What you need to know
- Cloud gaming is a relatively new market that allows gamers to stream titles from a remote server, bypassing the need for local hardware.
- Microsoft and NVIDIA are seen as frontrunners in the space, although PlayStation, Amazon, and various others also have services.
- Today, Sony's PlayStation division announced that it has beat Microsoft to a long-awaited Xbox Cloud Gaming feature: the ability to play games you personally own digitally in its service.
- As of right now, on Xbox Cloud Gaming, you only get access to games that are available in the Xbox Game Pass library. Once those games leave, even if you own them, you can no longer play them via the cloud.
- Microsoft has previously announced an intent to bring Xbox players' digital libraries to Xbox Cloud Gaming, but the feature has yet to materialize.
Cloud gaming is a niche, but growing sector in the world's biggest entertainment industry. Instead of having your gaming hardware locally on your PC or your console, you stream the games from the cloud, sending your inputs over your internet connection to a remote server. For Microsoft and other players, firms are hoping that gamers who don't necessarily want a gaming device may opt instead for a subscription service they can launch straight from their TV, tablet, ultrabook, or phone.
Companies like Microsoft with Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA with GeForce Now are widely regarded as the frontrunners in this space. Armed with Xbox Game Pass exclusives, hundreds of games, and unbeatable global Azure server infrastructure, Microsoft is widely expected to be among the first companies to mainstream this tech. On NVIDIA's side, the firm's industry-leading server technology sees it take the crown for sheer performance, and last week, NVIDIA announced a partnership with Microsoft to bring PC Game Pass titles into its existing service.
PlayStation is perhaps unfairly overlooked in this space. The firm is the world's biggest gaming outfit by revenue, and they were among the first companies to really bring cloud gaming to the masses. While Sony's earlier efforts were middling, increasingly it is becoming a serious contender, and this latest announcement gives PlayStation Plus Premium a large advantage over Xbox's Cloud Gaming.
Sony revealed that it is expanding the feature set of PlayStation Plus Premium to include not only PlayStation 5 games from Sony's Xbox Game Pass-like Game Catalog, but additionally, players will be able to stream "supported" digital titles that they own for the first time.
"First off, we have very exciting news for PlayStation Plus Premium members. We’re currently testing cloud streaming for supported PS5 games – this includes PS5 titles from the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Game Trials, as well as supported digital PS5 titles that players own."
Microsoft announced a fairly long time ago that it plans to allow Xbox gamers to stream digital games they own from its servers via Xbox Cloud Gaming, but the capability has yet to materialize.
Cloud gaming has been the focus of Microsoft's regulatory battles with the likes of the UK CMA and the U.S. FTC over its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. United Kingdom and United States regulators claim that if Microsoft is able to acquire the Call of Duty maker, it will give them an unfair advantage in the very nascent cloud gaming market. Microsoft has responded with legally-binding contracts to continually offer cloud games to competitors, a remedy that the European Commission accepted a few weeks back. In previous conversations, I had heard that Microsoft was in talks with publishers about offering access for Xbox players' digital libraries via cloud gaming, and that the licensing issues were complex to resolve.
It remains to be seen exactly which games PlayStation will enable on its service, or indeed if they will be available to purchase and stream to other devices beyond PlayStation consoles, but it's a positive first step. Competition in the space is definitely heating up.
PlayStation Plus Premium costs around $15 per month depending on your market, and gives you access to hundreds of current and classic PlayStation titles via the cloud on PC, as well as various other benefits.
