It's Official, Microsoft Is Bringing Next-Gen Games To Xbox One Via The Cloud

Brilliant gamer service from Microsoft. I can't believe how much they've stepped up this generation after a fairly dominant 7 years for Sony. Glad I'm lucky enough to enjoy PS5 and Series X but for anyone sticking to one machine, you really can't go wrong.

Well, at least I don't have to buy a second ninth-gen Xbox console.

Only problem with this is that it's taking reasons away for even buying the Xbox Series X.

@Snake_V5 They don't care if you buy one, in fact they might even want you to not buy one right now if they're selling them at a loss.

They want you in GamePass, and don't really care where your playing it from.

@The_New_Butler I understand what you mean but let's put it this way, did you buy a Series X for this? (If you have one). I'd imagine people who bought one would be fuming with this.

@GunValkyrie @Snake_V5 Well the issue with whether or not you need a Series Machine is-
a) Third party games will only be streamable if they are on the cloud.
b) At the moment streaming is 720p, that may change to higher in the future but that also depends on your provider.
c) Internet speeds period.

Whilst it may take some luster of the Series Machines, the clear push is Gamepass. However, I think this is something that makes a great case in the short term, but I’m sure “not wanting to “stream” all content etc”makes a more viable case long term.

I think this will balance out over time and again it’s just another avenue into the growing ecosystem like your phone or streaming TV app.

Well that's good means I don't need to bother buying a next gen console to play the exclusives

@Snake_V5 you said that as if xcloud right now is good enough to replace native XSX gaming experience.

That kind of scenario won't happen for majority in this gen.

@endlessleep I just mean that if your going to be able to play Series X games on your Xbox One via streaming, then it's taking that reason away to buy a Series X. I have been trying to get one but do I need one as much now? No, because I'm going to be able to play some of the Series X games on it via streaming.

@uptownsoul Xbox One can’t output 4K120fps. The HDMI format doesn’t support it.

@Snake_V5 i'm gonna say glad that you have the internet connection you need and live in country which lets you do that

@Snake_V5 Cloud gaming can never ever match native experience. It’s only meant for “special circumstances”.

They ain't making any money selling you another console at a loss so play where you want and subscribe to gamepass. Gamepass is what they are selling.

If my internet wouldn't be complete dogshit I'd sell my series x and just game through the cloud.

Cloud will work for some, and enable Xbox to get to a bigger audience.
For me my internet is terrible and also I want the best graphical experiences possible from games like Forza Horizon 5, so console wise, the series x gives that.

Great Work Microsoft THX
💚❤

@uptownsoul Yes I’m sure about that. Only HDMI 2.1 supports native 4K output at 120fps.

@Senua @uptownsoul Okay I think you two are both right but arguing two different t points.

There is a difference between 4k @ 120 and this system can do 120 and 4K. Yes only HDMI 2.1 can do 4K @120. But yes the system can support 120fps. Does that clarify?

Really glad Microsoft is approaching all gamers. From backwards combability, to supporting last gen, to new gen, to PC. They are covering all the bases on this and this is a big win for all gamers around the world.

@uptownsoul well that depends on the stream resolution which currently is locked at 720p.

@uptownsoul until input lag is same as native console gaming and usual visual artifacts of cloud gaming completely gone, then no.

@Snake_V5 I am not angry about this at all, and I just bought a Series S and plan to get an X in the future. I don't want to ever rely on internet speeds to stream my games. This is an amazing feature for people who have great connections, but for a lot of people they still just prefer a console. This opens the door for way more people playing Xbox games, which is only a good thing.

@uptownsoul it’s not the server blades that prevent that stream from going up to 4k. Technically, XB1 can do at least 1080p (I think it upscales higher). They could launch 4K but that takes a lot of bandwidth. They’d need a way to throttle that etc

@uptownsoul series s owners can always play via xcloud like the xbox one

They are certainly covering all bases with this way forward... Trying not to leave anyone out.
Cloud play will not be as good as playing on the Series X but it will mean someone with a base Xbox can still play games 4 or 5 years away..... Amazing if you think about it.
Really is tearing down the barriers to entry... It's all about getting the Gamepass subscriber count up by any means possible....

