Report: Microsoft's Project xCloud to Use Xbox Series X Hardware in 2021

From PC Mag: When Project xCloud launches later this year, it promises to bring Xbox games to mobile devices, but Microsoft is already thought to be looking ahead with a plan to utilize Xbox Series X and PC blade servers for the service next year.

As The Verge reports, sources familiar with Microsoft plans claim the company is already testing new xCloud servers that use Xbox Series X hardware. When xCloud launches it's going to be using Xbox One S hardware, but switching to Series X is expected to allow each xCloud server to stream four Xbox One game sessions simultaneously. If everything goes to plan, Series X servers will start streaming games for xCloud users before the end of 2021.

It's not just Xbox games Microsoft wants to stream, though. It's also thought to be trialling PC server blades, which if deployed would allow PC games to also be streamed to xCloud users. That opens up a whole new library of content, which Microsoft would be eager to bring to Xbox owners as well as for mobile device gamers.

For now, Project xCloud is still expected to launch in 2020, but it may only make it on to Android devices. Even though xCloud expanded to include iPhones in its beta test back in February, Apple's App Store policies are thought to be too restrictive to allow xCloud to function properly on iOS devices. Fixing the problem requires Apple changing App Store policy, which seems unlikely to happen at least in the short term.

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