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| Microsoft wants to turn Xbox into a TV app |
Phil Spencer, current executive vice president of games at Microsoft, has announced that it is possible to launch Xbox apps for Smart TVs next year.
Microsoft is still in the early stages of offering xCloud streaming services to mobile devices, and TV is the logical next step.
When asked about converting Xbox into a TV app, the Xbox Brand Manager said, I think you'll see this in the next 12 months and I think nothing is stopping us from doing that.
Spencer hinted at Microsoft's xCloud TV channel last month, and the new tip suggests we might see similar hardware or Xbox apps for TV in 2021.
Microsoft is currently working to bring xCloud to the web to enable it on iOS devices. This feature, of course, makes it possible to expand the xCloud platform to televisions, browsers, and other places.
Microsoft developed a small device for streaming in 2016, but canceled the device.
The company has been moving Halo 4 to Windows and Windows Phone devices over the cloud since 2013 and is therefore testing production of streaming devices.
Microsoft has no plans to ditch its platform or hardware, although it might still be using xCloud.
Microsoft sees the future as a combination of on-premises devices and the cloud.
Spencer explained that when we think of xCloud (our version of Stadia or Luna), I think you really need to develop a game that works in a mixed environment of cloud and local computing.
This could mean that we will soon see that both Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X platforms have access to xCloud.
This way, players can quickly try the game before downloading the game completely from Game Pass or playing a game demo before purchasing the game.
Microsoft also plans to integrate xCloud with Facebook Gaming in the future, which means many xCloud-related changes are imminent.
There are no complete details on Microsoft's plan to bring Xbox to TV, but Microsoft launched xCloud in partnership with Samsung earlier this year.
Microsoft plans to update its server code sometime in 2021 to be compatible with Xbox Series X.