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[CyberPanda]

Microsoft teaming up with Samsung for gaming and XCloud could be HUGE

At Samsung's 2020 Unpacked event, the Korean tech giant announced a partnership with Xbox. Details are scant, but what could it mean for the future of Microsoft's gaming platform?

17 Feb 2020

Xbox everywhere At Samsung's 2020 Unpacked event, the Korean tech giant announced a partnership with Xbox. Details are scant, but what could it mean for the future of Microsoft's gaming platform?

Last week and without warning, Samsung announced a partnership with Xbox, extending the love affair between the South Korean tech giant and Microsoft.
At Unpacked 2020, Samsung detailed its latest handsets, including the exciting Z Flip vertical folding phone, alongside some truly mind-blowing specs for the high-end Galaxy S20 Ultra. Samsung also announced a partnership with Xbox, stating that this was "just the beginning." When we asked Microsoft for comment, they effectively said: "more details to come."

So, given what we know about Microsoft's aspirations for Xbox, and Microsoft's partnership with Samsung thus far on things like the "Your Phone" app, it's not hard to speculate where this could be going — or why it could become a big deal for Xbox.
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A deepening partnership

This is the start of Samsung's gaming partnership with Microsoft's Xbox. A lot more to come! #GalaxyS20 pic.twitter.com/dneRnh274K
— SamMobile (@SamMobiles) February 11, 2020

For those in the Xbox space that perhaps haven't been following along, Microsoft has already been partnering closely with Samsung lately. It started with the pre-installation of Microsoft apps like Office and OneDrive, and has since extended to system-level APIs that create greater synchronicity between Windows PCs and Galaxy phones.

"Your Phone" for Windows 10 and Android allows you to receive text messages and browse recent photographs with a paired Android phone, but the connection on Samsung's more recent Galaxy handsets goes far deeper. Since it's built directly into the OS, you can not only receive texts and notifications far more reliably, but you can even interact directly with your phone over a home network using your mouse and keyboard via a PC.
Source: Windows Central Samsung's connectivity to Windows is unequalled at this point.

It's the kind of functionality that we always hoped we'd get with Windows Phone someday, made by a very close partnership with Samsung. It's also the kind of functionality that will probably never happen for the iPhone, due to Apple's tight grip on its ecosystem.
That's the productivity stuff, but what about gaming? Samsung and Microsoft have already offered some small hints that the firms were getting together more closely for gaming stuff, with exclusive stickers for the Galaxy Store version of Mixer, for example. But it wasn't until we saw that big XCloud banner on Samsung's Unpacked 2020 stage that you can begin to paint a more detailed picture of what's probably to come.

XCloud for every (Samsung) screen

Samsung is an absolute giant when it comes to tech, and you don't need me to tell you. They are among the top smartphone manufacturers in the world in terms of shipments, and command one of the largest marketshares in the world for smart TVs.

Microsoft is effectively on the record as gunning for "billions" of gamers within its ecosystem, with Xbox lead Phil Spencer recently commenting that it is Amazon and Google that are the firm's primary competitors — cloud companies — all seeking to reach far beyond the fairly small share video game consoles currently enjoy.
Mobile gaming has become a dominant force in part on the basis of the ease of access. And XCloud could serve to eliminate those psychological and economic barriers that factor in to someone opting to stick with Fortnite mobile over picking up a video game console or a gaming PC.

If Samsung and Microsoft were to say, cut a deal to have XCloud pre-installed not only on Galaxy handsets and tablets, but also Samsung QLED smart TVs, it could bring millions into the Xbox platform very quickly. The system-level access Samsung has been granting to Microsoft for "Your Phone" could also extend to Xbox controllers for TVs and other accessories, it could extend to Xbox achievements and apps as well as Mixer, and even screen recording. There's really no limit.

