Microsoft has officially launched its Project xCloud preview. The xCloud streaming service caters to Xbox users. The Project xCloud preview is available in the UK, US, and Korea. In the initial preview phase game streaming is limited to Sea of Thieves, Killer Instinct, Halo 5: Guardians, and Gears 5.
With Project xCloud, the software giant wants to empower gamers to achieve more freedom to play anywhere they want, with the people they want. The streaming technology allows players to decide how and when they play. Xbox gamers will have access to immersive content on all of their mobile devices.
Project xCloud was announced almost one year ago. According to Microsoft’s cloud gaming chief Kareem Choudhry, the public preview is a critical phase in the company’s “multi-year ambition to deliver game streaming globally at the scale and quality of experience that the gaming community deserves and expects”. Project xCloud will be tested in a broad capacity, with a wide range of real world use-case scenarios, environments, network environments, devices, and gamers.
Signing up for the Project xCloud beta testing has started last month. In order to participate to the beta testing you need a Microsoft account, a tablet or smartphone with Bluetooth 4.0 support running Android 6.0 or above, and a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One controller.
According to The Verge, Microsoft has plans to expand the xCloud preview’s content catalog over time. The company is also collaborating with various carriers in order to test the xCloud game streaming service.
In the US Microsoft has entered technical partnerships with T-Mobile, in the UK with Vodafone and in South Korea with SK Telecom. These partnerships will help test xCloud on mobile networks. Since nowadays mobile networks are esential for global connectivity, Microsoft will work on optimizing its Project xCloud game streaming service for a wide range of network configurations.
You can still take part in the Project xCloud beta testing by signing up here. This way you can contribute to shaping the future of game streaming.
