When the Xbox One was first announced, Microsoft also provided details of a system which will change the way we all play games; The Cloud. Alas, Gamers are yet to see it at it's full potential.
Yes, the cloud has been around for quite some time now, and we have already seen it implemented in a number of ways. One, in particular has been with us since part-way through the Xbox 360's life-cycle, allowing us to store saves in 'the cloud' and continue where we left off on another Xbox 360 console half way across the globe, providing you had access to the internet of course. After all, that is how you access it.
Shaz from GL writes: Netflix are going to start beta-testing their new cloud gaming technology. Could they potentially be what Stadia couldn’t and compete with Xbox?
Newzoo's latest report indicates that the cloud gaming market will continue to steadily grow thanks to growing emerging markets and other factors.
That is assuming it improves to where it needs to be from a lag, resolution, and framerate perspective.
Company behind Shadow service has also been placed in receivership in France, claims it is a "victim of its own success"
Cloud gaming just isn't ready yet. The people around the world with expendable income would rather own their platforms than pay for a cloud service currently. Everyone is trying to go for the cellphone gamer, but the cellphone gamer is playing Candy Crush, Clash Royale, mobile RPGs etc..., not Halo, COD, God of War.
And they're doing it on cellphones which are significantly closer to a necessity than a console or PC, out of convenience (since they have their phone with them close to 90% of the time), because their mobile network is often better than their home internet, and because the content they play is overwhelmingly geared towards free to play.
Yeah, cloud gaming and VR and in the same boat. I wouldn't expect either to be mainstream for a very long time.
3 years and were still waiting for the "Power of the Cloud" to make games run better.
5 years from now or 3 years (crossing fingers). We gamers might finally see the power of the ☁. In 2020 however we gamers will finally see an Xbox app/PS app on a smart tv set 😄. Ending the need of outdated, outperformed, unnecessary console hardware. They told me that PS Now was not coming to PC, they were wrong.