Microsoft is expanding the preview of its Project xCloud game streaming service, and one area where it has already beaten its chief competitor from Google is the number of games. The Project xCloud Preview now offers a library of over 50 popular games from major studios for testing. Microsoft has also announced that Project xCloud will be expanding to more markets next year, including India. Additionally, support for third-party accessories such as Sony PlayStation DualShock 4 controllers and those from other brands will also be added to Project xCloud soon. Lastly, and more importantly, Microsoft is bringing Project xCloud to the PC platform in 2020.
Kareem Choudhry, Corporate Vice President of Project xCloud at Microsoft, wrote in an official blog post that more than 50 games are now available in the Project xCloud Preview library, and they include the likes of Devil May Cry 5, Madden NFL 20, and Tekken 7 among others. You can check the complete list of games available for Project xCloud Preview here. Microsoft has committed to adding more games in the future, giving it a significant lead over rival Stadia, which has less than one-fourth of that number in terms of games available at launch later this week.
Microsoft has also announced that it is expanding the Project xCloud Preview to more countries. Next year, Project xCloud Preview will make its way to China, India, Japan, and a host of West European countries. The company has not shared an exact timeline when the game streaming service will debut in more countries, but Microsoft is certainly banking on its arrival in India as a big opportunity.
“It’s a huge market, they know the franchises… they just don’t have access to the franchises that they see on the internet on the devices that they ow. They’re going to enter the Xbox ecosystem through a different device, that’s not a console and not a PC”, Microsoft’s heading of gaming, Phil Spencer, was quoted as saying by The Verge.
But Microsoft appears to be more focused and ambitious in its approach with Project xCloud than Google’s Stadia. Microsoft is bringing the full-fledged Project xCloud experience to PCs as well next year. And in case you are wondering, yes, the company will add support for more third-party controllers such as the Sony’s DualShock 4 controllers as well as gamepads from Razer early next year.
Moreover, Project xCloud might eventually make its way to iPhone and iPad as well. “We have a prototype app up and running, it’s playing well. We would love for it to launch on iOS, and in due course, it will. We’re working with Apple”, General Manager of Project xCloud, Catherine Gluckstein, said in an interview with The Verge. Microsoft will reveal more details about upcoming games, market-wise launch dates and more for Project xCloud in the upcoming months.