Microsoft has shown interest in cross platform gaming between PC and its next-gen home console Xbox One. In current generation, players are limited to consoles they own, social interaction between two different consoles or a PC is not freely possible. Now it seems like manufacturers are getting more advanced in cross-platform.
Microsoft Plans Cross-Platform Gaming Between Xbox One an PC - Cloud May Come In Handy
Gaming and sharing between two different consoles have long been player’s dream. Putting aside all the arguments, new generation of consoles seems very promising in fulfilling player’s needs. Phil Spencer of Microsoft Studios described Cloud as an essential feature that can be utilized in next-gen consoles.
“Cloud is a really interesting place to invest and we're investing a ton in the cloud,” said Spencer. “This connected ecosystem across all the different devices is definitely where I think the future of gaming is going,” he went on. “You don’t have to do it as a developer, but you have the capability and I think a system like Xbox Live across all those screens where you know who someone is and who their friends are, what their Achievements are and their progression is really critical to that.”
Microsoft not only wants Xbox One player to compete with PC players, it also wants share of content, achievements, events and several other things between them but looking at the market and current situations, Spencer said “Whether cloud rendering ends up being the killer cloud feature, I'm a little skeptical that will be where game designers will actually see the promise of the cloud paying off in their games. We're seeing a lot of our studios putting that power toward the experience that's running locally on the Xbox One and how the combined capabilities of the device and servers in the sky create a more immersive experience."
Taking Shadow Run as an example, the game was targeted at mutual playing between PC and Xbox 360 gamers. Eventually it was not able to achieve the expected aim and audience. The concept of cloud gaming is not very clear in the market at this time. Gaming between a console and PC sounds like a little unbalanced, controls and way of playing differs in clear terms.
Cloud can be a very positive feature but to balance both sides, manufacturers must pay attention to making it more user friendly and easy to use. Microsoft has various connectivity plans for Xbox one, it could be a success for Xbox one if Microsoft manages to work out all of them properly. It would be great if Sony and Microsoft cooperate and announce a cross-platform opportunities for their next generation consoles.