Intriguing prospects for Xbox (and Samsung)

Microsoft has already announced that it sees South Korean usage of XCloud to be almost double that of a Western gamer during the preview tests, indicating XCloud could finally help the Xbox development platform get a serious foothold in markets where it has largely been absent.
Samsung itself is facing aggressive competition from Chinese competitors on mobile, and partnering with Microsoft to effectively transform Samsung Galaxy phones into the ultimate PC companion handset is a smart bet for both firms. For smart TVs as well, Samsung is among the fastest-growing brand for the medium, seeing rapid growth in Asian countries where Xbox has traditionally struggled.

How does this help Xbox as a console and a platform? Well, any game that is made for XCloud must be built also for home Xbox consoles, since it is the same developer environment. As XCloud grows in popularity on edge devices like low-power PCs, smart TVs, and phones, it'll only lead to more content hitting local consoles as well. It'll allowing Microsoft to boast a much larger Xbox ecosystem consumer base than what was previously possible locked to the console and the relatively niche Microsoft PC games store.

It's a win for developers seeking to bring their games to a larger audience, it's a win for Samsung who can boast the superior Windows-Xbox system-level connectivity for its devices, and it's a win for Microsoft, who can build up a cloud platform at scale far faster than Google or Amazon, owing to their entrenched relationships in the industry.

Why Microsoft's Xbox partnership with Samsung could be a big deal

At Samsung's 2020 Unpacked event, the Korean tech giant announced a partnership with Xbox. Details are scant, but what could it mean for the future of Microsoft's gaming platform?

www.windowscentral.com

 

[nikolino840]

That's why Spencer have more fear of Google and Amazon then Sony
It's uncharted territory where they can plant the Microsoft flag

 

[mejin]

That's why Spencer have more fear of Google and Amazon then Sony
It's uncharted territory where they can plant the Microsoft flag

Spencer has many fears indeed.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Such a clickbait article title. The author dials it down to big and then doesn't even say how, leaves it up to the reader to "speculate". Plenty of synergies to exploit there, though I don't see any of them being huge in terms of mainstream gaming. Samsung has lead the global mobile market for close to a decade. Probably good partner to have, particularly when Apple isn't really an option.

 

[FeldMonster]

I honestly hadn't considered Xcloud gaming to be a two way street. I only thought of Xbox games reaching mobile customers, it is somewhat intriguing that mobile built games could reach Xbox as well. As cellphones get more powerful, I assume games built for them will improve. Though I would hesitate regarding the vast proliferation of shovelware and free to play, microtransaction-infested mobile games.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Such a clickbait article title. The author dials it down to big and then doesn't even say how, leaves it up to the reader to "speculate".

Did you read a few sentences and stop?

They say it could be big if the XCloud app is installed on every Samsung phone and Smart TV by default.. for rather obvious reasons.

I also personally think it could be a disaster lol

 

[JustP_Gaming]

This is the bigger picture most have never even considered. Why limit yourself to a box under your tv. When gaming can be by default in the TV and on the phone and any other mobile device, laptop, tablet, for that matter.

 

[nikolino840]

This is the bigger picture most have never even considered. Why limit yourself to a box under your tv. When gaming can be by default in the TV and on the phone and any other mobile device, laptop, tablet, for that matter.

Even if you don't want an Xbox maybe you could be tempted to try

*Xbox everywhere meme*

 

[sol_bad]

You don't need a special partnership to put a streaming app on a device......
In fact, if they partnered up and made it exclusive to Samsung hardware that would just be silly. If they plan to release the app on Apple hardware too, what's the point of the partnership? I can't imagine wanting to play any mobile games on my 55inch TV.

 

[TBiddy]

You don't need a special partnership to put a streaming app on a device......
In fact, if they partnered up and made it exclusive to Samsung hardware that would just be silly. If they plan to release the app on Apple hardware too, what's the point of the partnership? I can't imagine wanting to play any mobile games on my 55inch TV.

Could be that the app came pre-installed on Samsung devices with a free trial, or that Samsung would include the app in their advertising.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Did you read a few sentences and stop?

