130°

How Microsoft Could Win the Streaming War Before it Begins

Cloud gaming is something that has always occupied a strange and secluded place in the industry. Onlive managed to turn a few heads, but the vast majority of gamers have stuck to their hardware. For most, cloud gaming is a novelty. An interesting concept, but not something ready for the mainstream audience. This, however, is changing. With the news of Sony’s acquisition of Gaikai last month, followed by Onlive’s support of the Ouya System, it is clear that cloud gaming will be incredibly important as the industry moves forward into the next generation, and will likely be the dominant form of gaming in the near future. The companies mentioned above will be a big part of that transition, and are currently the powerhouses in the cloud gaming industry. Yet, there is already one company which has a perfect setup to win the cloud gaming wars before they begin – whether it realizes it or not. That company is Microsoft.

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robotgeek.co.uk
StrongMan4710d ago

Highly doubt that the only company to charge an additional fee(XBL) to stream will win the streaming war. Remember what happened when MS tried to force PC gamers to pay to play games online? They said "HELL NO"!. The mainstream public will do the same when they can stream everywhere else for free.

Belking4710d ago

If they really wanted to they probably could. Like the article says they have the infrastructure to do it. They also have the money to build towards that. In the end, they may not need to because right no one knows how this whole cloud thing will turn out.

Mounce4709d ago

If Sony uses Gaikai's tech well enough and expands it heavily. Nothing would compare, Microsoft is not competent enough to make quality hardware that works, they either take the tech from others and poorly implement it or just make funny hardware that barely works.

palaeomerus4709d ago

No one cares about Sony anymore. No one EVER cared about Gaikai. Sony doesn't even care about their own VITA product. Sony will just crap this up just like they did PSN+, Move, Home, and all their other irrelevant schemes. Hell they just lost a lot of their share of the music, PV, and music markets too.

Mounce4708d ago

@ palaeomerus - Hahahahahaha, Well don't you sound like a pathetic fanboy xD.

Yes yes, you're right, Sony launched Vita and is going to discard it and give up right away, hell! Everyone who said the same when PS3 launched, clearly they were right, Sony should've given up on PS3 since everyone said it'd go nowhere, same for PSP.....Oh wait, they're doing fine and PS3 probably within the next year will outsell Xbox 360's global sales, then what?

PSN+ is a good service, it's Optional, and you still have free online gaming without Ads, and without a subscription forced on you.

Move is just another gimmick, Microsoft does similar, Nintendo does similar, it's called experimenting on the market flow, I'd not suspect someone as dimwitted as you would understand risks in taking leaps in tech-response.

Home is bringing Sony actual profit, so your ignorance is noted again, biased and idiotic too of course. If it brings them profit, they're clearly doing something right.

'Irrelevant schemes', LOL Delusional or paranoid, which one are you? xD

Wat? Share of music? PV and Music markets?

Either way, am sure your only comeback will be that since I didn't trash Sony with your ignorance, your 'Counter' to me will be to call me some kind of 'loyal sony robot', You're a dimwit with a flawed self-glorified opinion that's worth nothing. What else is new with this generations' fanboy though? Go hide under that rock of yours again kid :P

LAZL0-Panaflex4710d ago (Edited 4710d ago )

The cloud is the future. Streaming is the future. Subscriptions are the future.

People die. Companies die.

Ibm was the sh1t.....now ibm is sh1t
Microsoft is following in ibm's footsteps.
nintendo is dieing.
Sony is dieing, but working with google/android.
Every dog has his day.

Apple and google are the players. Sony/ ms/ nintendo cant touch them. Playstation mobile is in effect android, nintendo will be dead, ms will probably die judging by the surface tablet malfunction at the pressconference, windows 8, zune, windows phone, and rrod, and the simple fact everyone is gagga over apple.

yabhero4710d ago

Lol
Nintendo can take a loss like they did last year for 20-30 more year before selling IPs
Sony is finally profiting of PS3 and buying Gaikai, They aren't dying
MS alway has to fall back on... The most widely supported OS in the world
Your comment is LOL

Belking4710d ago

Dude, even if surface fails windows is still used in over 90% of PCs around the world. Its not like ms has nothing to fall back on....unlike sony and nintendo. If gaming fails for those two, its all over.

s45gr324710d ago

Sony just recently bought gakai so this company can fall back on that. Nintendo well if they ditch the whole wii u console and decide to just sell the tablet controller it will most definitely succeed.

sashimi4710d ago

Sony makes millions from movies and music.... Nintendo is the only company that solely focuses on gaming.

