Microsoft has lifted the lid on Project xCloud, its streaming solution for Xbox consoles and hardware. Currently undergoing private testing in North America, public testing is expected to roll out in 2019. But how will Project xCloud Australia function?
According to Kareem Choudhry, Corporate Vice President, Gaming Cloud at Microsoft, “The future of gaming is a world where you are empowered to play the games you want, with the people you want, whenever you want, wherever you are and on any device of your choosing.”
Powered by Microsoft’s Azure datacentres, Project xCloud is a “state-of-the-art global game-streaming technology” and “will offer you the freedom to play on the device you want.”
Project xCloud Australia
There are 54 Azure regions globally, located within 140 countries, which includes Australia. According to Microsoft, it is working to make Project xCloud viable on 4G networks and will “dynamically scale to push against the outer limits of what’s possible on 5G networks as they roll out globally.”
In closed, private testing, Microsoft is achieving streaming at speeds of 10 megabits per second. This isn’t outside the realm of possibility for many Australians, though a private, closed test is very different to one out in the wild, with multiple users, multiple streams and all that comes with live setups.
However, it all sounds quite positive. Microsoft wants to allow players to use Project xCloud to play Xbox games anywhere, including on a smartphone with a Bluetooth paired Xbox One controller. Players will also be able to use touch controls, but that sounds like a suboptimal way to play.
Finally, Project xCloud is being designed so that developers and publishers can “deploy and dramatically scale access to their games” without having to carry out additional development or programming work.
Game streaming has been all but impossible in Australia, but with the power of Azure datacentres, Microsoft may just be able to pull it off.