@electrolite77 Because you buy the Series X to be able to play Series X exclusives, only when that cloud technology comes to Xbox One then you'll be able to play Series X games on it thus making the purchase of the Series X not worth it. You could of just kept your Xbox One and played them on that instead.

@Snake_V5 True partly, you could just keep your Xbox One and play them on that. However, they will play alot better on the Series X...
Also, some games might not be playable via the cloud.
Series X is the best option by far, but this opens up the possibility for more people to experience the next gen games..

@Snake_V5 Problem for who exactly?

@uptownsoul I guess it’s possible if the stars align correctly but the honest truth is the experience will have other issues. And this is of course assuming the bandwidth doesn’t cause the stream to pixelate.

In general the native XSS experience will still be better.

@uptownsoul Sorry that’s wasn’t too me

I usually read responses through emails and hit reply there.

I wonder if someone could build a peripheral that would allow discs to be played on a series s, somewhere down the line.

Someone needs to let Microsoft know there’s 25 million Original Xbox’s out in the world. That’s 25 million potential Gamepass subs if they do what needs to be done and give the owners of those consoles a way to access xCloud and experience next gen gaming on hardware they already paid Microsoft good money for.

Obviously I’m kidding but I also will not be shocked, and will be happy, when some enterprising individual somehow gets it working on the OG Xbox. There probably are fundamental technical reasons why it can’t work but I wanted to put the idea out into the world in case the right person hadn’t thought of it yet.

@electrolite77 I mean, having God of War, HFW, and Gran Turismo on PS4 caused the Pushsquare crowd to start fuming.

Some people really have tied the value of their hardware, and their own happiness to having something exclusive, rather than the features and abilities of the hardware.

There's no real argument for exclusives (other than it benefits the company in question) and people were legit trying to argue they couldn't have flying mechanics in games, without the power of the PS5's SSD.

@The_New_Butler Got 500/500Mbit so works just fine with both stadia and geforce now on any platform. Xcloud on the other hand works only on my pc, on ios the lag is 🤬

@Snake_V5
"Because you buy the Series X to be able to play Series X exclusives (...)"

See, that's the problem right there. You're still thinking exclusives are all there is to consoles. That's Sony thinking. If that was the case, Xbox One (X) wouldn't have sold at all. Same goes for PC, if you think about it.

I am just one example, but for me exclusives were never a topic. Sony wasn't able to lure me in with them, not with the PS3, nor the PS4, nor the PS5. If the game isn't on the platform I choose, I simply don't play it. Same goes for stunts Epic Store pulls, for example. Anyway, having now seen Death Stranding and Horizon on my PC, shows me that I was right all along. The market is so overrun, I can find several similar games to play. Maybe I'm too old, but none of the exclusives I see are anything special to me.

For me, it's important that the device is well thought through and will deliver the better results. That includes graphics, performance, back comp, and the eco system like Game Pass. You cannot imagine the amount of money I am saving through game pass. And I want to use GP on a simple yet powerful device. PC always works, but the overall experience sometimes is lacking.

PS:
Oh, and of course, cloud gaming has always worse quality than on prem gaming. Don't wanna bash it, but there is physics ...

It's great that more people will get to play the latest games. It's makes me smile. Some families have had a hard time lately and a bit of gaming may help bring them a little joy

@The_New_Butler Considering 343i said in 2011 that Halo CEA didn't have online MP because the original didn't have or support online MP, then released CEA with fully working MP three years later, I'm inclined to believe devs will lie if it's easier than saying that the desired feature wasn't a priority or would require a lot of work.

@lokozar I understand what you mean but it's "exclusives" that sets the consoles apart. If exclusives don't matter then there isn't as much of a reason to have one console over another. This is why PlayStation is known for this, for having the best exclusives out there. It's what's brought them the success they've always had and they've dominated singlehandedly alone on the exclusives.

@Snake_V5 I think Snake is just looking for a reason to be upset or convince people to be upset with Microsoft.

