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Another positive to come out of Xbox's latest earnings report was regarding the "strong momentum" of its cloud gaming services.
Alongside his comments about Game Pass's new quarterly revenue record, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed how Xbox Cloud Gaming has actually set its own new record - with 140 million hours streamed in the latest quarter.
Satya Nadella: "We also continue to see strong momentum for Xbox Cloud Gaming, with a record 140 million hours streamed this quarter."
As already mentioned, the growth across Xbox's content and services for the current quarter set new records, with the PC subscriber count of Xbox Game Pass users also drastically increasing with the arrival of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones.
Xbox has been busy expanding on the cloud experience recently with insiders being given the ability to stream their own game on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles.
And, as reported earlier this month, Xbox is also working on some big improvements to the service, which could include things like "4K streaming, higher bitrates, PC game support" and "more buy-to-own Xbox cloud games".
Have you contributed to this record milestone? How has your experience been with Xbox's cloud streaming? Let us know in the comments.
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[source microsoft.com]
Comments 18
Sadly I've never had a satisfactory experience with it, I did try it again recently on my TV and it was basically unplayable with far too much input lag and I can only assume this is down to my location.
Streaming certainly won't be the way I'd play games but it would be useful to test before downloading or perhaps for my son to play
Well since the Microsoft Rewards revamp I’ve started using cloud on my phone/tablet strictly for the daily ‘play a Game Pass game for 15 minutes’ quest. The sad reality is that electricity prices are currently so high in the UK that doing that quest on console and TV would actually completely negate the value of the points themselves, making it a complete waste of time. So cloud is the only viable way to intentionally farm that reward.
@Cakefish This was what I was going to say. The numbers will increase again next quarter due to this I am sure. I do the same unless I actually play on my console that day.
Is actually many people asking for 4k game streaming? I seem to recall people saying stadia Pro was only worth it for HDR, that streaming at 4k did more harm than good.
@carlos82 that's the issue with game streaming, too much outside your or even Microsoft's control will ruin it for you. I used to be able to use it reliably I could play "any game" on it but now in the same house, with the same internet, with the same devices half the time it's not worth playing anything isn't turn based.
I enjoyed xCloud for a bit and I see the appeal, but in the long run I decided to buy a Series X again. Much of the time I was getting a good performance, but the cloud is far from a steady, reliable experience. There were times when the lag and queues would really get on my nerves. Not to mention the fact that Microsoft has to improve the quality of the stream. 720p simply does not cut it. Amazon Luna and Geforce Now blow it out of the water at the moment. I do expect the cloud to keep improving to the point it will be a viable gaming option. It isn’t there yet and won’t be for a few more years, I think.
This is good news, but also to be expected as the service expands and internet infrastructure improves. If it WASN'T growing every quarter YoY it would really be big news.
We all be in cloud sooner or later. I think they continue hardware until cloud can fully replicate the native gaming experience. So I would say 2-3 gens more at least after series gen.
I've both a Series X/S and was an earlier adopter of cloud. When the initial excitement wore off, it was hard to the usual limitations e.g. buffering etc.
I've recently started using it again to play Fallout 4 during my lunch break and it's definitely improved. It feels quite usable, and it probably helps that FO4 is slower-paced. I definitely wouldn't default to Cloud for a full gaming session, but for a quick play, the convenience is incredible.
I have been really impressed with cloud gaming. There is still room for improvement but it's a pleasant experience that I use more and more.
Most people play the required amount for the awards. All this guy talks about is PC and Cloud and people wonder why everyone says Xbox consoles are in danger....
Did they lift the 5k cap yet in the UK? It's been a while since I played cloud.
Have had some success steaming on my TV with the likes of spiritfarer and simpler slower games like that.
@Millionski Yes. Plus when they don't need to target a living room box in price and form factor it'll allow them to iterate quicker and have more powerful options.
And if Playstation cloud gaming ever takes off, Microsoft still wins because it uses their Azure infrastructure. They've essentially won in this sector before it's even really began.
I’ve prob used more in the past month since they revamped the rewards system. If I can’t play on console, I’ll play something easy on my phone (like vampire survivors) for a bit to get the reward.
I mean cloud streaming is literally just a bunch of Xboxes hooked up somewhere & accessed via the Internet. I'm sure with all of their low console sales they don't mind retailers sending units back to expand cloud gaming with units they can't sell. Smart business move if that's the case.
@Secryt Stadia had great infrastructure and failed even though it was backed by Google which has billions of dollars to sustain losses. All it takes is bad marketing & a few bad decisions for Microsoft to drop it. Sony could partner with AWS or other competitors or even use Azure, Microsoft would happily take the revenue. I should mention I was an early Stadia adopter and I really loved it. I still think it had the best playable version of Cyberpunk at launch compared to both PC and console. Xbox is nowhere near as good as Stadia's connection was based on my own play experience.
@Kilamanjaro it’s possible. But I tend to think Microsoft takes this much more seriously than Google did. (Pretty much anyone takes anything more seriously than Google. RIP like every Google project ever). Microsoft also has a better grasp of the hurdles - it has taken the time to build out Game Pass to change the consumer perception of what a subscription means in gaming. And not just replace a console with the cloud. The younger generation is going to cringe at the thought of spending $70+ a game when then can just sub and play a whole bunch of games. To say nothing of the idea of spending the money on a console initially. I don’t think Microsoft believes cloud gaming with usurp the PC gamers, but it’s a viable alternative for console gamers.
@Secryt I think it'll be nice for the players that stay in the console game, we are more niche now compared to PC and Mobile gaming. I'll likely build out a PC in a couple of years but I'll always be bespoke gaming hardware as long as they offer it. I tried to hold a GBA at a GameStop recently and they wouldn't let it out of their hands because people steal them point blank 😂 some people are literally desperate for consoles, new or old. Fair points you made I just think Microsoft should pivot to PC and Mobile and publish/ develop for the console space. They don't need to compete anymore on consoles imo
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