Xbox Streaming Service xCloud Will Switch To Series X Server Blades In 2021, Report Says

The Xbox game-streaming service, xCloud, is preparing to launch later this year for everyone, and now we've learned a little bit more about it. The Verge is reporting that the service will use Xbox One S consoles to power the platform at launch before switching to Series X blades in 2021.

The site reported that Microsoft has already begun testing xCloud with Series X consoles as the server blades. This is a big deal because the Series X is the most powerful console Microsoft has ever made, so using the upgraded hardware as server blades should improve game performance. You will also need a good internet connection for the optimal experience.

Additionally, experiments are said to be underway for PC server blades to stream PC games through xCloud--this seemingly suggests that xCloud might be coming to PC as well.

xCloud is currently in a private, invite-only beta in some parts of the world, but the company is expected to launch the service in full later in 2020 for Android. iOS is a different can of worms due to Apple's more restrictive protocols.

xCloud allows you to stream high-end games to your phone or presumably a variety of other internet-connected devices.The games themselves run from datacenters that Microsoft operates around the world. In this 2019 video, Xbox streaming boss Kareem Choudhry showed off the actual guts of the server rack that powers xCloud games. The core innards of eight Xbox One S consoles are fit into a 2U rack unit that was specifically designed for a datacenter.

Xbox Game Pass and xCloud are expected to get folded into one another later this year, and this could push Microsoft closer to achieving the elusive "Netflix of games." Currently, Xbox Game Pass users must download games, but with xCloud, they'll be able to stream them without waiting.