October 2018: The birth of Project xCloud
Project xCloud is Microsoft's game streaming service that's available in public preview at the moment. You can play around 50 games for free and the company says that the service will also support your existing purchases and Xbox Game Pass in 2020. Being able to play your games wherever you are, without the need for a console, is the future of gaming, and Microsoft wants to reach as many gamers as possible.
In many parts of the world, gaming consoles aren't common but smartphones are. The ability to simply download a small app, log in to your Microsoft Account, and start playing a "AAA" blockbuster hasn't been possible before. That's changing and with xCloud, there are no downloads, no patches, it just works.
While competitors like Google Stadia also exist, Microsoft's bandwidth requirements are the lowest at the moment. You can even use your phone's data plan to play games like Gears 5 and Sea of Thieves. This is what sets the service apart, and reaching as many players as possible is the company's vision for the future of gaming.
