Microsoft"s Project xCloud isn"t exactly a secret anymore, and we kind of know that the company is working to allow gamers to play their favorite games on any device thanks to cloud gaming. With that in mind, it"s not completely crazy to think that this game streaming service could arrive on the Nintendo Switch, and a new rumor says that"s exactly what"s going to happen.
Rumors have been swirling around about the possibility of some sort of partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo, and a report from Direct Feed Games on YouTube claims that they"re true, and that we"ll see the results sometime this year.
This partnership entails a couple of different outcomes, according to the report. First, Microsoft might truly port some of its Xbox exclusive titles, specifically the less demanding ones, to the Switch. The report specifically calls out Ori and the Blind Forest, a widely praised indie title that was released on the Xbox One in 2015.
But for those games that can"t run on the Switch that easily, Microsoft is looking for different ways to make money off Nintendo"s console. This involves Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud, with Microsoft essentially releasing a Game Pass app for the Switch that lets you play all of the titles included in the subscription service via cloud streaming.
Microsoft has been very open about embracing and working with other companies in recent times, and if Xbox titles were to be available on any device, the Switch seems like it would be one of the best options. Cloud gaming is also not new to Nintendo"s hybrid. Last year, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was released in Japan through a similar feature.
Both Nintendo and Microsoft have reasons to want this, too. The Switch"s library lacks a lot of big third-party titles, and the arrival of Game Pass would greatly expand that collection. Microsoft, on the other hand, would collect money from the subscription service on even more devices. The Redmond giant seems to be more interested in offering services than selling products lately, so this would be a good fit for its strategy.
Of course, as logical as the idea might seem, no official announcements have been made, so it may be best to keep your expectations in check. If such a partnership were to happen, events such as the Game Developers Conference or E3 would be the most likely stages for it to be announced, so we"ll need to wait a while longer for confirmation.
Source: Direct Feed Games (YouTube)