They say it could be big if the XCloud app is installed on every Samsung phone and Smart TV by default.. for rather obvious reasons.

I also personally think it could be a disaster lol

I read the entire thing. I don't think having XCloud installed on every Samsung phone/TV is a huge thing. There is tons of shit installed on every Samsung phone, tons of shit I uninstall/disable each time somebody has me work on their phone. I'm not saying XCloud is shit, it seems pretty good, I'm simply saying that it doesn't mean everybody is suddenly going to start using it simply because it is on their phone.

The cellphone is a horrible platform for traditional console/pc gaming.

Why limit yourself to a box under your tv. When gaming can be by default in the TV and on the phone and any other mobile device, laptop, tablet, for that matter.

Because the box under the TV is a dedicated piece of hardware that doesn't have to make any of the compromises all of those other devices would. Meanwhile, the wireless tech that makes all those other devices viable platforms? It also means a dedicated box can be accessed from anywhere.

 

[Night.Ninja]

I hope for xcloud TV support, i had to bring my X to a tings house to play videos games.

A built in app would be convenient, just bring the controllers.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

I'm curious if this type of partnership will extend to aspects of their other platforms like the next-gen systems. For example, in negotiating better pricing rates for GDDR6 memory and the SSD/NAND (still not sure how exactly these systems will be doing the custom SSD).

I would imagine it helps, even if it's just a few pennies off what would otherwise be negotiated; that adds up to millions over the amount which are secured and purchased.

TBH I'm more interested in what something like Xcloud can do for fresh types of gameplay. Thinking of a traditional AAA-style game that can cast a separate instance of itself via Xcloud on a Samsung phone while running natively on XSX, with both synced, and allowing something to the effect of using the phone's accelerometer, camera, motion sensor etc for added gameplay functions, say using the screen and the motion sensing to mimic a motion detection radar in a scifi-horror game.

Could also be useful for something like AR extension of a traditional game, etc. Hopefully with deeper integration on Samsung devices it'd lead to a smoother user experience. Natural, optional gameplay options that can take advantage of a native system & paired streaming device for those who have it and want more of the experience.

Could be interesting in that aspect, beyond simply just streaming games on the go.

 

[Bryank75]

Like all things related to the Cloud... 'huge', 'big deal' etc etc.

Cloud gaming is fragile, it's the snowflake version of gaming. if the service provider goes down, you have nothing...
Any power surges, drops in internet or irregularities result in a terrible experience or no service at all.

Cloud will never be a big deal, it won't even be as big as PSVR.

 

[HeresJohnny]

Companies have been tying gaming console hardware to televisions for years. Remember all the televisions in hotels with an N64 controller attached to them? Yeah, that didn't change anything, either. It's a nice get, but nothing game changing. The company more at risk is Samsung, because Samsung makes a damn fine product, and if the next Xbox becomes an albatross it could affect their branding too. I'm sure Microsoft paid them a bunch for this, not the other way around, because Samsung should want to sell TVs to Nintendo and Sony owners too. It's a much bigger risk for them than it is for Microsoft.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Like all things related to the Cloud... 'huge', 'big deal' etc etc.

Cloud gaming is fragile, it's the snowflake version of gaming. if the service provider goes down, you have nothing...
Any power surges, drops in internet or irregularities result in a terrible experience or no service at all.

Cloud will never be a big deal, it won't even be as big as PSVR.

TBF a power surge would affect a home console, too. No power to the outlet, no gaming.

The main thing holding back cloud gaming in, say, America, is the greed of telecommunications companies. There are places where high-speed internet can't even be installed because a provider with weaker internet has an exclusive deal on that area. Happens all the time. You don't see these problems in, say, Japan or South Korea, where that stuff is not tolerated.