KMCROC544710d ago (Edited 4710d ago )

Jobs had a malfunction during the introduction of the iPad where he asked everyone to turn off their wifi devices & it has gone on to make millions & sale millions.

slane34710d ago

How about streaming in some exclusive game for a change

ChunkyLover534710d ago

There's been a ton over the life cycle of the Xbox 360, I'm sure you haven't played them all, and if you have, try some on the Xbox Live Arcade, Trials, Fez, Deadlight and Bastion are all great. Also, Forza Horizon and a little known game called Halo 4 is set to release this holiday.

ALLWRONG4710d ago

You're proof that the bubble system doesn't work.

Belking4710d ago

It only works if you show loyalty to one console.

slane34710d ago

samo 4 is rehashing this holiday season ? Thanks

SolidDuck4710d ago

The problem is onlive and giakia own patents on streaming. So it wouldn't be as simple as hey lets stream on Xbox live.

OC_MurphysLaw4710d ago

Hard to say how easy it would be as we dont know what patents MS has already that deal with streaming.

Show all comments (22)
660°

Microsoft planning “major” Xbox layoffs next week

The cuts are expected to be announced next week.

Microsoft is also planning thousands of job cuts that will impact other parts of it businesses

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
2d ago Replies(1)
2d ago Replies(1)
Obscure_Observer2d ago

MFs has been beating their chests over great quarterly results and big profits to shareholders while firing people by the thousands just like Sony.

I wonder if at the top of those rumored layoffs they´ll also cancel upcoming or unannounced games while shutting down more studios as well.

2d ago
pwnmaster30002d ago

Always got to throw shade at Sony smh.
Yes we get it,
MS good Sony bad
MS bad Sony is also bad lmao

2d ago
Obscure_Observer2d ago

F* them both!

Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares.

blacktiger2d ago

He was talking about both. Why you getting offended when he's using both names

pwnmaster30002d ago (Edited 2d ago )

@Blacktiger

Im not offended , that’s just his formula lol
He can’t help help himself, he needs to bring Sony down when the topic involves MS.
Whether is good news for MS or bad, it some how leads to Sony doing bad lmao.
It’s actually hilarious.

InUrFoxHole2d ago

He's not wrong but im tracking what youre saying. In this case is should just be MS bad. Thats a lot of people fired

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2d ago
Tacoboto2d ago

"just like Sony"

Gosh you're insufferable, not everything needs to be both-sides'd. Sony's had layoffs, but nothing like what Microsoft has been doing and is continuing to do.

CrimsonWing692d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I mean, no offense, but this is why you’re not some corporate business person running a major corporation. Big profits don’t mean jobs are safe. Do you understand why things like this happen:

Cutting jobs to maintain or increase profitability, especially in underperforming divisions like parts of Xbox like other gaming divisions.

Corporate restructuring and relocating resources for strategic stability in ever changing markets and consumer behaviors.

Investor expectations and optimizing operations to maintain investor confidence. Whatever boosts stock prices and improves future margins.

And there’s many other factors at play. It’s never as simple as business doing well, everyone’s safe. That’s just you not understanding at all how corporations work and have been working since the beginning. This isn’t something that’s specific to Xbox, you can bet your ass Sony and Nintendo do this and if it’s not clear by now, game development is not a stable job nor has it ever been for many. A lot of developers are contractors and guess what happens when a project is done?

Ganif2d ago

Nintendo said they have no plans for layoffs, and you can't seriously claim that the scale of Sony's layoffs most of which involved Bungie which is self managed as even close to the same scale as what Microsoft has done since they purchased Zenimax. And that significantly less layoffs would have happened if those publishers had stayed independent. Keep in mind that much of these layoffs have been due to redundancies specifically related to these buyouts.

CrimsonWing692d ago (Edited 2d ago )

@Ganif

Nintendo:

https://gamerant.com/ninten...

Sony:

https://gamerant.com/playst...

https://techxplore.com/news...

I don’t think it’s realistic to treat Sony’s layoffs as somehow outside the norm for the industry right now. Even if Bungie is self-managed, Sony’s cuts went far beyond that like Naughty Dog, Insomniac, London Studio being shut down completely, and multiple teams across the globe took hits. These weren’t just minor adjustments.

Nintendo, I had to look up and you’re right. They seem to be an outlier, but rest assured at some point it happens. And even then there’s been layoffs, albeit a smaller amount and contractors.

