Microsoft To Launch Streaming Gaming Service

Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which is sort of a Netflix for games and was known previously as xCloud, is debuting this week on iPhones, iPads and personal computers (PCs), CNBC reported.

The service will be invite-only in the beginning, according to CNBC. Those who subscribe to Microsoft’s service will pay $14.99 per month and gain access to 100 titles under the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan.

With the cloud gaming aspect, users will be able to stream the games without downloading them, although CNBC reported that users will need faster internet services for that. That option is available for Android phones already.

The rollout will continue to 22 countries in total, and Microsoft said it plans to keep promoting the service for users, according to CNBC.

To use the service, players will need a Bluetooth or USB controller for most games. But touch controls will be available for some of them, too, CNBC reported.

The service was going to launch for iPhones and iPads earlier, but the update Apple did for its app store in September ended up changing the way Xbox Gaming and Google’s Stadia could operate, making it so the companies and others like them would have to offer every game as an individual download, rather than offering a complete library, according to CNBC.

The update forced them to use web browsers to redesign their stores so they could circumvent the app store’s payment rules, CNBC reported.

Microsoft has also recently looked to acquire Discord, the digital communications platform, for more than $10 billion, PYMNTS reported. Xbox users can already link their accounts to Discord, which would allow Microsoft an easy in for a takeover.

Discord was largely seen as a way to create communities, particularly gaming-focused ones. Discord has been in talks with several possible buyers. Microsoft, while in the running, hadn’t cinched a deal as of late last month. And the chat startup might end up going for a public listing rather than a merger.