Xbox CEO hints at the upcoming streaming stick for xCloud gaming
Microsoft seems to be working with its Xbox division on a stick that can be put in a TV and then game via xCloud. The Xbox CEO hinted that such a product may be available soon.
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer made his statements in an interview with Stratechery, The Verge noted, among others. While the release of some sort of Chromecast equivalent for xCloud gaming was not directly announced, Spencer was clearly hinting at the arrival of such a product. He envisions, among other things, the release of ‘streaming sticks’ that users can put directly into their TV and then stream games via xCloud.
Spencer thinks that the hardware needed to run xCloud will become cheaper in the future, and it could also make it possible for customers to just purchase a subscription and get the necessary hardware for free. Then you only have to pay for the controller in addition to the price of the subscription.
According to rumors, Microsoft would also have had plans for a game stream stick in the past. Those plans, under the name Project Hobart, would have been shelved years ago, but it is unknown why Microsoft did not go through with the release at the time.