But saying cloud gaming has no chance of being something big, well, for a while people said that about 3D graphics. And they said it again about analog sticks, shoulder buttons and even online gaming altogether. Simply put, never underestimate technology's ability to mature.

 

[ethomaz]

Another reason to buy LG TVs instead

 

[Neofire]

Another reason to buy LG TVs instead

LGs UI is lightning fast compared to Samsung's.

 

[Birdo]

I stopped buying Samsung after they refused to release details of what was giving their factory employees leukemia.

 

[South]

The cellphone is a horrible platform for traditional console/pc gaming.

You can still pair the phone to any smart TV - for big screen gaming not sure about lag though.
But you are also missing the point - why would developers not make their games designed around any screen rather than old PC/console. A game like DOTA no..but a game like Fortnight is fine.

 

[bRacing]

You don't need a special partnership to put a streaming app on a device......
In fact, if they partnered up and made it exclusive to Samsung hardware that would just be silly. If they plan to release the app on Apple hardware too, what's the point of the partnership? I can't imagine wanting to play any mobile games on my 55inch TV.

A partnership doesn't imply exclusivity. It implies joint marketing. And no, you cant just put your app wherever you want it. Just ask every TV streaming service not named Vue this generation how easy it was to get their app onto the PS4.

 

[diffusionx]

I honestly hadn't considered Xcloud gaming to be a two way street. I only thought of Xbox games reaching mobile customers, it is somewhat intriguing that mobile built games could reach Xbox as well. As cellphones get more powerful, I assume games built for them will improve. Though I would hesitate regarding the vast proliferation of shovelware and free to play, microtransaction-infested mobile games.

Mobile gaming is what it is at this point. It's pretty much all gacha, garbage, and gacha garbage. It's just a total race to the bottom wasteland. Apple Arcade, which is basically iOS GamePass, is by far the best thing to come out of mobile gaming in a decade, since it avoids all that. Maybe that gives Microsoft room to work, especially on the Android side.

 

[ethomaz]

LGs UI is lightning fast compared to Samsung's.

That is the sole reason I recommend LG over Samsung... WebOS is really the best TV OS in the market... the support for apps is better than Samsung that kills in few years.

 

[Bryank75]

TBF a power surge would affect a home console, too. No power to the outlet, no gaming.

The main thing holding back cloud gaming in, say, America, is the greed of telecommunications companies. There are places where high-speed internet can't even be installed because a provider with weaker internet has an exclusive deal on that area. Happens all the time. You don't see these problems in, say, Japan or South Korea, where that stuff is not tolerated.

But saying cloud gaming has no chance of being something big, well, for a while people said that about 3D graphics. And they said it again about analog sticks, shoulder buttons and even online gaming altogether. Simply put, never underestimate technology's ability to mature.

Yet even with optimum internet conditions image quality is still sub 720p quality and response times are terrible and vary...

Even with huge improvements to the infrastructure and service providers giving much better service, consoles will be way ahead... consoles can improve not only in terms of raw power but in terms of a wide range of features that cannot be conveyed through streaming tech.

 

[iamvin22]

You don't need a special partnership to put a streaming app on a device......
In fact, if they partnered up and made it exclusive to Samsung hardware that would just be silly. If they plan to release the app on Apple hardware too, what's the point of the partnership? I can't imagine wanting to play any mobile games on my 55inch TV.

And done. /thread.

 

[wolffy71]

The only thing I can think of this being is a free trial period of gold sub/game pass/xcloud on every Samsung phone, and/or tv. Might help to sell Samsungs and would surely bump MS subs.

 

[Woo-Fu]

You can still pair the phone to any smart TV - for big screen gaming not sure about lag though.
But you are also missing the point - why would developers not make their games designed around any screen rather than old PC/console. A game like DOTA no..but a game like Fortnight is fine.

If I have a smart TV I don't need the phone at all to stream to it.

I'm not interested in a game that makes compromises so that it'll work fine on a cellphone screen.

