2020 was quite the anticipated year for the video game industry. There are plenty of gamers out there that were eager to hit 2020 as this would be the year that both Microsoft and Sony brought out their next-generation video game console platforms. It’s been quite the ordeal 2020 as you know but with everything that has happened around the world, it wasn’t going to prevent either company from bringing out their next-generation console platforms.
Both companies are taking their unique approach to the next-generation of gaming. Sony has delivered their PlayStation 5 which is aimed to be more immersive while Microsoft has opted to make a more ecosystem of platforms under the Xbox umbrella. This was mainly through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. For a monthly fee, players could gain access to all the first-party video game titles launched under Microsoft, while also gaining other third-party video game titles. Furthermore, with the added benefit of Microsoft’s latest ZeniMax Media acquisition, several studios are developing with Xbox in-mind such as Bethesda.
However, outside of Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft has also delivered the xCloud, a streaming service that would allow Android users to stream Xbox Game Pass video games. This is only for Android smartphones but that might not be the case for long. Recently, Phil Spencer the head of Xbox had spoken with The Verge when the topic of streaming games through the likes of a smart TV came up. According to Phil Spencer, the team at Microsoft could potentially bring out an application for your smart TV that will stream Xbox Game Pass video game titles.
This was something Phil Spencer talked about not long ago as well. We’ve heard about potential streaming stick devices that can connect to a TV along with PC’s finally gaining support of streaming Xbox Game Pass content. It looks like Microsoft is really pushing for Xbox Game Pass to be a hit and it may force Sony to bring out an answer to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
