Xbox Cloud Streaming Won't Replace Consoles, Microsoft Says

Microsoft is pushing into a new category with its game-streaming cloud service, but the company does not expect streaming to replace consoles anytime soon, if that ever happens.

Pav Bhardwaj, senior global product manager for Xbox Game Pass, said in an interview that consoles will continue to play a role in the equation. "Some people are always going to love playing on consoles, having a console in their living room to download and have that experience," Bhardwaj told GI.biz. "I love consoles--[streaming] is just another route, another option to open up gaming to other people."

Bhardwaj went on to say, "It's not that one is a detriment to the other, this is more of a rising tide, and it's a really good place to be in to offer all these different opportunities. There's still PC, and there'll be new form factors that come out in future."

Overall, Bhardwaj said cloud gaming will be a "great alternative" to consoles, not a replacement for them.

There are plenty of reasons why someone might not buy a traditional home console, and offering streaming as an alternative is Microsoft's effort to bring the Xbox experience to whatever device someone has already. Additionally, cloud gaming helps Xbox reach different parts of the world where the traditional home console is not as popular as, say, a smartphone or tablet.

"There are different reasons why people don't buy dedicated hardware: affordability, accessibility, maybe they're lapsed gamers or already own devices for other platforms. We really think this is about accessibility and choice," Bhardwaj said.

Xbox cloud streaming, which is included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, just recently expanded its reach further via the Samsung Gaming Hub. Anyone who buys a 2022 Samsung TV can stream games directly from the built-in app, and all you need is a membership and a Bluetooth controller.

Microsoft cut a special deal with Epic Games to make Fortnite free to play via the cloud for everyone, no membership required. In fact, anyone can play the game for free at Xbox.com right now.