Microsoft's next-generation Xbox pitched as a "cloud hybrid" console
Microsoft's next-generation Xbox pitched as a "cloud hybrid" console
Leaked documents submitted during the FTC v Microsoft case have laid out the company's hardware plans for the remainder of the decade.
cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/3209376
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They claimed the Xbox One (the original last gen model) would be decades ahead of any other competitors because games would be, wait for it, cloud hybrid. Some things would render locally, but Microsoft servers would calculate complex collisions, volumetrics, crowd AI, and so on.
Guess what never happened.
Because people complained about the connectivity requirements. Unfortunately I don't think we are there still, infrastructure for a lot of areas will not support this.
Because people complained
As they should - for several different reasons.
I think the deal breaker was Gamestop fighting MS on their decision to allow users to sell their cloud games back for credit.
For all its many many many flaws (like having your flagship game start in a snow storm...), Google Stadia very much demonstrated the viability of full game streaming. Even people with shit broadband could still play a "last gen" quality game. Sure people in the outright sticks won't be able to but.. they likely aren't doing a lot of gaming as getting a 10 GB patch out to them is hard enough.
And if you are only doing game logic and some simulations, rather than full rendering? The bandwidth needs drop even more.
Sure, people with crappy broadband could play... At something like N64-level settings and slideshow frames per second, even with "last-gen" games. Granted, streaming an entire game is more of a load on bandwidth than cloud hybrid or patches, but if it was really feasible for the masses even a year ago, Stadia might still be up today, but it's already gone. I would still rather be able to play a game I own on console without needing a persistent connection to play, as a cloud hybrid game may require. If there is still the option to play the game offline at lower settings, that wouldn't be so bad, but then you just know that M$ will be looking to monetize the cloud hybrid option: "play at full settings online for only $--- per month!"
Weird. Very curious what issues you ran into. I didn't even have anything that bad on hotel wifi.
Mostly because: The video is pretty "easy" and mostly suffers from compression artifacts. If you can watch youtube, you can stream a game at generally one quality setting lower. Because latency is what matters. The actual game inputs are nothing on top of that.
Mostly it was just annoying that google did EVERYTHING they could to market it poorly and "Gamers" lost their god damned minds because they felt threatened. Which... is pretty reminiscent of MS cocking up the announcement of the One.