I'm not missing the point, I'm saying the point isn't "huge". It's a convenience edge case. Yes, there are times this will be convenient for some people.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Yet even with optimum internet conditions image quality is still sub 720p quality and response times are terrible and vary...

Even with huge improvements to the infrastructure and service providers giving much better service, consoles will be way ahead... consoles can improve not only in terms of raw power but in terms of a wide range of features that cannot be conveyed through streaming tech.

Consoles can improve and stay ahead, for sure, but with MS and even Sony, the question is more at this point how many console generations do they have left in them? Internet infrastructure and reliability will eventually reach a point where it's "good enough"; the benefits of local hardware won't be easily noticed and it'd take someone scrutinizing the picture to single pixels in order to point out what the difference is.

At that point, the majority of people, even most core and hardcore gamers, won't be too fussed about it. It's kinda like the argument of physical vs. digital early in this generation. You had people swearing up and down they'd never go digital. Fast-forward several years, and one of the main arguments about whether people will get this console or that console is exactly because of people building up big game collections by buying digitally. Can make the same argument about "always online", too; most people have their consoles connected online 24/7, even when not in use.

So even if MS is taking a big gamble with game streaming (they are), if history tells us anything it's not so much they're taking the wrong gamble, but they may be a little too ahead of the curb. But I'd actually say they're about on course with where a lot of others are going in this respect and I'd argue it was Sony who was too ahead of the curb on game streaming.

Because that's the other thing about this: Microsoft's not the only one who wants a streaming future. Sony wants it just as badly. But while they were earlier on the gun than MS, Google and some of the others, they didn't mount their early lead in that area nearly well enough and now that others are taking it seriously, they have to do some catching up. It's part of the reason they're partnering with Microsoft for Azure for example. Right now I can guarantee they are looking into ways of significantly revamping and streamlining PS Now, looking into their own Gamepass alternative, etc, and they'll start pushing them sooner rather than later.

You just won't hear Sony openly discussing that for a while, that's the only major difference.

 

[IntentionalPun]

, I'm simply saying that it doesn't mean everybody is suddenly going to start using it simply because it is on their phone.

And Microsoft any anyone else making a deal like this is aware it isn't "everyone."

Samsung sells over 300 million cell phones per year.... if even a small percentage of those people try xCloud, that's millions of people.

But like I said, and I think you agree on.. that can be a disaster for many reasons. Games on xCloud aren't designed for phones, and the majority of networks across the world aren't going to give a great experience with xCloud anyways.

"When it works well it's cool" is basically how I'd describe cloud gaming. The "when" being a big if, particularly on a mobile phone.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Streaming is all the rage... now.

 

[PropellerEar]

Samsung likes to do partnerships and have a leg up on everything/anything.
Doesn't mean much...

 

[Stilton Disco]

Why is it, no matter how often they fail to gain any traction, or barely produce any games worth owning, or never make a single console that dominates the market, there seems to be a never ending stream of articles telling us how everything Xbox ever does is genius thats going to give them total control over gaming?

It's like the inverse of the Nintendoomed meme. Xbox is forever just about to the most important, successful and influential player in the game industry, definitely, for sure this time...any day now.

It's almost the 4th generation, nearly 20 years, and it's the same story, over and over, just with a different hair brained scheme thats gonna win them big each week.

 

[Bryank75]

Consoles can improve and stay ahead, for sure, but with MS and even Sony, the question is more at this point how many console generations do they have left in them? Internet infrastructure and reliability will eventually reach a point where it's "good enough"; the benefits of local hardware won't be easily noticed and it'd take someone scrutinizing the picture to single pixels in order to point out what the difference is.

At that point, the majority of people, even most core and hardcore gamers, won't be too fussed about it. It's kinda like the argument of physical vs. digital early in this generation. You had people swearing up and down they'd never go digital. Fast-forward several years, and one of the main arguments about whether people will get this console or that console is exactly because of people building up big game collections by buying digitally. Can make the same argument about "always online", too; most people have their consoles connected online 24/7, even when not in use.

