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Xbox One games running on a PHONE shown off in latest Microsoft xCloud demo
YOU will soon be able to play any Xbox game you like on your phone, and not even need to own a console.
Microsoft showed off the magical new technology in an online demo yesterday using Forza Horizon 4, and promised public testing would start this year.
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It featured the racing game running in a data centre somewhere while presenter Julia Hardy got to play it on a Samsung Galaxy S9+, using an Xbox One controller connected via Bluetooth.
All the "heavy lifting" was being done on a modified Xbox One sitting in a rack somewhere, with the phone just acting as your screen and the conduit for the controls.
The service was revealed at E3 last year, with more technical details revealed in October.
This is one of the first seemingly live demos we've seen of the tech actually in action, and it looks pretty smooth.
The latest revelation comes hot on the heels of news that Microsoft is looking to get more PCs running Xbox games as well.
The latest Windows update promised new technology "tailor-made for gaming to Windows" -- and it turns out that this could be the first big step towards being able to play games made for Xbox One on your PC.
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Microsoft-focused tech news site that the test using zombie game Days Gone involves your PC downloading the game in Xbox One format straight from the Xbox Live servers.
You can now also reportedly install this type of file using standard Windows software.
This fits with plans Microsoft has been talking about for some time about playing Xbox Games on multiple devices.
While we know that some of that will involve streaming using Microsoft's new xCloud service for devices that aren't powerful enough to run the games themselves, it makes sense for PCs to just run the games themselves and avoid the technical issues presented by streaming.
DRIVING THINGS FORWARD
Thurrott also reports there is a new back-end gaming app for Windows that specifically adds a couple of Xbox One drivers to Windows.
Combined, this means that a single installer file should, in theory, be able to work for both Xbox One and PC games.
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That will make it much easier for developers to get their console games on PC -- though PC gamers are likely to still demand features that top-end gaming PCs have and consoles lack, such as ultra-wide screens and support for more high-powered hardware.
All in all it looks like you might have THREE different ways to play Xbox Two games if that console does prove to be two related devices as has previously been reported.
MOST READ IN GAMING
Either way, expect more information this summer when Microsoft reveals more about its future gaming plans at E3 in Los Angeles this June.
Meanwhile, you can read about what to expect from the PlayStation 5 as well as the Xbox 2 in our latest round-up of all the updates, rumours and news about the two next-generation consoles.
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Microsoft reveals details of Project xCloud that will let you play games anywhere