Would fewer layoffs have happened if studios from acquisitions stayed independent? Maybe. But even independents have been hit hard and look at what’s happened with Embracer’s fallout, or smaller devs like Digic, Roll7, or Volition. This isn’t just a “Microsoft problem” or strictly tied to acquisitions; it’s a broader correction happening across the whole industry, and unfortunately, layoffs are a big part of that process right now.

Ganif2d ago

From your article:

"According to reports, Nintendo of America restructured its testing operations, leading to layoffs of about 120 contractors, part of a strategy for global integration.

Nintendo of America, publisher of iconic franchises like Mario and Zelda, is shifting some contractors to full-time roles for better development integration."

Contractors are not employees, and even if you want to count them as that, it's 120 people vs around 7500 since Microsoft purchased Zenimax.

In an era of game industry layoffs, Nintendo is hiring more people
https://automaton-media.com...

Nintendo Announces 10 Percent Pay Raise For Devs Despite Lower Profits
https://kotaku.com/nintendo...

Nintendo CEO’s refusal to layoff staff goes viral following industry-wide cuts
"Satoru Iwata took pay cuts to ensure staff didn’t have to be let go"
https://www.nme.com/news/ga...

And as for Sony you're comparing less than 1000 total jobs to an estimated7500

Has the industry faced layoffs, yes, but that still doesn't account for the mass layoffs due to redundancies that was easily predictable, or that fact that at least 1/3 of Microsoft's layoffs and studio closures happened before the industry downturn.

thorstein2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Take the L, Crimson.

People hate Nintendo, but Ganif proved why they deserve support.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2d ago
-Foxtrot2d ago

It's like banging your head off a wall, he just can't help himself.

Microsoft can do no wrong, Sony sucks at everything and Nintendo is bigged up because it's less hassle than trying to defend Microsoft all the time

What's going to happen when Microsoft finally turn completely third party, then what?

anast2d ago

I enjoy Obscure. Obscure does good work.

crazyCoconuts2d ago

Did you know that the first n4g was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program.

Tacoboto2d ago

I wouldn't be surprised at this point if anast and osbcure were both alts for the Admin.

We know how Obscure especially drums up additional comments and clicks with his spam-worthy remarks that somehow never get moderated

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2d ago
Profchaos2d ago

Thats business present a strong front to your shareholders while your company burns around you.

Keep shareholders happy at all costs andnif not happy keep them numb to the reality of you organisation

Angyobangyo2d ago

" Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares. "

Just for the record, you clearly you do if you have to vent this hard.

TheExecutioner1d 22h ago

Basically you think like kids when it come to choose between candy or chocolate.

Sonic18811d 21h ago (Edited 1d 21h ago )

Are you and Anast the same person?

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 1d 21h ago
2d ago
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260°

AMD CEO Shares Vision Behind Xbox Partnership and Next-Gen Chip Roadmap

AMD CEO Lisa Su talks about the Xbox AMD partnership, next-gen Ryzen + Radeon chips, and AI rendering tech coming to all Xbox devices.

Read Full Story >>
clouddosage.com
Obscure_Observer7d ago

AMD is really building hype around their unique partnership with Microsoft to help and build an advanced and seamless Xbox ecosystem across all Xbox consoles and devices.

I wonder what she meant by "full roadmap of gaming optimized chips" though? Seems ambitious.

Next year´s Xbox Showcase already looks promising and exciting. Here´s hoping they deliver.

InUrFoxHole7d ago

They had best show 3yrs in a row. Heading for another

VenomUK6d ago

Obscure_Observer said “I wonder what she meant by "full roadmap of gaming optimised chips" though? Seems ambitious.” To me, I interpret this to mean rather than having a couple of X/S products for launch and a handheld there is a longer term plan to release new products with higher specs at timed intervals. I’m speculating of course, but this could mean a spec bump every year or two, so that even if the PS6 or Steam Deck Home is released a year after ‘Xbox’ Microsoft can release an updated model that has a higher spec.

Agent756d ago

But Microsoft forgot the games.

KwietStorm_BLM6d ago

It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever.

Ganif6d ago

Correct.

"Sony's PlayStation 6 reportedly will feature an AMD semi-custom APU with a Zen 5 CPU and UDNA GPU, capable of 4K 120FPS and 8K 60FPS gaming. The console will include X3D cache and advanced AI upscaling technology."

https://www.tweaktown.com/n...

Obscure_Observer6d ago

"It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever."

I doubt that AMD´s CEO would waste her time making this huge and important partnership announcement over a tech that will be 7 years old by the those next gen consoles will be released.

Notellin6d ago

You should have just lead this comment with the fact that you have zero understanding of technology in the consoles and instead have a Toms Hardware online forum level of education.

