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Microsoft Announces Project Xcloud For Streaming Games To PCs, Consoles, and Mobile Devices (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the cross-platform dept.

Microsoft has unveiled "Project xCloud," its new game streaming service designed to work across consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. "Scaling and building out Project xCloud is a multi-year journey for us," explains Microsoft's cloud gaming chief Kareem Choudhry in a blog post. "We'll begin public trials in 2019 so we can learn and scale with different volumes and locations." The Verge reports: Microsoft has built custom hardware for its datacenters, as The Verge previously exclusively reported, so that existing and future Xbox games will be compatible with the services. Games will be streamed to devices, and Microsoft has been testing the xCloud service with Xbox wireless controllers connected to consoles, mobile devices, and PCs. Microsoft says its research teams are "creating ways to combat latency" via advanced network techniques combined with video encoding and decoding. This should make game streaming viable on 4G networks, too.

80 comments

  1. No thanks by TimMD909 · · Score: 2

    Not interested. I'll stick to playing retro games that don't have $300 worth of DLC to buy to be usable, or require an internet connection to function.

    1. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yup.. who wants to play laggy mobas with badly compressed video feeds for $10/mo?

    2. Re:No thanks by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 4, Informative

      Oh but Tim, don't you know the new hotness is to rent EVERYTHING in your life? 'Owning things' is SO Last Thursday! Owning things is what OLD PEOPLE who still think AOL is 'the internet'! You do't want people to think you're an OLD PERSON do you? </sarcasm>

      In all seriousness: I think this is what The Rich and Corporations want: make everyone believe that renting everything and owning nothing is somehow better. Lease a car or pay Uber/Lyft all the time, rent your house, rent your computer, rent your OS and applications, and so on. That way you pay, pay, PAY forever, making The Rich richer. Glad to see you aren't falling for it.

    3. Re: No thanks by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

      I've been an open source zealot for 20+ years. You're damn straight, I ain't fall for that shit.

    4. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously who gives a fuck? Its cheaper and more convenient to have a Spotify and Netflix subscription than it is to go and buy movies and music individually. The case against this always ends up just being some conspiracy theory about an Equilibrium-like future.

      Even if I paid for a spotify subscription for the rest of my life it would still be cheaper then buying every album I want to listen to, so yes you pay, pay, pay ... a lot less than you otherwise would.

    5. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      'Owning things' is SO Last Thursday!

      and are you really sitting there watching the same movie you bought dozens of times over just so you can get the value out of how much you paid for it?

    6. Re:No thanks by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

      Go research 'feudalism' and 'sharecropper' and tell me there aren't parallels. Also you sit there and tell me that never owning a home, never having the value of that home to borrow against, is somehow better. You're being taken for a fool and you don't even realize it because you only think in the short term.

    7. Re:No thanks by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      I buy few movies and when I do I watch them enough times to justify it. I also have BOOKS and (shocking!!!) READ THEM MORE THAN ONCE. You own enough books, movies, and music, and eventually it's all like it's new again. Or I guess you can be a fool who has to pay EVERY SINGLE TIME you want to watch or listen to something. I think you people are fucking stupid, flat-out, and these corporations are laughing at you all the way to the bank. You probably also think that fast food burgers are cheaper than making your own and somehow just as healthy. LOL you're ridiculous.

    8. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go research 'feudalism' and 'sharecropper' and tell me there aren't parallels.

      That has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with streaming services, you're attempting draw parallels between things that aren't even related. The concept of feudalism has no relation to the concept of streaming services (or rental services for that matter) at all.

      Also you sit there and tell me that never owning a home, never having the value of that home to borrow against, is somehow better.

      I never said anything about that, that's completely different: Nobody is borrowing against the value of their CD collection or games collection. Yes, not owning a home is bad because you have no asset to borrow against, I agree with you, but that doesn't apply to streaming music, movie or game services.

    9. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are so dumb you don't even realize how much more money you're paying for less content! For $10 a month I can watch as many movies as I want! How many movies can you buy per month for $10? Buying every movie I want to watch would be ludicrously expensive compared to streaming services and the same goes for music.

