Ahead of Microsoft and Bethesda’s big summer show this upcoming Sunday, Microsoft has announced its upcoming plans for the Xbox Game Streaming service. Besides emphasizing that the company is “all-in” on gaming and reaffirming its commitment to the billion plus dollar industry, they talked about the upcoming hardware upgrades to their datacenters. This upgradd would replace the current Xbox One hardware that is powering the service currently with Xbox Series X blades, guaranteeing faster loads and better performance across all games currently on the service.
The tech giant have also announced their plans for releasing their own Xbox streaming hardware in the future, working with television manufacturers to embed an Xbox Game Streaming app into their hardware and storefronts, and rolling out the Game Streaming browser application to Game Pass Ultimate members. Streaming will also be integrated into the Xbox app currently available on PC and mobile, which would allow experiences such as “try before you buy” and others in the future. Furthermore, and perhaps the more important news for some of the worldwide audience, cloud gaming will expand to new territories this year, including: Australia, Brasil, Mexico, and Japan. Subsequently, Xbox will be making Xbox hardware more affordable and easier to purchase through programs like Xbox All Access by making those programs available through their telecommunication partners.
Microsoft has made sure to emphasize that they are in gaming for the long haul, and these moves are key to expanding its global audience, as well as its goal for making gaming available to as many people as possible. These are steps in the right direction and, for those that have followed Xbox extensively, aren’t wholly unexpected. Seeing these plans come to fruition, with the potential to expand console gaming far beyond its current state, is an exciting proposition.
