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Microsoft developing an Xbox Cloud gaming app to stream to TVs or other streaming equipment could seriously compromise Google Stadia’s service.
Microsoft teased an expansion of Xbox beyond a simple console for years now. Even more recently, after efforts like Xbox’s Play Anywhere initiative and the xCloud project expanding the ways in which Xbox games are played, Microsoft now appears to be deducing a leap towards game streaming to TVs. Ironically, where the focus on the Xbox One was initially to become a multimedia machine, the Xbox in 2020 has become the complete reverse of the Xbox 2013. However, if Microsoft intends to bring a TV app from Xbox streaming to smart TVs and / or streaming hardware, there’s another big streaming competitor that could suffer: Google.
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As big and successful as Google has become, the company has had a penchant in the past for canceling hardware and software projects that haven’t gone as successfully as expected. However, one media arm of the company remains steadfast in its market, Google Stadia. Whether the gaming platform actually has over 400 games in development for the service, Stadia reached one million users in April of that user after launching in November 2019. Stadia hasn’t exactly been a smash hit, though. But Xbox has further expanded its game streaming capabilities in Google Stadia’s market share could be a very bad sign for the service.
Xbox TV app turns into one of Stadia’s biggest perks
One of the main selling points of Google Stadia’s streaming capability is the compatibility it offers. Any desktop Chrome browser can stream Stadia games, Stadia can be streamed to TVs through Google’s Chromecast hardware, as well as a variety of compatible Android devices. At the moment, Xbox cloud games are only available on Android devices and can stream games from players’ consoles or directly from Microsoft’s servers over Wi-Fi / cellular data. At the moment, the two competing streaming services are not necessarily in conflict with each other. The availability of Stadia trumps that of the Xbox, while the Xbox Game Pass library is a much better value compared to Stadia.
However, if an Xbox Cloud gaming app is developed for smart TVs or streaming hardware (like a Chromecast Ultra), then Microsoft will cut to the edge of Stadia in compatible devices. Not only that, but since Microsoft / Xbox are hardware independent of streaming and do not have their own proprietary streaming “stick”, they could theoretically grow even further. Roku TVs, Samsung smart TVs, potentially Fire TV sticks (assuming Amazon is playing the ball), as well as Chromecast hardware, Xbox’s TV app could expand much more than Stadia’s service currently.
Cutting Stadia Compatibility Won’t End Well For Service
Stadia has kept things in-house with Android and proprietary devices, but an Xbox TV streaming app could seriously compromise the service. Assuming that an Xbox streaming app has become widely available, Xbox covers two very important consumer bases: existing customers (the types of gaming enthusiasts who already have an Xbox and a Game Pass Ultimate membership), as well as new ones. customers that are Stadia and Xbox. looking for. Game streaming has come a long way from its humble beginnings, but it’s still difficult for new customers to spend $ 60 on a game on Stadia to use on a game streaming service. Xbox Game Pass doesn’t really have that. this issue.
On the one hand, Xbox Game Pass is a subscription to all the games available on the service, unlike Stadia Pro which offers a selection of games similar to Xbox’s Games with Gold program. While Game Pass may seem arguably limited compared to the full-priced options on Stadia, Game Pass Ultimate is still a much less risky introduction to game streaming compared to Stadia. Players can jump in for $ 15 / month (or even cheaper at $ 1 for an introductory price), test the service to see if they like it, and continue / cancel from there. Stadia Base is free, but that also means paying full price (or a slightly cheaper retail price through Stadia store sales) for games initially. Not to mention that it means the game is only available for streaming, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate supports both streaming and local installation on compatible devices.
As of yet, Google has shown no apprehension about allowing Xbox Cloud games on the Google Play Store recently, at least compared to Apple / iOS devices. Assuming an Xbox Game Pass app becomes available for Chromecast (or even other Smart TV services like Roku, Samsung, etc.), Stadia’s only compatibility benefit is lost for Xbox. It wouldn’t be great for the service which has been notoriously disappointing in terms of reception from fans and media. Stadia still shows great promise, although the promised features were initially delayed. However, cutting the Xbox out of Stadia compatibility wouldn’t bode well for the future of Google’s game streaming service.
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