      Is it just that you're so angry at "the corporations" (mostly the same "corporations" that you're paying when you buy a movie anyway mind you) that you can't do the math?

    10. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have been wondering the same too. I have colleague who tried to use some of the game streaming services. He said the lag, random stuttering and compression artifacts were almost tolerable if one did not try playing at evenings or weekends. After months of trying, he is now in the market for a better gaming PC.

    11. Re:No thanks by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Go right on being an idiot, we all need someone to laugh at.

    12. Re:No thanks by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      I don't need to buy movies every month. In fact it's been at least a year since I bought any DVDs. I buy copies of things I know I want around to watch again. Most movies and TV shows I watch exactly once. TV is free (for me, LOL) and going to a movie theatre is so much better than watching it on a TV screen. For movies that don't warrant going to a theatre, paying $1 or $1.50 for Redbox is a great deal. I listen to FM broadcast radio so I pay nothing for that. But do go right ahead and keep letting your 'streaming' services bleed you dry, I'm sure they give you a nice kiss on your forehead and tell you what a Good Boy you are. Also go get yourself a pocket calculator at the Dollar Store since it seems either your math is bad, or your attention span is so short that you forget from month to month how much you're bleeding out of your wallet for all your ridiculuous unnecessary 'streaming services' and all the extra internet bandwidth you need to pay for to use them. No wonder the rest of the world thinks us Americans are stupid when there are so many of you who do stupid shit like this. You probably voted for Trump and wear a MAGA hat everywhere (do I hear banjos?)

    13. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most movies and TV shows I watch exactly once.

      Right, so you don't need to own them.

      TV is free (for me, LOL) and going to a movie theatre is so much better than watching it on a TV screen.

      So you pay to watch a movie at the theater that you dont get to own, wow again just like streaming. And unless you're going to the movies by yourself and not buying any drinks or popcorn that's more expensive than a month of netflix.

      For movies that don't warrant going to a theatre, paying $1 or $1.50 for Redbox is a great deal.

      So again, paying to rent but not own, just like streaming.

      I listen to FM broadcast radio so I pay nothing for that.

      Yep so you only get to listen to whatever they want you to listen to and then all the ads. I'm not some tightwad who won't pay a couple dollars a month to listen to what I want and not have ads.

      But do go right ahead and keep letting your 'streaming' services bleed you dry

      Dude how fucking poor are you?! $10 a month ain't gonna bleed me dry but if it will for you then I'd suggest you get a job.

      But seriously how much do you spend per year on buying movies, going to the theater and renting movies? Do you even know? For $120 a year I can watch whatever I want as many times as I want and there is more than enough content, that amount of money is a pittance compared to how much it would cost to buy or rent all those movies and tv shows.

    14. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are doing an awful lot of goalpost-moving there. Originally you were arguing against paying for content that you dont get to own and now you are advocating for paying for content you dont own (going to the cinema, renting from redbox).

      You seem to be upset about something but dont really know what it is, hence you are now contradicting your own statements.

    15. Re:No thanks by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Listen you dumb shit.. am I supposed to wait a year or two to see any movie so I can buy it on DVD and never go to a theatre? Does Redbox charge me a monthly fee or a one-time fee to borrow a goddamned disk? You are paying every month for something you may or may not use, and you don't get to keep ANYTHING, you only get it as long as you keep paying and paying and paying, month after month.

      Meanwhile HOAs have gone out of their way for at least 20 years now to make it difficult for people to own a home. Banks do an end-run around anti-discrimination laws to lend to only certain people regardless of how good someone's credit and income are, keeping them on the rental treadmill. Companies like Microsoft want to RENT your OS and Apps instead of you buying copies you can use the next 10 years. Microsoft and other companies want you to STREAM games instead of owning copies of them. Vehicles get more and more expensive and they want you to LEASE them, but still pay for all the resposibilities of owning them. 'Services like Uber and Lyft discourage you to have a car at all, and just RENT a ride. Streaming 'services' discourage you from owning your own music and movies, tricking you into paying month after month ad infinitum, and if they stop offering something you like the tough shit, it's GONE. Same with Netflix; there's a movie or show you want to see and they decided not to have it anymore? Tough shit for you, you get what you get and you'd better like it. LOOK AROUND YOU, THIS IS GOING ON EVERYWHERE. Wake the fuck up already. Corporations, who are owned and operated by The Rich, don't want us peons owning ANYTHING of value, they want to suck every penny out of us they possibly can, forever. Why can't you see you're being taken advantage of?

