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Stadia vs. xCloud: How these game-streaming services stack up
Cloud gaming has finally arrived in a playable, frustration-free form (mostly, anyway), courtesy of two tech giants with the network infrastructures to actually make streaming happen: Google and Microsoft. However, both companies are diving into this all-digital, subscription-based market from different angles. Stadia officially landed on November 19th, and it's fair to say that Google overpromised and underdelivered on an ambitious launch that costs gamers $130 just to get in the door. Meanwhile, Microsoft is rolling out xCloud for free as a preview, asking for feedback and adding features as it goes. Now that both of these streaming services are playable in the wild, it's time for a good old-fashioned showdown. Considering one service has launched and already disappointed its supporters, and the other is in beta and delivering on its claims, you can probably guess which one comes out looking better here.
Microsoft adds over 50 games to xCloud preview, plans launch for 2020
A month after Microsoft kicked off the preview for Project xCloud, its game streaming service that'll go toe-to-toe with Stadia, the company is planning to ramp things up even more. It's adding more than 50 new games to the xCloud preview, including Devil May Cry 5, Tekken 7 and Madden 2020, and laying out a broad plan of what we can expect from the service next year. Mostly, though, Microsoft is making it clear that it has a firmer handle on delivering a bold new game streaming service than Google, which is consistently stumbling ahead of Stadia's November 19th launch.
Microsoft starts inviting people to try Project xCloud
Microsoft is starting to invite players to test out its Project xCloud game streaming service. It said last month it would open up a public preview of the platform in October, allowing players to stream games to their Android devices. Now, it's starting to send out invitations to those eager to try it, with Halo 5: Guardians, Gears 5, Killer Instinct and Sea of Thieves available to play.
Project xCloud's first public trial hits Android devices in October
Microsoft's game-streaming service, Project xCloud, will enter the public domain for the first time in October. Players in the United States, United Kingdom and South Korea will be able to enjoy AAA titles on their smartphones, tablets and other screen-based devices. However, the preview comes with a few caveats.
Microsoft will test xCloud game streaming in Korea next month
Microsoft will test its Project xCloud game streaming service in South Korea this October. The company has announced a public preview that will allow "selected" SK Telecom customers to test the platform over a 5G connection. Testers won't need an Xbox One console to test the service -- like the upcoming Google Stadia, all games will be streamed to their phone from a datacenter somewhere. That's in stark contrast to the console streaming feature that Microsoft announced at E3 a few months ago. That capability, which also goes live in October, will turn your Xbox One into a personal server that's capable of streaming games to other devices.
Phil Spencer: xCloud runs 'fine' on 4G
Xbox needs cloud gaming to work. Microsoft has been pushing the industry toward a digital-first, streaming future since 2013 -- years before players or infrastructure were remotely ready for the idea. It makes sense: Microsoft is uniquely positioned as a gigantic technology company with deep roots in gaming, and they're able to leverage vast resources and expertise in AI, server infrastructure, hardware and software to set standards of gameplay-delivery systems.
Xbox on a phone: Microsoft Project xCloud hands-on
Microsoft's Project xCloud is almost ready for public consumption. In fact, it's launching in some capacity this October, with the ability to stream games from your at-home Xbox One to any device you own. The company's big E3 showcase mentioned this, but not much else. Sure, we had news of the next-gen Project Scarlett console to keep the faithful hyped for what's coming up, but concrete details and specifications are still scant. This means that getting to test the service out, with real, triple-A games was all the more important -- and that's what I just did. I played Resident Evil 7, Hellblade, Halo 5 and more through a Galaxy S10, with an Xbox controller, and it was rather wonderful.
Microsoft's xCloud game streaming begins in October (updated)
Microsoft didn't give us many new details about its Project xCloud game streaming service at E3, but at least we learned one component of the service is going live this October: the ability to stream games from your own Xbox. The functionality will first roll out through the Xbox preview program, and it essentially turns your system into an xCloud server, letting you play your games from a variety of other devices. That's pretty much what Sony has been doing with its PlayStation Remote Play feature, but Microsoft's cloud expertise should allow for significantly better performance. Update 6/10, 9:30A ET: Microsoft's E3 conference made it sound like the entire xCloud service would be arriving in October, but it turns out it's just the console streaming component. We've updated the post to clarify.
What to expect at E3 2019
We're barely a week away from the start of E3 2019 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California! This year's event may be missing one of its stalwarts now that Sony has announced that it will not have a presence but there will be news aplenty from the show floor. Let's take a look at some of the anticipated high points.
Leaked memo promises major Xbox streaming news at E3
Google had some major news on the gaming front Tuesday when it announced Stadia, its game-streaming service. Microsoft's Xbox chief Phil Spencer was among those who paid attention to Google's event, and he was quick to remind his team Stadia wasn't the only big-name upcoming game streaming project. "Google went big today and we have a couple of months until E3 when we will go big," he wrote in an internal email obtained by Thurrott.
