Gaming is set to become even more accessible as Microsoft is looking to develop new technology which allows games to be streamed to any Windows device. This streaming service has been codenamed “Arcadia” in reference to the colonised planet from the popular Halo universe.
It is to be assumed that this service will replace the discontinued “Rio” service which was teased last year at an internal company meeting. The Arcadia technology will grant users the ability to stream Xbox games to any Windows device such as a smartphone or tablet. For example, when Microsoft were demonstrating their Rio technology, the game ‘Halo 4’ was streamed to a Windows phone which had an Xbox 360 controller attached to it.
It is likely that Arcadia will take this technology even further and could open the door for functionality which is not currently available. For example the Xbox One is not currently compatible with games from previous consoles such as the Xbox 360. However through the use of cloud streaming services such as Arcadia, backwards compatibility such as this could become a reality. There is also the possibility of Microsoft widening its number of potential users by allowing Arcadia to be accessible on non-Windows devices such as Android and iOS.
However, Microsoft isn’t the only company that is developing this type of streaming service. Back in 2012 Sony purchasedGaikai, a company which provides technology for the streaming of high-end video games. Since then, Sony have announced that they are developing “Remote Play” which allows the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 to transmit its audio and visual output to a PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, thus removing the need to connect the console to a television.
Sony have also used the technology from Gaikai to develop “PlayStation Now” which will allow users to access PlayStation 3 content on other devices such as the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on either a per-game basis or via a subscription. Sony are also planning on introducing PlayStation 4 games within the service in the future and are even considering older PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles.
With the prospects of classic titles becoming available again and games becoming playable on any smartphone or tablet, it looks to be a good time to be a gamer.
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