    16. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Listen you dumb shit.. am I supposed to wait a year or two to see any movie so I can buy it on DVD and never go to a theatre? Does Redbox charge me a monthly fee or a one-time fee to borrow a goddamned disk?

      Stop getting so angry. I'm just trying to understand what you're upset about, you first said it was about not owning anything and that is clearly not the case as you have just stated. Now you're just getting upset at the fact that I'm pointing out your contradictions, the person you're really calling a "dumb shit" is yourself.

      For many people paying for one month of a service like Netflix is cheaper than renting a month's worth of movies. That doesn't mean you have to pay for the service every month or even for the same service next time.

      Streaming 'services' discourage you from owning your own music and movies

      As do rental services, which you've advocated for. If you're going to say you don't see the contradiction then you clearly have an agenda. You're quite abusive in accusing others of "shilling" but it's pretty clear you're the shill here.

      tricking you into paying month after month ad infinitum

      No you certainly don't have to pay every month, there is no contract.

      Same with Netflix; there's a movie or show you want to see and they decided not to have it anymore? Tough shit for you, you get what you get and you'd better like it.

      Now you're getting VERY confused. Netflix is certainly not the only game in town, nor does one have to pay for it for any length of time. If Redbox doesn't have the movie you want what do you do? The answer is the exact same thing I do when Netflix doesn't have the movie I want. Why is it you think there is a difference?

      Services like Uber and Lyft discourage you to have a car at all, and just RENT a ride.

      No that's just your perception, when I've been out for drinks in town there's no way in hell I'm driving home I'll certainly call an Uber. But when I'm going out camping the countryside I'm loading up my 4x4! :D

      Uber and Lyft might discourage you from car ownership but don't project your impressions on others.

      Companies like Redbox and the movie theaters want you pay to effectively rent that content and pay again if you want to watch it again and you have openly advocated for that so what is your stake in their business? Because you claim to be opposed to renting yet then you advocate for it? Why so contradictory?

      Corporations, who are owned and operated by The Rich, don't want us peons owning ANYTHING of value, they want to suck every penny out of us they possibly can, forever.

      Now you've circled back to ownership again after advocating for lack of ownership via redbox and movie theaters. To be clear I'm not advocating for lack of ownership of things, I own my house, I own my car but I certainly don't look down on people that prefer to rent these things, there is a significant cost and lack of flexibility that comes from ownership and I understand some people don't want that.

      For years I traveled the world renting places wherever I lived, it would be ludicrous to buy and sell houses each time I moved.

    17. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      never owning a home

      Means I never have to pay for maintenance, furniture or appliances nor do I ever have to worry about getting rid of that stuff.

      never having the value of that home to borrow against

      Something I'd never do. I leave within my means and don't spend money that I don't have. That's why I don't do loans or credit cards or anything that places me in debt, ever. Buying a home is also buying an anchor. I travel too much for that.

      You're being taken for a fool and you don't even realize it because you only think in the short term.

      No, he's living his life. I have more important things to do than deal with endless paperwork and juggling debts.

      I also lease my car because I get to drive it into the ground for a year and not ever worry about maintenance, then trade up for the newest model the next year.

    18. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're an idiot. You're utterly clueless about the trend I'm talking about. There's no hope for you.

    19. Re:No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're utterly clueless about the trend I'm talking about.

      Well you keep contradicting yourself so it's not clear what "trend" you are talking about. First it's that paying for content that you don't own is bad, then you moved the goalposts to say that paying for content that you don't own is ok so long as you're paying RedBox and movie theaters but not if you're paying Netflix et. al.