So even if MS is taking a big gamble with game streaming (they are), if history tells us anything it's not so much they're taking the wrong gamble, but they may be a little too ahead of the curb. But I'd actually say they're about on course with where a lot of others are going in this respect and I'd argue it was Sony who was too ahead of the curb on game streaming.

Because that's the other thing about this: Microsoft's not the only one who wants a streaming future. Sony wants it just as badly. But while they were earlier on the gun than MS, Google and some of the others, they didn't mount their early lead in that area nearly well enough and now that others are taking it seriously, they have to do some catching up. It's part of the reason they're partnering with Microsoft for Azure for example. Right now I can guarantee they are looking into ways of significantly revamping and streamlining PS Now, looking into their own Gamepass alternative, etc, and they'll start pushing them sooner rather than later.

You just won't hear Sony openly discussing that for a while, that's the only major difference.

It would actually damage Sony and Xbox, cause any publisher can start a streaming service at a low cost.
So then, we will all need about 10 subscriptions and there will be no platform where friends are always there and so on. It just becomes a tangled, fractured mess. Sony and Xbox no longer make money from other games being on their platform and PlayStation and Xbox will mean nothing.

So, no it's not in their interest at all. If streaming was the next big thing... surely we'd see wider adoption? Why is ALL the excitement about the new consoles and not the shitty streaming services ?
Apart from Timdog and a few xbox guys who think xbox can win something by going all streaming... lol

Just face it, nobody gives a toss about a non-console future. Particularly a non PlayStation hardware future. Same with Nintendo.

 

[M1chl]

Doesn't have Xcloud a lot of people in South Korea? I read about that in here... Maybe that's why it make sense, since Samsung you know, comes from South Korea.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

It would actually damage Sony and Xbox, cause any publisher can start a streaming service at a low cost.
So then, we will all need about 10 subscriptions and there will be no platform where friends are always there and so on. It just becomes a tangled, fractured mess. Sony and Xbox no longer make money from other games being on their platform and PlayStation and Xbox will mean nothing.

So, no it's not in their interest at all. If streaming was the next big thing... surely we'd see wider adoption? Why is ALL the excitement about the new consoles and not the shitty streaming services ?
Apart from Timdog and a few xbox guys who think xbox can win something by going all streaming... lol

Just face it, nobody gives a toss about a non-console future. Particularly a non PlayStation hardware future. Same with Nintendo.

Yeah, any publisher could, but not every publisher will have the brand appeal, financial power or marketing prowess to maintain it well. There are things Sony and MS can leverage that, say, Capcom or Remedy simply can't. Literally only 3rd parties like EA, Rockstar, Ubisoft and Bethesda could compete with Sony and MS on a feature-filled and supported streaming service, and even in their cases it is questionable.

We already have to choose from like a dozen streaming platforms already, but that's just it: you don't need all of them, just the one or two that deliver the majority of what you need and want. What they don't have, you can very likely find other means to get it, such as buying it digitally or on disc. Even once MS and Sony get their streaming services into full-gear, they won't replace physical and digital overnight. Arguably, there will probably always be the option for at least one of them; as you said, setting up a streaming service is relatively cheap to designing and launching hardware, so that leaves more room for continued disc and digital releases you can purchase outright. Either way, MS and Sony will get their money.

The industry'll resolve the other issues you mentioned, like friends lists stuff and what-have-you. It always does. Just like right now, look at how cross-platform multiplayer support is being addressed. Simply a year or so ago Sony said they'd never do it, but Fortnite was the wrecking ball that forced the wall down and now we're seeing them, Microsoft and Nintendo steadily open up to more cross-platform multiplayer support, at least with 3rd-party releases.

