14 DAY TRIAL // A brand new report concerning the cloud streaming experiments done by Microsoft's internal teams has appeared online, claiming that the development has evolved past the prototype stage and it can already output Xbox One and Xbox 360 games to web browsers such as Internet Explorer or Google Chrome.
Microsoft's entry into the gaming industry was a rather surprising one, as the large software giant wasn't satisfied just with providing the dominant platform on the PC, via its Windows operating system, and rolled out actual consoles, in the form of the old Xbox, the Xbox 360, and the new Xbox One.
Cloud streaming is the way to go
Currently, a lot of reports have appeared online about the company's efforts in terms of cloud streaming, as apparently Microsoft wants to leverage the huge Azure cloud network and provide gameplay streaming directly to different platforms such as PCs, as well as smartphones and tablets. This is similar to what OnLive has been trying to do for quite some time, or what Sony aims at with PlayStation Now.
Now, a new report form NeoWin has surfaced, citing internal sources that confirm that the current gameplay streaming technology that's been in prototype stage at Microsoft has evolved and is now capable of directly transmitting gameplay footage of Xbox 360 or Xbox One games to a PC via a web browser like Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but also Google Chrome.
Multiple sources corroborate this event, and some even claim that the experience is running at a smooth 60fps, without any major drops and with very little lag.
For quite a lot of cloud streaming experiences, the lag is the biggest obstacle to overcome, as high-speed servers are necessary all around the world to ensure that all customers have a great experience. Given the many server clusters already set up for Microsoft's Azure technology, this isn't a problem for the new system.
The larger corporation already offers Xbox One games the opportunity to leverage the Azure infrastructure via its so-called Xbox Live Cloud Compute technology, so the new streaming system is probably going to do the same.
There are many implications
If Microsoft's experiment gets off the ground, it could provide plenty of great things to consumers, ranging from instant cloud-based gameplay streaming to the PC to backwards compatibility that allows the Xbox One to play Xbox 360 and Xbox games.
However, there will be quite a few hurdles in terms of licensing from third-party publishers, like EA or Ubisoft, not to mention the issue of pricing, which is already causing some headaches for Sony's PlayStation Now.