Obscure_Observer3d ago

"It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever"

I´d told you were on some bs

https://www.pcgamesn.com/wp...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3d ago
Agent756d ago

But Microsoft forgot the games

Obscure_Observer6d ago

@VenomUK

"I’m speculating of course, but this could mean a spec bump every year or two, so that even if the PS6 or Steam Deck Home is released a year after ‘Xbox’ Microsoft can release an updated model that has a higher spec."

Very interesting theory. Still not sure how MS would actually make it work.

KwietStorm_BLM6d ago

"I doubt that AMD´s CEO would waste her time making this huge and important partnership announcement over a tech that will be 7 years old by the those next gen consoles will be released."

How old is the tech in consoles? It's not a huge announcement. It's marketing and you know it is.

Obscure_Observer5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

"How old is the tech in consoles? It's not a huge announcement. It's marketing and you know it is."

Dude, what I know for certain is that a tech as old as X3D chips which is actually *older* than both PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, is hardly the reason behind this new partnership between AMD and MS to build new *custom silicon* for next generation of consoles.

And yes it´s a huge announcement since AMD is working closely with MS to co-develop custom SoC which will allow backwards compatibility across all MS´s next gen devices allowing seamless integration between devices and full backwards compatibility across all generations of Xbox consoles.

I also know is that this announcement don´t have anything to do with Playstation and their strategy with AMD for the PS6, so stop comparing the two pretending that you know what´s going on, because you clearly don´t.

If Sony is working on something remotely similar, that´s remain to be seen.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
Fishy Fingers7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

Some odd, deliberate wording, no branding, not 'Xbox consoles, Xbox handhelds' specifically, feels and sounds like they're building towards hardware that anyone can be used or licensed to/by themselves and other manufacturers.

Multiplatform software and hardware 'Xbox/AMD APU'.

Obscure_Observer7d ago

I guess you missed Sarah Bond´s next generation Xbox announcement this week, were she clearly states:

"I´m thrilled to share that we´ve established a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including, *our* next generation *Xbox consoles*."

But hey, I don´t think you´re entirely wrong, maybe MS will build their own Xbox consoles while licencing other manufactures to build and sell their own Xbox branded consoles. Who knows

BeHunted7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

I think you watched the wrong video. It's below the description, or you can watch it directly on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/kprpRvsOua...

HyperMoused7d ago

Shares vision....we provide chips for money, this deal will sell many chips, we will make lots of money...good vision

Christopher7d ago

The marketing behind this is so heavy that I worry about the actual outcome. Why are they just not showing us the product, why all this talking in market speak?

Lightning777d ago

Probably because the next xbox isn't ready to release yet?

The marketing and rumors seem to be heavy out of no where. The rumor was a 27 release but it maybe it could be 26 new console launch instead.

Who knows.

Eonjay6d ago

There PR is alrways super heavy handed. No one is acutally buying an Xbox as is.
Also it is very early to be talking so much about a next gen console.

Obscure_Observer6d ago

There´s a lot of people interested on Xbox Next and its ability to run games from major stores like Steam.

We know that the PS6 is just around the corner as well, but so far, no news on what it might improve over the PS5 or PS5 Pro.

However, Sony already made public that their priority and actual focus is the PS6. So its not "very early" to talk about next gen when the very console manufactures are talking about it.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
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210°

Activision Forces Adverts into Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone Loadouts

With the launch of Call of Duty Season 4, Activision quietly put adverts inside loadouts for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, sparking a backlash in the process.

26d ago
26d ago
lukasmain26d ago

Putting Ads in a pay-to-play Premium title? Well done Microsoft. Well done /s This is really scummy.

jjb198125d ago

This game will never change because these sweatlords love buying up all the skins and bundles that become obsolete the following year. They're the ones perpetuating Activision's greed.

VenomUK24d ago

If Microsoft introduces adverts into its other games I hope it can do them without disrupting the immersion of the game world. So for example in the new Fable game it would look out of place if there was a billboard advertising Cadillacs.

A far better way to do it would be to have a wizard conjure a 'dream cloud' in front of your character and then in the cloud you can see the Cadillac car and see the text with price and availability and hear a booming sales voice promoting the car. That would work so well as it wouldn't be a billboard and completely, 100%, fit in with your character's adventuring in Albion. Doesn't that sound so much better?!

crazyCoconuts24d ago

@venom, or how about our of 100 farts in Albion, 1 of them has a Cadillac pop out

VenomUK24d ago

@crazyCoconuts That’s undeniably off-beat - but it could really work!

25d ago
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