      So given that you said FM radio is ok does that also mean Spotify's free service is ok? If so then why is it so bad to pay a fee to remove the ads?

      Calling me an "idiot" or "clueless" just because I'm pointing out that you're contradicting yourself is really just you getting angry at yourself for being incoherent.

  2. But will it run by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dwarf fortress? No? Ok, go away, thanks!

    1. Re: But will it run by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No mods and no hellper apps uap only also no steam

  3. caps are to low for 4g and old dsl to slow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe on cable unless alot of users on the node all want to play at the same time.

    Forget about satlight

    1. Re:caps are to low for 4g and old dsl to slow by olsmeister · · Score: 1

      5g home broadband is rolling out now, no caps (yet) and super low latency.

    2. Re:caps are to low for 4g and old dsl to slow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What caps? My LTE service is unlimited.

      I'm actually happy with the news. It means no more upgrade treadmill for my PC. To be able to play top AAA games on just any old computer would be awesome.

    3. Re: caps are to low for 4g and old dsl to slow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This will never be viable.

    4. Re: caps are to low for 4g and old dsl to slow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Too late, it already is.

  4. Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by L_R_Shaw · · Score: 1

    Microsoft is 0 for 3 in the console market after some sixteen years or so.

    The first Xbox marketplace failure just barely avoided coming in last place due to Nintendo dumping the GameCube a few months earlier.

    The second Xbox came in last place worldwide despite being rushed out the door a year early compared to the PS3 and having the 'luxury' of the RRoD hardware fiasco that led Xbox owners to buy tens of millions of duplicate consoles.

    The third Xbox is going to be dumped into last place by the Switch. It's only a matter of soon it will happen.

    The days of Steve Ballmer endlessly throwing billions of dollars failed Microsoft products like the Xbox are over.

    For years Microsoft has been trying to get hardware manufacturers to build Xbox branded hardware while Microsoft rakes in royalties. No one has been stupid enough to do so.

    So here we are. Say goodbye to the Xbox fiasco.

    If Microsoft is going to fail in the gaming market, it is cheaper to fail in the game streaming market than trying to design and build console hardware that can compete with a tech powerhouse like Sony.

     

    1. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Console fanboys are funny. Microsoft has TEN TIMES the market cap of Sony and a net income of $28 billion (7x sony net income). I don't think they are hurting. I feel that Slashdot readers are completely out of touch with reality, even though the Internet exists and you can easily look up data.

    2. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      But the CPU, GPU and "internet" is finally really ready for the ad tech now.
      Think of placing real time ads in 4K ready games.
      A new ad in real time every time the user plays a section of that game.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    3. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by bobstreo · · Score: 1

      Nah, the original Xbox was great when XBMC first came out. It kinda ran linux too. Toss in a nice big hard drive and you were good to go. Not bad for the $20-$50 a used Xbox was going for.

      They got so cheap, I gave some to people, and would stop by every month or so to toss another couple hundred GB of new content onto them.

    4. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Console fanboys are funny. Microsoft has TEN TIMES the market cap of Sony

      okay but we are just talking about the console unit of those businesses. what if the top stakeholders in MS see the console division as a boat anchor and cut it loose like google's cutting loose G+?

      yeah that fanboi-ism is silly, but countering with apples and oranges comparisons doesn't help.

    5. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 1

      avoided coming in last place due to Nintendo dumping the GameCube a few months earlier.

      Or rephrased by someone other than a 12 year old fanboy troll. "Just barely avoided coming in third place due to Nintendo dumping the GameCube a few months earlier".

      When there are really only 3 competitors "Last" is relative. The question is "Did they make money?" If the answer is yes it wasn't a "marketplace failure". iPhone by your metric "barely has avoided last place" thanks to Windows Phone being released.

    6. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by L_R_Shaw · · Score: 1

      Boggle.

      I remember these inane posts from back 2001-2. Bill Gates was going to walk right into the console market and own it with 'pocket change'. And Microsoft has '50 billion' in the bank.

