During the most recent Inside Xbox stream, Microsoft announced that Project xCloud is almost ready for public testing. Project xCloud has previously been described as a way to play all digital Xbox One games via a streaming service app available across a variety of platforms, but Microsoft hasn’t been prepared to share the service publically. That’s apparently going to change very soon.
Today’s Project xCloud news is less of an announcement than a progress update. Microsoft is dedicating itself to revealing more about Project xCloud in the months to come. Part of that is allowing prospective customers to experiment with Project xCloud for themselves, but it’s only willing to dedicate itself to launching this effort in 2019.
To show its dedication, however, Microsoft did perform a stage demo of what Project xCloud will look like in motion. It’s unclear if the demo was live or pre-recorded, but Forza Horizon 4 was shown running on a regular smartphone, controlled by a normal Xbox One controller connected via Bluetooth.
Project xCloud is not just a video game streaming service for Xbox players who are tired of buying retail games or download full digital games, but is designed to offer the Xbox experience across devices where console gaming experiences aren’t otherwise available, either due to platform restrictions or hardware. Microsoft sees Project xCloud as an opportunity to deliver the “same choice and versatility that lovers of music and video” experience across so many platforms already.
One lingering question that’s likely to stand out following the announcement of Project xCloud’s upcoming public trials is what it means for the strongly rumored Xbox streaming console. Rumors have swirled as of late regarding the so-called Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, said to be planned for a Q1 2019 launch. With Project xCloud’s testing not even having a firm start date, an all-digital console built to embrace Project xCloud releasing in the next several months doesn’t make much sense.
The upcoming year could prove a definitive time for the future of Xbox. The reception of Project xCloud, alongside the rumored release of digital-focused hardware, could redefine Microsoft’s gaming strategy. When talking about Project xCloud, it starts by saying that the service is not a replacement for game consoles, but the console industry is rapidly changing. Watch out for more Project xCloud announcements going into Xbox’s E3 presence later this year.
