Microsoft announced that Xbox One owners will be able to play next‑generation games through its Xbox Cloud Gaming service (xCloud), the company said in a post on the official site summarizing highlights from its E3 2021 showcase.
xCloud will extend Xbox One’s game library
The company intends to make its cloud service a popular option for players on the Xbox One, the console released in 2013. Through xCloud, older hardware will be able to run exclusives and other next‑generation titles starting in 2021, effectively extending the usable life of the console after the launch of the Xbox Series X and S.
Microsoft highlights Flight Simulator as an example
Will Tuttle, editor‑in‑chief of Xbox Wire, said the company looks forward to sharing more details about bringing many next‑generation games, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, to Xbox One via Xbox Cloud Gaming, just as it does for mobile devices, tablets and browsers.
Microsoft has previously described xCloud on consoles as a way for players to “try [titles] before downloading” but the company clearly envisions a broader role for the service as a game streaming platform. In 2020 Microsoft had initially announced Flight Simulator for Xbox One, then quietly removed references prior to the game’s release in December; at present the simulator is available only on Series X/S, OpenXR and PC (via Steam).
Timing and server upgrades
Microsoft has not specified exactly when streaming to Xbox One will go live. It appears unlikely the feature will be ready in time for the Flight Simulator release on new Xbox consoles in July. Kareem Choudhry, Microsoft’s head of cloud gaming, indicated that xCloud integration with consoles is expected “later in 2021.”
To support next‑gen streaming, Microsoft is upgrading its blade servers to run Xbox Series X hardware by the end of the semester. Those server upgrades should enable older Xbox One consoles to play upcoming titles such as Battlefield 2042 and Forza Horizon 5 via the cloud.
Sources
Information in this report is based on the company’s post about the E3 2021 showcase and reporting from The Verge and Eurogamer.
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