With the launch of the new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S already scheduled and underway, Microsoft should be working on the next steps to continue growing its ecosystem. And the key seems to be in xCloud, as Phil Spencer has dropped some clues that could be taken as the first hints.
xCloud on all Smart TVs
Thanks to an interview conducted by Stratechery with the Microsoft manager, we now know that Microsoft’s plans are to bring xCloud to all possible televisions, and for this, the company could be preparing a multimedia device similar to the Chromecast and the FireTV Stick. In this way, the offer for the user would allow to cover especially low prices, since they would only need a subscription to the service and one of the sticks to play directly on their television.
This is something that sounds especially attractive, since gamers could play directly on their television without the need to purchase the new consoles. Obviously the performance would not be exactly the same, but Microsoft knows that there is a large audience that is enough with the quality offered by the streaming service.
A free accessory
In addition, Spencer speaks that a Premium modality of the service could even arrive with which the user could benefit from hardware launches. Something like this called Xbox Game Pass Platinum that would be based on the concept of Xbox All Access (the installment payment model of the console and the services), with the difference that it would be a permanent subscription with which to receive all the hardware news constantly.
This is still an idea in the air, but considering how they are experimenting with Xbox All Access and how well the idea is fitting in the United States, Microsoft could have its eye on the monthly payment method beyond the software . And it is that seeing the attractiveness of Xbox Game Pass, this type of subscriptions may be the future of the new generations of consoles.
Sticks… and official application
In any case, the existence of a Stick will not limit the appearance of official applications for Smart TVs, and taking into account the close relationship they have with Samsung, it is very likely that the brand will announce the official xCloud application for Smart TV with Tizen inside very soon.
Taking this into account, we hope that other applications for other types of platforms will follow, since it would be the natural course that the service should take. And, after all, the idea of xCloud is to be able to play from any device.
