Microsoft bets on cloud gaming in its fight with Sony

Microsoft will be launching its Xbox cloud gaming services on Tuesday at a first-month subscription fee of $1 for new users.

The tech giant’s new launch is part of its mission to attract casual gamers and attract users from its rival Sony’s Playstation service.

The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is available at a monthly subscription price of $14.99 and it allows subscribers to play more than 150 games through the cloud on Xbox consoles, Android devices, and PCs.

The Xbox cloud will allow its users to play famous games like “Sea of Thieves” and “Gears 5” with the monthly subscription.

With an Android device and a supported controller, a subscriber can play the games and there is no need to buy a console for it.

The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be launching in 22 countries consisting of the United States and 19 European countries.

With this launch, Microsoft initiates its shift to cloud-based gaming which removes the need for a huge console but still requires a fast internet connection.

“We built this experience so that it requires as little bandwidth as possible. We are also working with ISPs (internet service providers) around the world to ensure a strong connection between gamers and our Azure datacenters.”

Currently, the Xbox Game Pass service has more than 10 million members.

According to Guilherme Fernandes, an analyst at Newzoo, a gaming analysis firm, the cloud gaming revenue is expected to expand to $4.8 million by 2023 from almost $600 million this year.

Analysts expect an urge for riveting experience with better sound and graphics to drive sales of consoles, with both Microsoft and Sony launching next-generation devices this year.

Microsoft announced that the Xbox Series S will be on sale from November onwards at $299.99 along with the powerful Xbox Series X at $499.99.

The champions of the last generation console battle Sony already has its cloud gaming solution through the PlayStation Now Service but it is not supported on mobile devices. The firm is yet to reveal its next-generation PlayStation 5 console’s price.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a demand for gaming from the users stuck at home and Microsoft is offering its users several ways to play through the cloud-based games and console at a varied range of prices.