xCloud might just be the silver bullet Microsoft needs to pip Sony in gaming

The Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox are the two titans of the console gaming world. Ever since their inception, the two have been at loggerheads with each other continually trading blows with Sony’s PlayStation enjoying the lion’s share of dominance.

According to Guinness World Records, Sony consoles rank first, fourth, sixth, seventh and tenth on the list of best-selling video game consoles of all time, while the Xbox 360 makes one appearance at eight. Even the Xbox One and Xbox One X are lagging behind Sony’s PS4 and PS4 Pro. But a recent reveal by Microsoft could guarantee the next-generation Xbox ‘console supremacy’ over the PS5.

Microsoft's Play

This ‘silver bullet’ we’re referring to is Microsoft’s xCloud. The upcoming Xbox Two or Xbox Scarlett will leverage xCloud to allow users to play games whenever and wherever they want.

Whenever

Microsoft’s cloud game streaming service will allow players to play games anywhere with a strong Internet connection without the agonising wait of having to download a game. xCloud enables game streaming directly from the cloud, allowing players access to any game within a matter of seconds.

Wherever

xCloud will allow users to take their favourite games beyond the console. Microsoft is very much pro ‘cross-platform gaming’, and xCloud will enable players to experience console gaming on a smartphone, laptop or PC irrespective of the hardware.

Sony's Play

However, Microsoft isn’t the only ones innovating. Sony recently made a major VR push at its State of Play event last week. But at the moment, VR doesn’t seem like the right move, especially considering cloud gaming’s sudden rise in the wake of Google Stadia.

Interestingly enough, Remote Play could be Sony’s answer to the xCloud, but at the moment it seems more like a ‘dream gather dust’ than a game-changing move. As compared to game streaming services from Google, Microsoft and Nvidia, Sony’s Remote Play seems to be lagging behind. And, with no emphasis on the technology at the State of Play event, a revival of the technology looks pretty far off, giving the Xbox Two a clear advantage; for now at least.