      That was sixteen years ago. To see someone spouting that same drivel in 2018 is just sad.

      It is no secret why Microsoft got destroyed by Sony in the console market:

      * Hardware - despite Microsoft's 'billions' they never were smart enough to invest in the console hardware design and manufacturing needed to be ablet to compete with Sony.

      * Software - despite Microsoft's 'billions' they never were smart enough to invest in first part developers that could compete with Sony's(or Nintendo's) massive first party studio array.

      Sony entered the console market and blew all previous worldwide sales numbers with the first Playstation. 105 million consoles sold worldwide.

      Microsoft? The first Xbox bombed with a pathetic ~25 million before being killed off after only four or so years.

      It wasn't some accident or luck by Sony. Here we are in 2018 some sixteen years later and the Xbox One is bombing in sales worldwide at roughly the same rate the first Xbox marketplace failure with only some 30 million consoles while Sony's PS4 is selling as fast as any console in the history of the market.

    7. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by L_R_Shaw · · Score: 1

      "what if the top stakeholders in MS see the console division as a boat anchor and cut it loose like google's cutting loose G+?"

      The Xbox failure and losses were so bad that at for a time Microsoft was hiding them by including Mac Microsoft Office profits(as crazy as that sounds) in the Xbox's division's quarterly report numbers.

      It was completely understandable back in 2001-2 for clueless people like 110010001000 to engage in Microsoft fanboyism and their prospects in the console market.

      But in 2018, it is just...sad.

      Microsoft has been getting their asses kicked by both Sony and Nintendo for sixteen years now. There is no more Steve Ballmer to keep turds like Xbox from getting the axe.

    8. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      I am not Microsoft fanboy. What a joke. Considering the XBox revenue is in the billions I doubt Microsoft is going to abandon the market though. It is just funny how people take the console brands so personally. I don't own any console (or any Microsoft product). I just find you guys to be amusing because you disregard all available data in favor of your "team of choice".

    9. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      What if any company abandons a product? Stick with Open Source, kid and you won't have that problem.

    10. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Yeah. I didn't think of that. Only 30 million consoles sold. I never understand why you guys get so into your "brand". Really weird. Whatever gets you excited I guess.

    11. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's funny how quick slashdotters are to point out that a company isn't number one in their market and is therefore a failure but as soon as you point out that after nearly 3 decades and hundreds of distributions the combined total usage share of desktop Linux is still in the low single digits they get all defensive, Year of the Linux Desktop!

      Nobody in the history of technology has stuck with flogging a dead horse as long as the linux desktop crew yet as soon as a company's product isn't number one you're proclaiming death. I suppose that's modus operandi though: Year of the Linux Desktop. Death of Microsoft. No wireless, less space than a Nomad, lame. The ballmer-esque dismissal of the iPhone and iPad (oh no it doesn't have a physical keyboard! it won't succeed!). Seriously for a group of supposedly tech-focussed people you really do need to be dragged kicking and screaming into the future, open your minds.

    12. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is a very good reason why that isn't particularly important. Console makers lose money on the sale of the console so what is important is how much revenue the software and services side of the gaming business in these companies is bringing in, Microsoft has had huge growth in that area (I would imagine Sony has too).

      But the reality is that if you've sold half as many consoles as your competitor but have twice the monetization per user then you've made a lot more money. I'm not saying that's the case here but just that console sales are an idiotic metric of success of the console business because they lose money on each sale, that's the principal reason Sony had to remove the OtherOS option on the PS3 because they were being bought by people (for HPC clusters and the like) who never gave Sony any money for software and services so they were just losing a crapload of cash.

    13. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

      I like my Xbox 360. It works and doesn't require internet. The Xbox One, meh... I use it to play movies or YouTube. It's basically just a DVD and blu-ray player.

    14. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by L_R_Shaw · · Score: 1

      You're like the person taking a driving test who manages to hit EVERY SINGLE CONE.

      Every single in your rambling post is objectively wrong. Not only is every single thing you posted objectively wrong, anyone with absolutely no knowledge of the console console market can see that you are wrong with just a minute of searching.

