Wouldn't it be great if you could play the demo of a game without having to first download and install it? How about the option to play that demo on a platform different to the one the game is intended for? That's exactly what Microsoft is hoping to achieve eventually with xCloud.
xCloud is Microsoft cloud gaming platform and holds the promise of being able to play Xbox games on other platforms, for example on Android. However, as Eurogamer reports, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was asked yesterday on Twitter if xCloud could be used for playing game demos without having to download them. Spencer confirms in his response that this feature is on the list.
"Yes, we want to do this. It's in the long list of cool things the xCloud team is working on, just a bit further down the list. But we want console and PC players to be able to browse as easily as mobile players, it's a good gamepass feature."
SSD storage for PS5 and Xbox Series X games is mandatory, which means it will be at a premium. If Microsoft can get around the need to install game demos by instead allowing them to be streamed, it's certainly going to encourage more consumers to try new games. Sony could arguably do the same thing on PS5 using PlayStation Now, but it's only Microsoft talking about this as a feature for now.
Microsoft xCloud was added to Xbox Game Pass last month as a generous perk to the $14.99 Ultimate subscription option. It allows for over 100 games to be streamed to Android phones and tablets using the official Xbox Game Pass app, as well as allowing access to a subscriber's Xbox friends list, achievements, controller settings, and saved progress will be available through the app.