"Cloud" Features for Xbox on the Way

[Mike Kayatta]

"Cloud" Features for Xbox on the Way

Microsoft has confirmed that it's working on cloud features for Xbox, but if anyone tells you what that means exactly, they're fired.

Brian Prince, a Microsoft executive and all around cloud guru, has confirmed that "the cloud" will be coming to Xbox soon. In fact, Prince is already working on it. "You will be seeing things in the Xbox platform that's cloud-specific," he announced during a talk at GDC China. "I'm already doing it, it's really exciting, but I can't tell you about it or else I'll get fired."

Because Prince presumably enjoys being employed, he kept his promise of not mentioning any specifics of what new abilities the Xbox would be likely to see. He did, however, speak further about how the cloud has been integrated with other systems and services, and some of the challenges that the industry will be forced to overcome while it shifts towards a higher dependency on it.

Prince used both OnLive and Gaikai as examples of how things might work, citing the two cloud gaming services as an intriguing platform for developers. When working with cloud gaming, he explained, game-makers can either design them directly for Microsoft's cloud servers, or send them to companies such as OnLive and Gaikai to handle things for them. "These are really gaming platforms as a service," Prince claimed. "There are some limitations here, but I really do think this is the distant future of gaming in the cloud."

The limitations to which Prince was referring are the costs associated with developing games to be remotely accessed from a large server located somewhere other than inside of your console. With things as they are currently, this sort of development is only really feasible for AAA titles. "If you're not in that space," he explained, "they don't want to talk to you as much."

With Prince neck-deep working on cloud integration for the Xbox, it's probably a safe bet to say he's extremely informed about Microsoft's interest in embracing the system for its popular console line in the near future. Sony already allows cloud saving for its PlayStation Plus subscribers, and has previously announced cloud saves for use with its upcoming Vita handheld system that will allow for cross-console gaming with the PS3. It seems likely that Microsoft is interested in at least maintaining pace with its competitor, though whether Xbox's cloud integration will stop at saves (an update already scheduled for inclusion in the next XBL dashboard design) or evolve into full-blown game distribution is still unknown.

Source: Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/38558/GDC_China_Microsofts_Price_Talks_Cloud_On_Social_Platforms_Consoles.php]


Permalink

 

[gigastar]

Well its quite unlike M$ to be late to the party with a service they could probably charge people extra for, and one that is actually useful and not a gimmick.

But then i go very, very far out of my way to avoid GfWL and XBL so i guess whatever comes out of this im not going to be affected in any way at all.

 

[NotSoLoneWanderer]

What exactly is "A" or "the" cloud?

 

[GiglameshSoulEater]

What exactly is "A" or "the" cloud?

I guess they're talking about cloud computing, so we upload saves and profiles to microsofts data banks, i presume.

Wonder if we'll have to pay...?

 

[Mike Kayatta]

What exactly is "A" or "the" cloud?

I guess they're talking about cloud computing, so we upload saves and profiles to microsofts data banks, i presume.

Wonder if we'll have to pay...?

Basically, the cloud is when you use a remote server for data storage. For example, if you saved your music in a cloud, you'd be able to listen to it anywhere streaming, not just from the device it lives on locally. This can be done for things like save games, so you can resume your play from any console you touch. That's how Sony can let you play the same game on the Vita and the PS3, then resume on your PS3 from wherever you'd left off on the handheld. It can also be used for entire games, meaning you don't need a disk at all. The whole thing would be "streaming" in real time. Cloud computing is a bit different, but the same idea. Essentially, you'd have a central "mega-processor" that multiple local machines can tap into for additional processing power. It can help boost the abilities of a local device with "set" hardware, such as a console or home PC.

 

[RA92]

snip

Why does it feel like a banhammer will be coming down from the clouds?

 

[RA92]

snip

Why does it feel like a banhammer will be coming down from the clouds?

Oh what. All I did was make a pun on the term cloud that was directly related to the hilariously vague nature of the explanation given by the person at Microsoft, drawing parralels to a well known videogame example of a cloud that, while highly unlikely to be related to what Microsoft is planning, is still amusing to reflect on and draw humour from the tonal disconnect between the two ideas.

I don't have an issue with it. It's the mods banning people for low-content post.

Hell, I'm on my last two bars because of the same reason (for posting just a GIF image, even though I wrote a whole goddamned sentence in the spoiler tag). And to this day I grieve for Hankman.

