Microsoft will use its upcoming Xbox Series X console to power xCloud servers, according to a new report.
When Microsoft launches its xCloud game-streaming service later this year, it’ll rely on the Xbox One S to power the platform. But sometime next year, Microsoft plans to replace the Xbox One S with the Xbox Series X, providing improved graphics and performance for the company’s streaming service, The Verge is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of its plans. The Xbox Series X is scheduled to launch in time for the 2020 holiday shopping season.
Those same sources told The Verge that Microsoft is already testing the Xbox Series X on xCloud. Microsoft is also testing PC blade servers for streaming PC titles, according to The Verge’s sources.
Microsoft told Digital Trends in an e-mailed statement that the company does “not comment on rumors or speculation.”
Microsoft’s Project xCloud, which is currently in preview and has more than 50 games, allows players to stream to Android-based mobile phones and tablets. Games work with a standard Xbox controller connected to a device via Bluetooth. Players need a Wi-Fi connection with 10Mbps download speeds or greater. Microsoft has said that it can’t fully test xCloud on iOS because of Apple’s App Store restrictions, and is unsure when a final version of the service would be available to iPhone and iPad users.
Microsoft revealed last year that it uses blade servers loaded with Xbox One S to power xCloud. When players boot up a game and stream it to their homes, the games run on the remote Xbox One S. Microsoft’s Xbox Series X will provide a significant boost in performance compared to the Xbox One S, thanks to a more powerful CPU and improved video encoding.
Perhaps most importantly for Microsoft, the move to Xbox Series X-based servers could also reduce its server load. According to The Verge’s sources, the Xbox Series X power would allow the company to stream four concurrent Xbox sessions per server, topping the single session that can run on an Xbox One S-based server.
Microsoft has yet to announce an exact launch date or pricing plans for xCloud, but The Verge’s sources say the service is still on track for a 2020 release on Android devices.
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”
It’s turning into a pretty good time to be a Monster Hunter fan who plays on a phone. Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Outlanders will launch on Android and iOS on October 29, giving the series a new mobile-first game just as Monster Hunter Rise is also preparing to make the jump to smartphones through Netflix.
Outlanders is being developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group under license and supervision from Capcom. Unlike Rise, which appears to be the full console and PC game adapted for mobile, Outlanders is a free-to-play survival hunting game made specifically for phones.