Microsoft has been teasing its take on game streaming for ages, and it looks like it’s finally time for the public to start playing with Project xCloud. The streaming tech enters beta next month, and the publisher has opened sign-ups for curious players in the United States, United Kingdom, and Korea.
This beta is all about the tech – crucially, Microsoft still hasn’t disclosed details on the business model, and does not plan to do so until all the potential streaming kinks are worked out. The beta launches with free access to Halo 5: Guardians, Gears 5, Killer Instinct, and Sea of Thieves, and will continue to get new content from both Microsoft and third-parties over time.
If you’re in the US or UK, you can sign up for the beta here. (Or here, in the unlikely event you’re reading this in Korea.) When the xCloud preview launches on an as-yet-unspecified day in October, it will only be available on Android devices running version 6.0 or later, and you will need a Microsoft account and a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One controller to play.
Microsoft will send out a limited number of invites during the first wave, but more potential players will be invited over time.
The Google Stadia release date will hit soon, and while that service is certainly not the first game streaming option, it is by far the biggest launch in the space yet. Microsoft’s xCloud could similarly be a game changer – but one way or another, our alleged streaming future is going to be put to the test very soon.