      Congrats!

      "When there are really only 3 competitors "Last" is relative."

      last: coming after all others in time or order; final.

      Moving on...

      PS2 sold about 155 million consoles worldwide.
      GameCube sold about 23 million consoles worldwide.
      Xbox sold about 24 million consoles worldwide.

      The GameCube sold 14 percent the number consoles the PS2 did worldwide.
      The Xbox sold 15 percent the number console the PS2 did worldwide.

      Microsoft avoid LAST place(look up the definition if you still don't know what that word means) by approximately ONE PERCENT.

      Butthurt Xbox fanboy lashes out and makes a fool of himself? Or are you just dumb?

    15. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you stupid? I think you are. Microsoft is a public company. A companies number one role is to pull profits for shareholders. When microsofts xbox division loses money and marketshare hand over fist for 16 years with no improvement in sight, that is a massive failure. If there was clear profit on the horizon that would be reason to stand course but the xbox has been struggling severely just like most other microsoft products that microsoft have cut their losses on and jettisoned. Linux isnt a public company. It doesnt have to pull a profit ever. It cannot fail. Its only purpose is to provide an os thats free and open. This is also why linux is such a thorne in microsofts eyes because they cant kill linux that same way they killed so many other competitors by uncutting their prices using the money they have from windows and msoffice. You see that pos xbox over there, its only hanging around because of all the money they have from their monopoly on pcs. Its a monopoly in one place trying to make a monopoly in another and the doj should come down hard on them for dumping.

    16. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 1

      Thank you for reiterating that they were in second place. Just like the iPhone is in second place for smartphones sold to Android. So clearly it's a colossal failure like the Xbox. :eye roll:

      Playstation 3 sold 86 million
      360 sold 85 million
      Wow, another Spectacular failure, narrowly missing last place...

    17. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by L_R_Shaw · · Score: 1

      LOL!

      Did you just post Xbox 360 numbers to 'refute' Xbox numbers???

      Say hello to your friends on the Short Bus to school tomorrow...

    18. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just wanted to point out that xbox one and ps4 both use the same basic AMD hardware although xbox one is turned up a bit more.

      -geekpoet

    19. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Pinky's+Brain · · Score: 1

      It's billions of dollars of distraction. XBox does nothing to promote windows, yet it has caused perversive incentives to cripple Windows and loss of focus to improve it for gaming and multimedia. The loss of market-share to chromebooks at the bottom and macbooks at the top can not be compensated by XBox income. Would they have still lost it without XBox, probably ... but maybe not.

      The ascendancy of sandboxing on windows is over a decade late and crippled by the monetization model (again perverse incentives, App Installer should be a standard windows component, the health of windows is more important than appstore income). If they had spend all the XBox investments on accelerating that, they'd be in a better place.

    20. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's odd to say they have been losing marketshare for 16 years...you realize 16 years ago they had 0 marketshare and 0 revenues in the console market and they now have ~30% of the market and over $10 billion in annual revenues. Microsoft are raking it in in the gaming division ($10.35 billion) and they have had significant growth over the past years, just a pinch more than Nintendo's revenue ($9.7 billion). Still a ways behind Sony ($17.29 billion) but it takes pretty bizarre mind to try and argue that the XBox has been a failure for Microsoft.

      If you can show me citation that they are losing money then I would be very interested because that simply does not seem to be the case no matter how much you want it to be.

    21. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Microsoft is a public company. A companies number one role is to pull profits for shareholders. When microsofts xbox division loses money and marketshare hand over fist for 16 years with no improvement in sight, that is a massive failure.

      BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well it all makes sense now! You are a stupid butthurt Microsoft investor LOLOLOL! You fucking retard!

    22. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quoting revenue when people are talking about profit and loss is like quoting the pmpo value on some speakers. Youre an idiot.

    23. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That company doesnt and never has passed my ethics test to deserve investing in.

    24. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "It wasn't some accident or luck by Sony. Here we are in 2018 some sixteen years later and the Xbox One is bombing in sales worldwide at roughly the same rate the first Xbox marketplace failure with only some 30 million consoles while Sony's PS4 is selling as fast as any console in the history of the market."

