and expect Microsoft to offer more information about its plans beforehand.
