Is Microsoft building an Xbox game streaming service?

James O'Malley Gaming
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Could you soon be playing Xbox One games on your phone, tablet or PC? Sounds crazy but it just might happen, if rumours are to be believed.

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The muttering comes via ZDNet which reports that Microsoft is building a new “streaming app and game service”, code name Arcadia.

The suggestion is that such a technology would be used to ‘stream’ games from a player’s Xbox One and letting them play on other devices – essentially, all of the hard work processing the game is done by the console, with the portable device used as a TV screen and controller.

It wouldn’t be the first game service to do something like this – OnLive pioneered the technology a few years ago, and Sony has had “Remote Play”, letting gamers play PS4 titles streamed to their PS Vita for some time. This functionality from Microsoft though, built on their Azure cloud platform, would be on a different scale – as it wouldn’t be limited to a niche device like Vita.

ZDNet also reports that the same tech could be used to stream other apps, so perhaps we could also see it go the other way – could we soon see, umm, Microsoft Excel on Xbox too?

James O’Malley
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2 comments

  • It’s the One area where Microsoft has a strength and has yet to leverage it; total and complete integration.
    When I look at my Xbox One, then look at my PC, which also runs Windows 8, I ask myself, “why can’t I just use my Xbox as a PC? Why can’t I run word, or Photoshop or even just use mouse/ keyboard for browsing? I mean, it has three separate OS’s that would allow you to do this, without affecting gaming in an adverse way what so ever. It knows when and where to allocate the resources.

    Now, if they would just stop making Smartglass and other such apps available to iOS and Android, they might actually sell some phones/ tablets.

    • LOL at the last comment, i have thought that a lot, but on the flipside, they wouldnt reach as many if they didnt.

      You can use Keyboard with an Xbox, i keep one near it for typing stuff in, its rather useful.

      I am not sure how much i would use word and photoshop on my Xbox, but would be nice to have the option.

      I think at some point, if Microsoft can implement all this stuff and do it right, so it works. Then the PS4s USP of being “just a games console and nothing else” will backfire and people will be saying it negatively.

      Hell my phone does 101 things, why cant my console. If i am forking out £350 for something, i want it to do more than just play games.

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