Really stupid reason for vets to get kicked out.

 

[mjc0961]

Who needs cloud gaming? The only useful cloud features are the ones we're getting tomorrow, and that's cloud storage for game saves and Xbox Live profiles. I say leave the awful cloud gaming crap to OnLive and those other services and after they go out of business because cloud gaming is almost everything everyone hates about gaming (constant online connection DRM*, input lag, bad/inconsistent graphics, and not owning your games to name a few), we can completely forget that this cloud gaming crap ever existed.

*So OnLive doesn't use it for DRM, sure, but it's still got the same things that everyone hates about always online DRM.

Oh what. All I did was make a pun on the term cloud that was directly related to the hilariously vague nature of the explanation given by the person at Microsoft, drawing parralels to a well known videogame example of a cloud that, while highly unlikely to be related to what Microsoft is planning, is still amusing to reflect on and draw humour from the tonal disconnect between the two ideas.

All you did is post an image, which is exactly the problem.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/codeofconduct

Low Content Posts
This could be anything from answering a question to posting LOL. These forums are used for discussion and low content posts halts discussion.

Pictures, Links and Videos
These will all be considered low content posts if not accompanied by a well thought out opinion, debate or reasoning. Pics, links and videos should help to strengthen your stance or opinion, not the other way around.

And to this day I grieve for Hankman.

Dude deserved to be banned if he still didn't learn the rules after 7 warnings.

 

[Baldr]

Prince pretty much confirmed this at last month's GDC Online Cloud Gaming Panel. I was sitting in the front row for that one. I could speculate many different way cloud tech could be implemented, but I'll wait until it is official. Listen to David Perry from Gaikai and Brian Prince makes me have high hopes for cloud use. They are going to using cloud far different from Online and GameStop Cloud from the sounds of it.

 

[brainslurper]

What exactly is "A" or "the" cloud?

I guess they're talking about cloud computing, so we upload saves and profiles to microsofts data banks, i presume.

Wonder if we'll have to pay...?

It's microsoft. What do you think?

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

What exactly is "A" or "the" cloud?

I guess they're talking about cloud computing, so we upload saves and profiles to microsofts data banks, i presume.

Wonder if we'll have to pay...?

Basically, the cloud is when you use a remote server for data storage. For example, if you saved your music in a cloud, you'd be able to listen to it anywhere streaming, not just from the device it lives on locally. This can be done for things like save games, so you can resume your play from any console you touch. That's how Sony can let you play the same game on the Vita and the PS3, then resume on your PS3 from wherever you'd left off on the handheld. It can also be used for entire games, meaning you don't need a disk at all. The whole thing would be "streaming" in real time. Cloud computing is a bit different, but the same idea. Essentially, you'd have a central "mega-processor" that multiple local machines can tap into for additional processing power. It can help boost the abilities of a local device with "set" hardware, such as a console or home PC.

Thanks for the info there! I'd heard about this concept a while back and you've jogged my memory. I'm curious to see how that translates onto XBL or the like.
I was thinking the other day that I wish I could have copied my Skyrim saves from the Xbox out in my son's room, to the one in the family room without tearing my hair out getting it to synch up with the gamer tags.

 

[Danzavare]

Any chance I'll be able to use them without gold membership~? >.>;

 

[Screamarie]

....This...sounds like it's going to cost a lot of money...and since I don't think it's gonna be Prince paying for all this, I'm gonna guess it's gonna be anyone who plays on their xbox. Course it doesn't state what cloud features they're working on, but honestly, I think that while the cloud may be convenient it's kinda pointless and possibly dangerous. I mean yes it is a ***** of a ***** to link up devices to move my music from my cd to my mp3, but it doesn't kill me. And if I put all my saves or games on some mega processor and this processor fails in some way and loses my data...well...there goes hours of hard work. (I don't claim to know what I'm talking about, I may be misundersating something here, but that's what I got from what Mike Kayatta was explaining about the cloud.)

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

What exactly is "A" or "the" cloud?

I guess they're talking about cloud computing, so we upload saves and profiles to microsofts data banks, i presume.

Wonder if we'll have to pay...?

>microsofts data banks

...a-ha! Wonder no more!

 

[Sion_Barzahd]

Honestly i thought this would have something to do with FF7 at first, then my brain switched on and i remembered what cloud computing was... and felt silly, also a little glad for the cloud though. If it is a remote data storage that could be great for uploading saves i wanna keep from corruption etc.