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In a rare move, Microsoft and Sony console competitors announced Thursday a major collaboration to join forces in a potentially huge new sector: the cloud. The companies announced today the signing of a "Memorandum of Understanding" aimed at "exploring the joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their gaming and broadcast services." continuously of respective content ".
The surprise decision is the closest sign of collaboration between two fierce competitors in the console game space, but that is probably not the sign that they will soon cease to be competitors.
As part of this agreement, Sony will continue to use Microsoft's Azure servers and data centers for its own streaming and streaming services. This likely includes PlayStation Now – the Sony games streaming service launched in 2014 after Sony's acquisition of streaming company Gaikai in 2012 – and PlayStation Vue, the company's alternative Internet-based cable TV solution.
Microsoft is already considering using Azure as part of its own Project xCloud service for streaming games. This could be part of a split hardware plan that Microsoft had hinted at last year's E3, with a high-end console for high-end local gaming and gaming content streaming that can also run on all kinds of other devices.
The two companies also agreed to "explore collaboration in the areas of semiconductors and AI," but the announced mention of "joint development of new intelligent image sensor solutions" suggests that this could have more to do with the Azure Kinect sensor than with anything related to the game.
Do not worry, they are still competitors
Seeing two fierce competitors in the console announce a gaming partnership facilitates the quick conclusion on the future of the gambling market. We are sure that many speculative articles and YouTube videos will be published on how this partnership augurs the "end of the war of consoles" for these two companies. We can almost hear keyboards seize the supposed details of some imagined Microsoft / Sony broadcast services, allowing PlayStation or Xbox hardware owners (and most likely other devices) to play streaming games on a single device. server platform under a single Netflix subscription. .
In this game console Shangri-La, the idea of an "exclusive" console game would disappear, because Sony and Microsoft publish their main franchises directly on a common streaming service within the reach of all. Finally, Armament of war and Unexplored on one platform, playable on a cheap streaming box or mobile phone!
There is a twisted logic to this idea. The announcement of its Stadia service by Google in March and reports that Amazon is considering a similar game have convinced a broad segment of the industry that remote broadcasting is the inevitable future of games. The prospect of imminent competition from these Internet giants could be enough for former rivals to work together to maintain a common market position. And given the similarity between the current Xbox and PlayStation consoles architecturally, it might be wise to team up for a single "dual console" streaming standard.
On the other hand, this kind of major change of direction seems to be an unlikely move for both console giants. Consider Sony's recently announced PlayStation 4 tracking with promises of faster SSD storage, 3D positioning sound, and state-of-the-art graphics and processor hardware. The mere existence of such a console goes against the ethics of such efforts as Stadia. And a console like this will need exclusive games to convince people to buy it, which makes it unlikely that Sony is ready to give up software exclusivity for a streaming service "Let's all work together" .
"Deeply in architecture"
Similarly, Microsoft has already hinted that it was "deeply involved in the architecture of the upcoming Xbox consoles" that "would set the standard for console gaming." Why bother doing this if you just want to put the next Halo game on a fully accessible service to people who buy the competing console (or no console at all)?
The most direct reading of today's announcement could simply consist of a recognition of the respective strengths of Sony and Microsoft. Sony has a head start in the game with streaming content via its PlayStation Now and PlayStation Vue brands. Microsoft, on the other hand, has a wider geographic distribution of Azure data centers than its competitors Amazon and Google. Given the sensitivity of game streaming services to latency issues, Azure is particularly well-suited as a platform for Sony to deliver its PlayStation content to users.
It might be better for everyone if Microsoft and Sony stopped trying to sell proprietary hardware and simply adopted a so-called utopia of streaming, in which all games could only be played on virtually any device connected to the Internet. (regardless of persistent concerns about latency, Internet infrastructure). and cost).
But it's wishful thinking. Sony and Microsoft are both working on their next generation of state-of-the-art hardware consoles, clearly showing they have high-end, high-end consoles, and the platform exclusives used. to change them are here to stay. Despite the announcement today, we do not see Microsoft and Sony will tie their arms and put an end to the console war anytime soon.
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