@Snake_V5
Why are you so upset?
The future of gaming is not locking people to a plastic box, but giving people options and reaching a MUCH larger audience than possible traditionally.
PC gaming for example absolutely trounces consoles. Mobile gaming absolutely trounces consoles.
Now Xbox is on ALL those platforms, be it a native experience through consoles and PC, or cloud gaming with mobiles/tablets and soon Smart TVs.
Obviously cloud gaming is never going to replicate a native experience any time soon, but the option is there for anyone interested in that.

@BUDSclass201 I'm not, I'm not a troll.

@Snake_V5
I agree with you, that this is what brought them success. But I honestly don't think this is a good thing. As I see it, Sony is currently not investing enough in future strategies.

They continue to rely on exclusives. But that's a risky thing to do. Just because a company throws out exclusives, doesn't guarantee, that these exclusives are always well received. It's not really viable to only stand on one leg. MS understood this and is in a much better position right now, concerning the future.

So smart and so good of them. This will be a great thing for years to come! Love them taking cloud gaming and really making a strong push with it.

@lokozar Maybe it's because Sony feel they don't need to do anything outside of the exclusives, there just banking on that the most. I agree it's risky though. I know what you mean though, Microsoft are more future proof if you will. They seem to know more about there future than what Sony do. Microsoft are trying to be great in every avenue possible, to be the all-rounder.

@Snake_V5
"Maybe it's because Sony feel they don't need to do anything outside of the exclusives (...)"

That's what I'm afraid of. It's Intel all over again. Resting on their laurels, while someone else pulls ahead.

@lokozar you know what? I care for exclusives less and less. What I care for is: "is it coming to Game Pass?" Even better if it's day one. Xbox 1st party games are great because they're always day and date on Game Pass, and they just happen to be exclusives. But I'm equally stoked for Back 4 Blood. The fact that it's on Playstation doesn't devalue it. Actually, it's the other way around: I feel I'm getting a better deal than other people and that's a weirdly satisfying feeling

Good to hear. Be nice to play the flight sim without having to splash out on a new console.

@Magabro
I'm all for games coming to all platforms. It would be okay for me if MS would bring their first party titles to PC, PlayStation and Switch or whatever other platform. I'm not in the slightest affected by it, so why would I want to block this? I would even want to have cross-play. Players in general benefit from this.

And you're right, it's Game Pass that gives me a great deal. I feel like I subscribed to a premium service, and am treated accordingly. That makes me happy. Period.

@Snake_V5 I bought a Series S and I'm perfectly fine with it. I even plan to upgrade to Series X in the future. Even if Xbox One can stream Netx-gen games we can't pretend that suddenly streaming is the perfect solution for gaming and local play isn't necessary. If that was true Stadia would be a success.

Streaming is years away of be a solution that can compete with the power of local play. I've Finished Yakuza 5 entirely through xCloud, the service is great, but it wasn't the best quality all the times, I had stutters sometimes and quality wasn't always great. xCloud is a good way to play new games on old or weak hardware but by no means it is a replacement for local console or pc gaming.

@uptownsoul I don't get this. We're talking about streaming, and if that is the case Series S will also be able to stream the same quality as Xbox One, no loss here. On the other hand you can play Flight Sim local on Series S, but not on One.

The biggest problem with the thinking that exclusives are the only reason to own a console is that you create a narrative that only exclusives matter. Multiplatforms and even the hardware are useless, the only purpose for the hardware is to play exclusive titles.

This generates reactions like people saying if sony keep releasing games on PC they will left PS and go to PC instead. Now, if you look to Series X the console is was sould out everywhere at launch and it launched with no exclusives and few Series X optimized titles. Why was it sold out?! because people bought the hardware by the hardware. The same reason people buy new GPUs, they want to play the games they already have better. And that is what series X|S gives, better graphics, better performance, better backwards compatible games, 120fps.

This way MS can market Xbox consoles and games as two different products. They can sell us the hardware even if we didn't get interested by their first party new games, as they are not saying we need Xbox to play Forza for example, they saying we need Xbox to Play Forza best, but also to Play FIFA best, to play 360 titles with more performance, to play whatever you want with the best quality ever on a console. That is why they don't need to associate Xbox Consoles with exclusivity.