      I suppose it's important to note that console sales for the Xbone are all speculative estimates at this time (To various degrees) since Microsoft stopped reporting console sale numbers back in 2015.

      However, since the reason they stopped reporting the numbers was because it only amplified how badly they were losing to Sony thanks to their initial inane future plans for the xbone (To be fair Sony had the exact same plans up until they saw Microsoft booed off the stage at E3 that year) you can safely assume that they're still doing pitifully in sales in the last 3 years.

      If they were suddenly gaining traction on the PS4 you can bet they'd be the first to let us know.

      Additionally all their aggressive marketing with Windows 10 crossplay, and their promise to make all new xbone games playable on Windows 10, etc (Their general move away from actual hardware.) points to the conclusion that they're probably selling even worse than before they stopped giving us proof of how crappy they were doing.

      ANYONE thinking Microsoft can turn this generation around with any trick at all should probably get their head professionally examined. And then take a serious course or two in economics and history.

    25. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except Nintendo.

      An that's why they are the console wars winners in the last iterations.

    26. Re:Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Merk42 · · Score: 1

      Open source projects get abandoned all the time though?

    27. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If Microsoft only had their game division would they survive?

      Sony is broken up into different companies. One hand doesn't wash the other. Microsoft is the opposite.

    28. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Sony had the same exact plans"

      No. This is a lie made up by xbox fanboys. You will never find a credible source saying so because it was made up and spread on messageboards.

      This is what really happened which xbox fanboys have twisted: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-09-microsofts-pr-blunders-caused-sony-to-re-write-e3-playstation-4-script

    29. Re: Xbox Failure - MS Exiting Console Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol shill much? If you are so sure theyre not making a loss then what is their profit? What is the profit without ms windows licenses padding the division? Well, what is it?

      If theyre not making a loss why does microsoft try do hard to hide unit sales of their consoles? Why do they not disclose profit loss figures for the xbox alone anymore? You are such a shill. Nobody not even professional market analysts believe the xbox line makes a profit. It is a huge failure that has been losing microsoft tens of billions for well over a decade. Admit it shill, nobody would say something as stupid and rediculous as you have if theyre not shilling.

      Your revenue figures are irrelevant. For one thing the xbox one x costs significantly more than a switch. So ending up with about the same revenue is nothing to be excited about. Secondly the xbox one x isnt even a year old. A lot of that revenue comes from xbox one fanboys rebuying their consoles while nintendos are new to this generation. Thirdly anyone with a lot of money in the bank like microsoft has can make a big revenue number. what matters the most is what you get out of what you put in. So what is the xboxs profit? This is the relevant figure which you cant give because it doesnt exist shill.

  5. The last good video game was released in early 200 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The last magical video game was released in early 2000 anyway: Majora's Mask on the Nintendo 64. And since it was developed mostly during the 1990s, I consider it part of the 1990s. Which fits perfectly, since the year 2000 was the (rough) end of the golden era of video games, having started in ~1980.

  6. Let's all indulge Tim's cry for attention. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tim you're a really, really interesting guy, we should all drop what we're doing to read your faggot shit update.

  7. Re:The last good video game was released in early by sexconker · · Score: 1

    OoT was better than MM
    Wind Waker was better than MM.
    BotW was better than MM. Almost as good as OoT.
    MM was better than SS and maybe TP.

  8. Re:The last good video game was released in early by sexconker · · Score: 1

    Shit. Meant to spell out Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess. (If you don't know OoT or BotW you're a bad person.)

  9. Re:The last good video game was released in early by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    The last game I'd call art was: 'Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time.'

    That was brilliant, the purpose of the game was to find the game.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  10. Predicted by duke_cheetah2003 · · Score: 1

    I had previously predicted someone would do this. Looks like they did.

    My feelings are mixed. It's a cool technology that would enable older devices to run new games, but yeah, this probably won't be cheap and you get locked in to a 'remote system' you can't touch.

