Microsoft says Project xCloud will turn your Xbox One into a free cloud server

With Google Stadia details finally flowing in, the race to legitimize streaming- and cloud-powered gaming, long thought to be an unviable model, is starting to heat up. Today, Microsoft shared more about its own cloud competitor during the Xbox E3 2019 conference. Xbox boss Phil Spencer took to the stage to reintroduce Project xCloud and announce a new feature: console streaming. 

"It turns your Xbox One into your own personal and free xCloud server," Spencer said. "Whether you're using a console in our data center or your console at home, this October you'll be able to use our hybrid gaming cloud to play your games wherever you go. Where you play is now entirely your choice."

Project xCloud is available for hands-on testing on the E3 2019 show floor, and the console streaming feature will be available to existing Xbox One owners this October. "You'll be able to use our hybrid gaming cloud to play your games wherever you go," Spencer said. 

If you're still unclear on this xCloud business, just know that it works similarly to Google Stadia. It's a remote streaming service that'll let you play Xbox One games on other devices like phones and tablets. The main difference is that Microsoft is using the Xbox One as an anchor to support features like the console streaming announced today. Microsoft hasn't nailed down exactly which devices will support Project xCloud or how much it will cost, but you can bet we'll hear more about it between now and October - a few short weeks ahead of the Google Stadia release date, as it happens. 

Microsoft also unveiled the next proper Xbox console today: here are the early Xbox Project Scarlett specs.