The current trend in the video game industry seems to be a move towards streaming capabilities and services. Rather than having players purchase games individually, Microsoft made a move to provide players with access to all their first-party video game titles along with select third-party titles. This was dubbed the Xbox Game Pass which provided Xbox fans with a pretty great deal. For a monthly fee, you could get access to countless video game titles but at the time you would still have to download and install each game.
However, as mentioned we’ve been seeing several streaming services pop up. From Google Stadia, PlayStation Now, Amazon Luna, and GeForce Now, there is a means to enjoy video games without having to run them on your own hardware. Microsoft dabbled with this through their xCloud gaming service which was only permitted to Android smartphones. Those with a premium tier of Xbox Game Pass could enjoy the catalog of video games offered on either the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC platforms through standard downloading and installation, but android smartphone users could stream the game over an online internet connection.
It’s been rumored and hinted that Microsoft would be bringing the xCloud feature to other platforms and today we’re finding out that we can expect game streaming on both the PC and iOS platforms in 2021. This announcement came from Microsoft’s Xbox Wire blog post where the next expansion for streaming will come sometime in the spring of 2021. That should be an incentive for players to dive into the service if they have yet to do so.
Furthermore, the fact that Microsoft has been doubling their first-party studios should make Xbox Game Pass an even more desirable service with a diverse selection of video games. Only time will tell where the streaming service will pop up next. We’ve seen reports that a smart TV application or a streaming HDMI stick to be featured at some point which would really open up potential Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
