Microsoft ‘Skeptical’ of Cloud, Hints at Xbox One Cross-Platform Play

Xbox One "designed from the beginning understanding that multiple devices in the family room exist."

Microsoft has commented on the potential of cloud gaming and cross-platform play for its newly-announced Xbox One. In an interview with IGN, Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer explained his thoughts on the future of the cloud, as well as how he sees SmartGlass factoring into console gaming.
“Cloud is a really interesting place to invest and we're investing a ton in the cloud,” Spencer told IGN. “Whether cloud rendering ends up being the killer cloud feature, I'm a little skeptical that will be where game designers will actually see the promise of the cloud paying off in their games. We're seeing a lot of our studios putting that power toward the experience that's running locally on the Xbox One and how the combined capabilities of the device and servers in the sky create a more immersive experience."

Spencer also commented on the console’s compatibility with SmartGlass, pointing to the potential interaction between smartphones and Xbox One.
“SmartGlass was something that was born halfway through the Xbox 360 generation,” Spencer said. “When Xbox 360 was designed, everyone wasn't walking around with a smartphone in their back pocket, people didn't have tablets,. So we've tried to embrace that through the life of the 360, and from a design standpoint, we did a nice job. But Xbox One was designed from the beginning understanding that multiple devices in the family room exist. Some of those devices may leave the family room and still want to remain connected to the experience. People might have multiple devices and have multiple players in the room who actually want to interact with the experience on-screen with their own private screen or they might want to play and have their own data. It was definitely a design criteria from the beginning for us because we've seen the usage of SmartGlass as very strong on the 360."

Earlier today, Microsoft explained that Xbox One could become more powerful over time via cloud computing. As explained by Xbox One director of development Boyd Multerer, “you may have a limited number of transistors in your house, but you have an unlimited number of transistors in the cloud.”xbox-one-to-become-more-powerful-over-time