Microsoft was planning a standalone console for Xbox Cloud gaming named xCloud, but shelved the idea after flagging potential regulatory issues.
This information was revealed overnight during the tech giant’s stoush with the FTC over its proposed Activision takeover.
“We’ve continued to get more data about the success and the popularity of xCloud,” said Sarah Bond, head of Xbox creator experience.
“We’ve gotten more clear on the costs related to it, and we have signed partnerships with others who provide those services.”
While tech companies often begin projects that never come to fruition, this intent to launch a standalone cloud-based console is a large part of the FTC vs Microsoft hearing, as Microsoft is arguing that cloud gaming is simply a feature of the overall console gaming market, and not its own dedicated sector.
The idea they were planning to serve this sector suggested they don’t believe this to be true.
“We believe there is going to be 2 billion gamers in the world, and our goal is to reach every one of them,” Microsoft’s head of cloud gaming said about xCloud in 2018, when the idea was first touted.