With all due respect, you have zero idea of MS or Sony's business strategies, goals, projections, market research etc. If streaming did not seem like a good fit for them, they would not be investing in it at all. Period. Again it's really similar to stuff that was said back when VR was coming back, or when online gaming was getting its push. There were doubters but more often than not they ended up wrong and with egg on their face. Even if streaming doesn't outright replace their current business model, they at least feel it will compliment their current operations, and that still means additional revenue for them. As long as they can keep the R&D costs respectable and are making sure other parts of the company are doing well financially, there's no reason for MS and Sony to not invest into streaming.

You can't go by what talk about here or on Era to gauge where excitement for next-gen is or where it will go in direction-wise. We're just a slice of the gaming community, overall. Streaming (at least the way it has been seen so far) isn't something really intended to hype up the hardcore and loyal core gamers; it's positioned more at the wider mainstream and casual market. Gotta see this for the bigger picture here.

Also can we leave Timdog and the console war theatrics out of this? The last few sentences in your reply weren't even necessary and don't add anything imho. Felt more like a subjective take but from a really personal POV; streaming having a future in gaming has less to do with your or I's personal preferences, it's much more to do with market inevitability and reality. Plus it's not like it's going to be an either/or thing; streaming doesn't have to replace traditional gaming and it very likely won't, so there's no harm in it serving as a compliment to what we already are familiar with. I think if people saw it in that more realistic fashion more, they wouldn't be so abrasive towards the concept itself.

 

[Bryank75]

Yeah, any publisher could, but not every publisher will have the brand appeal, financial power or marketing prowess to maintain it well. There are things Sony and MS can leverage that, say, Capcom or Remedy simply can't. Literally only 3rd parties like EA, Rockstar, Ubisoft and Bethesda could compete with Sony and MS on a feature-filled and supported streaming service, and even in their cases it is questionable.

We already have to choose from like a dozen streaming platforms already, but that's just it: you don't need all of them, just the one or two that deliver the majority of what you need and want. What they don't have, you can very likely find other means to get it, such as buying it digitally or on disc. Even once MS and Sony get their streaming services into full-gear, they won't replace physical and digital overnight. Arguably, there will probably always be the option for at least one of them; as you said, setting up a streaming service is relatively cheap to designing and launching hardware, so that leaves more room for continued disc and digital releases you can purchase outright. Either way, MS and Sony will get their money.

The industry'll resolve the other issues you mentioned, like friends lists stuff and what-have-you. It always does. Just like right now, look at how cross-platform multiplayer support is being addressed. Simply a year or so ago Sony said they'd never do it, but Fortnite was the wrecking ball that forced the wall down and now we're seeing them, Microsoft and Nintendo steadily open up to more cross-platform multiplayer support, at least with 3rd-party releases.

With all due respect, you have zero idea of MS or Sony's business strategies, goals, projections, market research etc. If streaming did not seem like a good fit for them, they would not be investing in it at all. Period. Again it's really similar to stuff that was said back when VR was coming back, or when online gaming was getting its push. There were doubters but more often than not they ended up wrong and with egg on their face. Even if streaming doesn't outright replace their current business model, they at least feel it will compliment their current operations, and that still means additional revenue for them. As long as they can keep the R&D costs respectable and are making sure other parts of the company are doing well financially, there's no reason for MS and Sony to not invest into streaming.

You can't go by what talk about here or on Era to gauge where excitement for next-gen is or where it will go in direction-wise. We're just a slice of the gaming community, overall. Streaming (at least the way it has been seen so far) isn't something really intended to hype up the hardcore and loyal core gamers; it's positioned more at the wider mainstream and casual market. Gotta see this for the bigger picture here.

Also can we leave Timdog and the console war theatrics out of this? The last few sentences in your reply weren't even necessary and don't add anything imho. Felt more like a subjective take but from a really personal POV; streaming having a future in gaming has less to do with your or I's personal preferences, it's much more to do with market inevitability and reality. Plus it's not like it's going to be an either/or thing; streaming doesn't have to replace traditional gaming and it very likely won't, so there's no harm in it serving as a compliment to what we already are familiar with. I think if people saw it in that more realistic fashion more, they wouldn't be so abrasive towards the concept itself.

