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This is MS we're talking about, not some lame Google project!
Microsoft already has a huge installed user base for this. Their existing consoles already offer the option to stream games directly without an install. This isn’t nearly the leap for them that it was for Google.
Kettle meet pot?
Rip cable card windows media center. I loved ye so...This would be a wonderful XBOX/Windows Media Center mash-up extender if Microsoft still did WMC
I mean it has all the technical issues of game streaming, which are many, but MS does have some advantages over Google meaning they could possibly succeed where Google failed:
Microsoft had great success with products like Zune and Kinect. Of course we can't forget about the Xbox One, which had great success. Remind me how many Xbox One's were sold?
For the new Series X/S? About 16.5 million. For the original One/1X? 50 million.
55 million reported after Microsoft was forced to legally release that info. They stopped reporting after 2016. That says a lot about Microsoft's confidence of the Xbox One. Not that 55 million is bad, but Microsoft sure seemed to think it was.
You would think so, but then again, how many new ways to write windows apps have they made in recent times, and then kind of let hang in the wind. Let's not talk about how many times you would have had to rewrite a Windows Mobile app before you could rewrite it for the last time as a 'universal' app that would only be useful on the final version of the platform that had the least devices. But I don't think the Xbox division is that out of touch with the world.
Oh wow, I hadn't heard about that, thanks. That doesn't cover my state. Looks like a return to the US West footprint + Florida and Nevada. That's wild. This transaction seems to be based on states, not Rural vs Urban like Verizon's sales/dumping to Frontier.
The number of console sales will limit how many games can be sold.
Google had a potentially massive one, imagine being proposed to try a game via streaming after having watched the trailer or a review of it on youtube in a bit of systematic way if your are on google chrome, you test both the game and stadia, with an easy to way to continue your game and become a member.
Not sure who would disagree about that, the article in the OP is talking about Microsoft challenge to make it around $130 with a good controller.
Ya but they never did anything like that. I'm not saying Google couldn't have found ways to try and promote Stadia, just saying MS has some advantages since MS is already in videogames and, despite what some want to claim, a big player in that space. Google was starting from scratch. They have the money they could have gone a lot harder at getting games on the platform and developing things, but they didn't. They did the Google thing of launch something and just assume it'll all work out magic, and when it doesn't, cancel it.
Yes licensing to make that happen would have needed to be build up, unlike Gamepass adding a streaming option. People being able to test without spending a dollar seem an important feature for this to work.
Having a viable way to pay for the game once and use is on streaming and local hardware is also something Microsoft could probably do that Google didn't do.
The thing is that $130 is still stupid. What's the device good for? Only streaming? Maybe some Netflix? The Xbox Series S makes sense to be the device that will carry Microsoft's cloud gaming service forward. Not only it can play games locally but it can also stream. Just lower the price and be done with it. Otherwise this $130 device is gonna end up as ewaste.
A streaming-only device would be fine... just not at $130. I'd say $99 is the magic mark; more of a conspicuous gap, but high enough that Microsoft can pack some better hardware inside than the usual Chromecasts and Fire Sticks. The irony is that the new Apple TV 4K might be a better value at $130 since it can play some native games (mobile-oriented ones, but still) and likely has access to a much wider range of streaming video services.
The controller is what around $65, a 4k firestick is sold $55 maybe at a lost, that $120, we cannot compare to not controller device when it is will be the main piece
If you wanna go that route then Microsoft should just make an app on Chromecasts, Fire Sticks, Apple TV's, and etc to play the games and you have the controller hooked up and ready to go. This service is for people who can't afford to buy the console, so I would go all the way and just let anyone play with any device they have, with any controller they have. This is the problem with all these could gaming services in that they're meant for people with low income but when you price everything out the setup comes out to be more than just buying the console.
Firstly, does it have to be an Xbox Series gamepad? What's the difference between an Xbox 360 and Xbox One's gamepad, let alone PS4/PS5 and etc? Not enough to care. Second, why is the gamepad $65? Don't they mass produce these things? Also I found it for $40 on Amazon new. Third, everyone has a device that can be used to Stream. The problem is that most cloud gaming service either has a specific app, browser, or device that's needed for it to work. Nvidia has gotten it right in that they only require a web browser and some sort of input device for Geforce now. Does Microsoft's cloud gaming service need a device on a TV because lots of devices fit that requirement.
That's the way it seems to be going, and probably the best route. Samsung TVs now have that Xbox cloud gaming app, so your up-front cost is exactly zero beyond the TV and the controller you already needed.
If that's the direction that they want for Xbox cloud then it'll fail. In every respect the service will be worse than a cheap Xbox Series S. Stadia was all about convenience, except that it wasn't. Setting up a smart TV with all the streaming services is a pain, and you expect people to do that with Xbox cloud? It should be viewed as a cheap mans console.
Oh, I didn't say it's the smartest strategy, just that it's what Microsoft is doing. And it'll be difficult to offer cheaply as the cost of maintaining suitable hardware and bandwidth isn't cheap. As I've said in the past: game streaming shows promise, but the technology and business model just aren't there yet.
My views on cloud gaming is that it'll never happen. Microsoft can go ahead and try but it'll end up like so many other failed streaming services, unless its economical. Firstly, the technology will never be there. The main problem with cloud gaming is speed of electricity. I wanna say speed of light but that isn't accurate. Lets pretend that isn't an issue, even though it totally is, but there's cost too. Nvidia Grid wanted to you buy the games from Nvidia, as well as Stadia. Geforce Now allows you to use games off Steam, so long as its a supported game. Sony has the right idea in that they treat their service as a Netflix type service, except it's horrible laggy and doesn't come with the latest games. For this to work it has to be as cheap as possible, with as many games as you can get off Steam, while having decent latency.
It isn't hard, but it gets annoying with 2 factor authentication. Now do this to every device you come across to play your games. It's easier to pick up a Xbox Series S or better yet bring a Steam Deck.
I wouldn't say "never" (I rarely deal in absolutes), but I wouldn't be surprised if game streaming fizzles out. Latency and costs can go down — the challenge is getting enough game developers to offer their games in the cloud, whatever the pricing model looks like.
My thinking with cloud gaming is that it's a cheat code to making more money for whoever is successful with it. The problem is gaming is already expensive compared to other forms of entertainment, and people hate the subscription model. Just look at Netflix who is trying to find alternatives with revenue by including ads.
Sony and Microsoft can pull this off due to their large library of games at their disposal. The problem is licensing as this is still a problem for Nvidia's Geforce Now, as well as Microsoft's backwards compatibility for the Xbox Series consoles.
If you game only in your home. If you travel then this becomes a huge problem for multiple reasons.
The Steam Deck has access to nearly all of Steam's games, while also able to play other games, including Switch games. PC is able to play nearly all games in existence, making it an ideal platform to game on. Legally that's another matter, but legally is what limits consoles and especially cloud gaming. What'll happen is that big name studios will break off and create their own cloud gaming service. I could see EA and Ubisoft do something like this. This is what happened to video streaming as everyone is trying to get into that subscription model.
Your feeling on cloud means nothing. It will happen. It will be forced down our throats and won't have a choice.