    I think this qualifies for a 'Good luck with that!'

  11. Re: The last good video game was released in early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have no idea what any of that shit means. Is it anime or some dumb shit like that?

  12. Rainway? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How does this affect other game streaming companies like Rainway.io? Can't be good for them.

  13. Latency, latency, latency. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cloud computing is ok for games like checkers or turn based RPGs, not for real time games like racing sims.

  14. Re: The last good video game was released in early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They're all editions of Legend of Zelda. Nintendo only has a (barely) sustainable business because of the constant remakes of Legend of Zelda and Mario Bros feeding the consumers stupid enough to keep buying them.

  15. Re:The last good video game was released in early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Play through The Witcher 3 and come back and tell me when the golden era of video games was.

  16. Re: The last good video game was released in early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All 3D Zeldas sucked, particularly the ones on the N64, a bilinear-blurred mess with crappy music and uninspiring gameplay.

  17. Re:The last good video game was released in early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The entire Dark Souls series

  18. Re:The last good video game was released in early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I tried but the sloppy/swimmy character movement was a killer. Prioritizing animation over responsiveness made it impossible for me to enjoy.

  19. Re:The last good video game was released in early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MM is a much better and more original videogame than OoT.

    I concede OoT is certainly a better Zelda game than MM, being the "storyline hub" and since, well, there is no Zelda in MM.

    WW is better than both.

    The best of all is LttP, of course. But we already knew that.

  20. In the US, you do not own your home by lamer01 · · Score: 1

    Ownership is an illusion. You are allowed to pretend you own it by the incorporated town you live in. Do not pay your taxes and see how quickly you stop owning it.

    1. Re:In the US, you do not own your home by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      How much do they pay you to astroturf for the corporations that want everyone to forget about owning things? Do they pay you by the word, the post, or is it a monthly stipend?

    2. Re: In the US, you do not own your home by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Taxes and owning a home are two different things. You OWN the home but you still have to pay taxes on the land.

    3. Re:In the US, you do not own your home by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How much are redbox and movie theaters paying you to astroturf for them? Nobody is missing the fact that you are directly contradicting your supposed view on owning stuff by then shilling for redbox and movie theaters. You dont own what you listen to on FM radio either but you will gleefully swallow all their advertising like good consumer just so you can listen and you are unthinking enough to not even realize you are doing it and then even shill for them.

      nb: i have no skin in this game, im not particularly enamored by any offering over the other...just pointing out you are a hypocrite

  21. Streaming = laggy by omfglearntoplay · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't waste my money on renting something anyway, but stream screams laggy, which would make me scream in a continuous stream. Haha. But yeah, no thanks.

  22. Just what we need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast shareholders all applauded this move by asking their companies to increase the price of their respective "data overage charges" in anticipation of your 14 year-old streaming multiple 4K HDR Xbox game for 6 hours a day to his phone over your home Wi-Fi connection.

    They also introduced further restrictions on their "Unlimited" mobile LTE data plans for similar reasons and are currently in discussions with Microsoft to charge MS for the "privilege" of accessing THEIR USERS over the ISP's soon-to-be unveiled "5G" networks.

    Netflix was seen laughing it's ass off in the background during Microsoft's presentation as the Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast representatives broke out the Champagne.

  23. Re: The last good video game was released in early by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dark souls 1 was
    The only hard one. The game wasn't fun, it was boss battle after boss battle with heavy and tied down mechanics. All you had to do was abuse the iframes on your dodge and roll and the bosses could never
    Touch you. Once you figured this out the game sucked. And the same mechanic is, you guessed it, in all 3 dark soul games.

    Sorry playing a game wit a half ass story and only way to beat bosses was using glitchy rolls. Yea I'll pass.

  24. Miss me with that gay shit by philmarcracken · · Score: 1

    Total control over everything; this is far worse than your usual thin client. With those you could at least attempt some middle man sniffer, decrypt, reverse engineer something it was expecting and slowly build your own private server.
    This is an abomination just like every non live streaming service and I hope it never prospers. Given the idiocy of the average user its sadly going still going to.