But that's just it... you say it has wider appeal but outside Neogaf and Era and a few pockets on the internet, the thing just isn't popular..... the broader population seem to have far less interest than ourselves.

That's exactly my point.

What if they stop making consoles and people just don't bother subscribing to the services? I won't subscribe, not even to a sony / playstation one... it's a total turn-off tbh.

 

[darkinstinct]

Why Microsoft's Xbox partnership with Samsung could be a big deal

At Samsung's 2020 Unpacked event, the Korean tech giant announced a partnership with Xbox. Details are scant, but what could it mean for the future of Microsoft's gaming platform?

www.windowscentral.com

Samsung = Korea = 5G = xCloud. I doubt it is anything beyond that for now. Korea is the worldwide leader in 5G. It also sees the highest use of xCloud so far. It's an alliance that just makes sense.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

But that's just it... you say it has wider appeal but outside Neogaf and Era and a few pockets on the internet, the thing just isn't popular..... the broader population seem to have far less interest than ourselves.

That's exactly my point.

What if they stop making consoles and people just don't bother subscribing to the services? I won't subscribe, not even to a sony / playstation one... it's a total turn-off tbh.

Didn't MS mention having some 20+ million Gamepass subscriptions? That's better than some of the newer streaming services tbh. In fact it's about what Disney has atm for Disney+. Of course if you compare that to Netflix it seems paltry, but Netflix is also the top dog in streaming and they've had almost a decade to get to where they're at.

Also yeah I know Gamepass is not Xcloud, but just like how people are pessimistic about Xcloud, they were about Gamepass as well. Some still are and fair enough, but it's getting the traction MS wanted and then some, so for their goals it's been successful. Xcloud has a lot of advantages going for it so it's not unfeasible to see it going well.

I honestly don't think consoles are going to cease, but I see a future where Sony, MS and others will basically say "yeah, this is about the perfect technological limit for a games console", and agree to a shared licensed spec standard, form a consortium around it and companies can basically build systems with that spec, similar to Blu-Ray and DVD players. Basically what 3DO wanted to do back in the '90s but the industry wasn't mature enough (and gaming tech hadn't reached a zenith yet) to support it.

So as long as that standard factors in local gaming and streaming, no need to worry about streaming replacing local gaming. They'll have both.

 

[12Dannu123]

It would actually damage Sony and Xbox, cause any publisher can start a streaming service at a low cost.
So then, we will all need about 10 subscriptions and there will be no platform where friends are always there and so on. It just becomes a tangled, fractured mess. Sony and Xbox no longer make money from other games being on their platform and PlayStation and Xbox will mean nothing.

So, no it's not in their interest at all. If streaming was the next big thing... surely we'd see wider adoption? Why is ALL the excitement about the new consoles and not the shitty streaming services ?
Apart from Timdog and a few xbox guys who think xbox can win something by going all streaming... lol

Just face it, nobody gives a toss about a non-console future. Particularly a non PlayStation hardware future. Same with Nintendo.

This is very much a Blackberry and Steve Ballmer mentality going on here.

 

[12Dannu123]

I think this is very beneficial to Microsoft in expanding Game Pass and Xbox ecosystem. Imagine every Samsung TV and Samsung 5G smartphone coming with ## number months of Game Pass. That's already 10s of millions of users right there. It makes perfect sense to MS to go that route.

Sony doesn't and likely never will have strong partnerships with companies like Samsung, LG, Huawei etc. Sony don't offer anything those companies any benefit on working with them vs Microsoft and the partnerships that Sony did have with OEMs, they threw them under the bus.

I don't see PS Now having a mainstream future at all.

 

[Bryank75]

This is very much a Blackberry and Steve Ballmer mentality going on here.