Microsoft putting Xbox in TVs, building its own streaming devices, and exploring new Game Pass subscriptions
STOCKHOLM, June 10 (Reuters) – Microsoft said on Thursday it was working with global TV manufacturers so that gamers can play Xbox games through internet-connected televisions without any extra hardware other than a controller.
Xbox is also building its own streaming devices for cloud gaming to reach gamers on any TV or monitor without the need for a console.
On top of that, latest remarks from Microsoft Corp came against the backdrop of a media headline that Microsoft’s Xbox had been laying off the groundworks of its own streaming devices for cloud-based gaming so that gamers could play on any television or monitor even without a console.
Game Pass, a $9.99 per month subscription service with titles such as “Alien Isolation” and “Gears 5”, can be played on Xbox consoles, Android devices and PCs, and is seen as a weapon for cutting into the dominance of rival Sony’s PlayStation platform.
Gaming has received a boost since the beginning of the pandemic as over half of gamers in North America and Western Europe spent more time gaming, according to a report by gaming analysis firm Newzoo.
And Microsoft said it’s in “the final stages” of updating its datacenters around the world with the Xbox Series X. “This means gamers will see faster load times, improved frame rates, and experience Xbox Series X|S optimised games,” Microsoft said.
“Over one billion people in 26 countries across five continents will be able to play from the cloud on the world’s most powerful console, across apps and browsers on their phones, tablets, PCs, and Xboxes,” Kareem Choudhry, CVP of Cloud Gaming, said during a video briefing shown to press this week.
Microsoft’s Xbox plans to tap smart TVs
Meanwhile, as the global gaming industry had attained a large boost since the onset of pandemic outbreak last year with over 50 per cent gamers in North America and Europe spending more times in gaming according to a report by gaming analysis firm Newzoo, addressing to a much-required divergence that would enhance Xbox games availability on multiple platforms, Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a pre-recorded video, “With Game Pass coming to the browser, the value of the subscription is going to transcend from the console to the PC to mobile.
