June has been a very busy month for Microsoft. It all started on the 11th, when the company announced it would be accelerating the rollout of its cloud-based gaming platform, xCloud, in four nations. Japan and Australia are two of the countries expected to be involved in this project.
The cloud gaming service will be accessible through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. When used, xCloud gives gamers access to over 100 different titles on their Xbox and PC devices.
To make games more easily available for players, Microsoft announced Xbox cloud gaming will soon be making its way to the Xbox One. At this time, few other details are known about this expansion project.
On June 21st, Xbox Game Studios’ publishing head, Peter Wyse, had a sit-down interview with Polygon. During this conversation, Wyse explained how inclusivity is a major driving factor behind many of the decisions made at Microsoft these days.
“You can see this come to focus in a game like Tell Me Why,” Wyse said. “We’re super proud of that game. It speaks to our values around LGBTQIA+ representation, mental health awareness, and more.”
At this time, the organization said it has renewed its focus on creating “cloud-native games.” As a result, Microsoft announced Portal and Left 4 Dead developer Kim Swift would be joining the business as the company’s new Senior Director. Wyse said he thinks Swift “is going to build a team focused on new experiences in the cloud…”
One day later, Microsoft unveiled it was expanding its “Designed for Xbox” program. As part of this expansion, some monitors will have a “Gaming Features for Xbox” badge. This means these displays will feature an HDMI 2.1 connection and support for HDR and a 120Hz refresh rate.
“This is just the beginning, and we look forward to more monitors joining the Designed for Xbox program in the future,” the company said in a blog post. “For the best way to experience games on Xbox Series X|S, look for the green Gaming Features for Xbox badge to kick off your next-gen journey with Xbox.”
(All information was provided by Xbox, The Verge, Engadget, Nikkei Asia, and Polygon [1,2])
0 comments on “Microsoft Continues To Adapt To The Fast-Growing Gaming Market”