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Microsoft xCloud coming to Xbox & will let players try games instantly before installing

With Microsoft's cloud gaming service gaining expanded versatility in the future, players will be able to try games instantly before downloading.

TJ Denzer

June 10, 2021 7:56 AM

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Throughout this latest generation of console and PC gaming, Microsoft’s xCloud has been an extremely unique addition to the conversation. Allowing players to play Xbox games on PC, mobile devices, and more has allowed players to access their gaming libraries regardless of if they can make it to the console or not. And Microsoft and Xbox have only continued to expand their cloud gaming services. They recently spoke to expansion of service on Xbox consoles that will allow players to play games through cloud gaming instantly before they download them.

This interesting expansion was teased on the latest Xbox Wire blog post on June 10, 2021, highlighting what’s next for Microsoft and Xbox gaming. According to the lengthy post, xCloud is set to be integrated into Xbox consoles to make a number of unique opportunities possible. Hefty among them will be the ability to instantly play and try games through cloud gaming before you download them – an awesome way to see if a game is really what you’re looking for before you dedicate precious gigabytes of your console storage to it.

Microsoft and Xbox have made xCloud and cloud gaming a cornerstone of their efforts this generation. With beta service having rolled out on Apple devices and Windows 10 PCs earlier this year, Microsoft’s Azure is being well utilized to make the Xbox ecosystem more versatile than ever. Xbox lead Phil Spencer has even teased that he’d like to develop a solution that allows players to remove consoles from the equation altogether if they want with Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming. It would seem that a TV stick-like version of Xbox Game Pass could be in development towards this very goal.

Either way, it would seem that Xbox and Microsoft are going further in on expanding the versatility of where and how players can play Xbox games. Stay tuned as we await further details on xCloud coming to consoles and the “try before you download” feature.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.