Microsoft working on Xbox that can only stream games
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HardwareCaps
Interesting... I hope they are gonna use wired connection for streaming, wifi would be awful.
Fox2232
It's not even worth releasing as StreamXbox should cost like $50.
@HardwareCaps : Wifi is not problem, today it is sub 1ms latency in home, 1200Mbps+. Wired apparently almost never loses packet, but my home wifi performs in same manner.
lucidus
This device would severely limit its market due to inherent limitations. They're doing well in my eyes with things like BC and the X and should continue on that trajectory. How about spending more on some good first party games instead of the same old staple of forza, gow, and halo and the odd indie they found interesting. Let sony drop the ball this time around lol.
Fox2232
HH, Sony is maybe going to drop another Nuke on Xbox again. I mean, Xbox game-to-account-locking... Then Sony makes fun of it by just introducing sharing/selling by handing over disc.
RzrTrek
We know this was coming, corporations loves subscriptions (a quick hint at EA's E3 event) and it's something we're going to have to deal with in the future if we don't act now.
fantaskarsef
Well while I agree with you, I'm not sure what we should do about that, besides not buying such a streaming box / game subscription service. Which the least of us gurus here are fancying.
XP-200
I can see them offeing a streaming device so that they can sell their gamepass to those people who do not want to be sitting with consoles under their TV, it is not for me personally as i like my hardware local and i like all the features that offers, but nice for those people who just want to access to say gamepass or EA acces for a fraction of the price of a full fat console.
maikai
The immediate problem I’ve seen with all this streaming and cord cutting hoopla is that it’s just as expensive if not more so than the traditional sense of things. For instance, I can get cable/satellite tv with all the channels I want for $100. To get the same channels on a streaming service I’m looking at at least $80, now let’s factor in my cable internet bill which is mandatory to even access said content at once again at least $50, that already makes it more expensive. Then let’s not forget to mention bandwidth caps by all the lovely isps out there. It’s $55 a month for my current internet with a 300gb cap. Let’s say I get a streaming device which these games are now running 4K etc and come in at a whopping 50gb+ install size these days then the countless 2gb+patches and I’ve hit my bandwidth cap in a week if not only days. Here’s the real kicker, despite so called anti monopoly laws, they decide to let at&t buy time warner with the companies promising more options and cheaper/better services and not 1 month after the aquasition I get an email saying my streaming tv subscription is going up $5 a month starting the next month. People need to not fall for this crap and inform those uninformed about the greater scheme
Fox2232
I would let everyone know about cost of ownership for such device. Subscription service will be economically sound only for heavy gamers (in case that subscription allows unlimited access to all games). Those who buy 2~3 games per year Are better off having full console.
WhiteLightning
Moderator
It will be interesting to see what games they will offer. streaming games is the future, hopefully they will impliment their online cloud servers to handle the complex equations and processing requirements, like they showed on Crackdown 3 multiplayer.
It would definitely become a big seller if they do.
Of course you need proper internet in your country, so that might be a problem for some.
H83
Like it or not, streaming is the future of gaming. Most People nowadays don´t want to purchase and own stuff but to use services that provide what they want/need, the same is going to apply to gaming. Sad times ahead... (at least for me...)
rm082e
Nope. The latency is a problem that no one will be able to get rid of. Gamers want less latency and more responsiveness from their games (i.e., the push for 60fps on consoles, G-Sync/FreeSync, 144hz monitors, expensive peripherals with lower latency, etc.). People won't settle for playing the most popular console titles through a streaming service.
Phil Spencer was on the Giant Bomb podcast during E3. He made it clear Microsoft doesn't see streaming replacing traditional hardware. They see it as an opportunity to get more people in the door who would never buy a PC or console. It sounds like they're thinking they can tap into a different type of gamer with their streaming service.
Denial
From the source article:
So it sounds like they have a plan to deal with the latency issue a bit better than current game streaming services. Honestly, having an Nvidia shield with a gigabit fiber connection, I found most games are more than playable via streaming - only twitch shooters and similar were an issue.
H83
I think only hardcore or multiplayer gamers are really worried about latency. For the common folk who likes to play on consoles and doesn´t mind about playing games at 30fps as long as they have pretty graphics latency is not going to be an issue. Not to mention that sooner or later ISPs are going to offer internet services so fast that latency won´t be an issue any longer. Of course this can take an while...
rm082e
Bandwith and Latency are two different things. "Faster internet speeds" don't get rid of latency, and the latency is the real issue with streaming games. It's what causes the delay between you pressing the button and the game reacting on screen. Check out this article.
Prince Valiant
I don't like streaming in general but proprietary streaming boxes sounds even worse.
Wouldn't count on it anytime soon in the US.
H83
Yeah you´re right about this but my point is that one day internet services are going to be so good that latency won´t be a problem. At least that´s what i hope...
Yest, i´m aware that ISPs in the US provide a very crappy service. It´s ironic that the country that developed the web and has giant companies based on it offers such shitty services. Americas should go on strike or protest about this!
Denial
A large part of the latency is just travel distance, you'd need servers every 93 miles just to keep RTT under a millisecond if you figure the connection is literally the speed of light. That's ignoring processing latency on the server. It also ignores that you connect to your ISP and get bounced to Microsoft server - so you'd need your ISP and Microsoft to essentially have a server for every 100 square miles. That's not attainable.
Better solution is probably what Microsoft is already doing and mentioned in the source article (I quoted above) which is to keep the hit detection and input on the client side so the game feels like it's updating instantaneously on the screen. Microsoft showcased a technology several years ago that allows them to predict where the client is going in a game and send that information locally and render it when needed as well:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/08/how-microsofts-predictive-modeling-could-make-streaming-gaming-tolerable/
So bandwidth does play a role when utilizing a predictive modeling system and can be used in conjunction with other methods to reduce perceivable latency.
XP-200
Well one thing a streaming servce will do with ease is allow Back compat, that could be a big thing on a streaming service, imagine being able to play any original xbox game with that little box, no PC, no console, just a small inexpensive box that allows you to pick any original xbox game and play it, BUT, is the internet ready for such a thing, i doubt so here in the UK, i don't know how the US or Europe is with internet.
JamesSneed
I wish the US would treat internet connectivity like roads and fund the damn thing. I mean they could easily give out many billions over the next few years and set some basic guidelines you take the money you have to offer certain things. LIke 1Gpbs up/down minimums and certain cost structure at least say for a decade. Everyone major telco would jump on this in a heartbeat. These old people that rule in the US have no damn clue, they focus on roads vs the internet, they focus on coal and steel vs IT jobs. Anyhow something like this needs to happen for MS's game streaming to become a valid business model.
