Microsoft has just made several highly anticipated announcements just days before the launch of Google Stadia.
xCloud, Microsoft’s cloud gaming service, was advertised during the X019 conference.
We now know that xCloud will be launched in 2020 and that 50 games are available today in the preview program, against 12 for Google Stadia, so Microsoft’s catalog will be better than Google’s on its way out with many hits: Gears 5, Halo 5: Guardians, Killer Instinct, Sea of Thieves, Devil May Cry 5, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4 or Ori and the Blind Forest.
Microsoft relies on its huge catalog, 3,500 games currently on Xbox One and 1,900 games under development, which can run on xCloud.
Games that players have already purchased on the Xbox Store can be played on xCloud. The Xbox Game Pass subscription will also benefit from xCloud technology from 2020.
Microsoft has a real advantage to promote, with a streaming technology, a large catalog of games and many exclusive titles, as well as many partnerships through the ecosystem Xbox (Witcher 3 and Final Fantasy will arrive in the Game Pass). This is a real offer of games on demand in cloud gaming that prepares Microsoft, similar to what we can have experience on Netflix for movies and series.
The Xbox Game Pass subscription is always available at half price, using the subscription conversion system .
Project xCloud will be available on Android, PC and iOS
While xCloud, in its beta phase , is available exclusively on Android, Microsoft plans to launch it also on PC with Windows 10. It is also question of iOS for the iPhone and iPadOS for the iPad. Some journalists were able to see a very beta version of the iOS client.
Project xCloud will be able to connect Playstation DualShock 4 Controller to play games
Another good news, the Project xCloud will be compatible with the Playstation DualShock 4 Controller as well as the Razer models, in addition to the Xbox One pad.
Users will be able to play it by 15th September 2020.
Microsoft also mentioned the countries that will enjoy xCloud next year: Canada, India, Japan and some Western Europe. Unfortunately, there is no question of France for the moment. We do not know the exact timing, but Numerama was able to conduct an interview with Ina Gelbert, director of Xbox France, who confirmed that it will be necessary to wait for the ” infrastructures are ready “.
In the meantime, its main competitor, Google, is still preparing to make their Stadia service stand up against PS and Xbox.