Microsoft has hinted at developing a new application for TVs. It will allow you to play Xbox games without having this game console. The first version of such an application may appear next year, said Xbox Director Phil Spencer.
Earlier, Spencer hinted at the release of special set-top boxes to work with the cloud gaming service Microsoft xCloud. Work on such a device has been going on since 2013, when the company demonstrated the streaming game Halo 4 on Windows and Windows Phone smartphones. A streaming version of the Xbox has been in development since 2016, but was later discontinued.
Some analysts predict that the proliferation of streaming gaming services means the end of full-size home game consoles . According to them, the recently introduced new generation Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 will be the latest.
Spencer refuted this prediction. “I don’t think this will be the last big piece of hardware we supply,” he said.
The future of game consoles, according to Spencer, lies in a hybrid approach and a combination of “clouds” and local “iron”. “When we think of xCloud, which is our version of Stadia or Luna, I think we need an evolution to games that really work in a hybrid environment of clouds and local computing power,” he says.
Microsoft is currently working to give xCloud access to iPhone smartphone owners. The operation of such services is prohibited by Apple rules. Microsoft also wants to integrate its gaming service into the Facebook Gaming platform.