“Here’s what we expect to see”
- by Ben Kerry
Despite questions about Xbox’s next-gen hardware plans, one thing that’s for sure is the team’s continued focus on cloud gaming, which is quickly becoming a core feature of the ecosystem. This week, Microsoft began rolling out the ‘Stream Your Own Game’ cloud service to PC, and it sounds like the Windows platform could have a big role in the feature’s future.
In a lengthy post on all-things Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows Central detailed a few things they’ve heard are in the works for the service somewhere down the line. Reporter Jez Corden says he’s “heard that Microsoft is already testing PC-based, rather than Xbox console-based servers for its next-gen cloud provision” – which could lead to “higher bitrate and resolution options” for cloud gaming.
“It’s not exactly a revelation to know that Microsoft is looking to improve the situation here. I’ve heard that Microsoft is already testing PC-based, rather than Xbox console-based servers for its next-gen cloud provision, while retaining backward compatibility with the existing library. Microsoft announced a partnership with AMD specifically to maintain Xbox console backward compatibility on its future chips, despite the broad expectation that they will be PC-oriented.
So, you can expect Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox cloud to sport higher bitrate and resolution options, getting closer to NVIDIA’s 4K GFN Ultimate tier. Microsoft’s current-gen options reach for 1080p and 60 FPS at most, although it’s not always able to hit those targets based on a variety of factors.”
We have indeed heard straight from Microsoft and AMD that ensuring existing Xbox libraries work with future devices is a key priority for next-gen, and it seems as though that could extend to how cloud gaming works on the platform too. With the ROG Xbox Ally and Microsoft’s stronger focus on Windows-based gaming, it’s certainly looking like PC will be a core focus – including potentially for Xbox Cloud Gaming tech as well.
That being said, this is just a rumour for now – and of course, Microsoft’s next-gen plans aren’t set in stone just yet. For the time being, Xbox Cloud Gaming is still running off Series X|S hardware, and we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds and how Microsoft plans to improve its streaming experience moving forward.
What do you want to see from Xbox Cloud Gaming in future? Talk to us about these next-gen rumours down below.
[source windowscentral.com]
Ben is a News Writer at Pure Xbox, and is a fan of action, racing and straight-up shootin’ in any Xbox game he can get his hands on. When he’s not clutching an Xbox controller like his life depends on it, Ben spends his time listening to music that’s far too old for him, watching football on the telly and probably eating somewhere.
