E3 2019 | Microsoft xCloud Xbox game streaming service coming October

Microsoft is making its first serious play for cloud gaming with the launch of xCloud coming this October. Developers have been playing with the platform for the past couple of months and attendees at E3 also got to go hands-on with the new technology. The service will allow users to use their own Xbox as a game server, or use Microsoft's Xbox-powered cloud platform to stream Xbox One games to a PC, TV, smartphone or tablet at home or on the go.

"Two months ago we connected all Xbox developers to Project xCloud," Xbox boss Phil Spencer told the E3 audience. The Xbox One streaming service will "turn your Xbox One into your own personal and free xCloud server." "On team Xbox, every decision is guided by the belief that gaming is for everyone," Spencer added. "This is why we keep innovating hardware and services, and it's why we're uniting communities through cross-play."

Microsoft hasn't revealed whether xCloud will cost additional money to activate, or whether it will be bundled into its Xbox Live subscriptions. As gamers will be streaming their own titles, and not subscribing to a gaming catalog as such, it is possible it could be a free value-added service. With Apple adding native support for Xbox controllers in iOS 13 for Apple Arcade, it appears the timing of Microsoft's new Bluetooth-based Elite Series 2 controller couldn't have been any better.