13 data centers in key game dev areas now support xCloud, testing open for some devs

Microsoft has published a post that offers developers new information on its Project xCloud streaming service, detailing the steps it is currently taking to make the service as accessible as possible for game developers.

To support the Azure-driven project, the company has set up xCloud support in 13 Azure data centers across North America, Asia, and Europe with more to come in the future.

Those locations were each selected for their proximity to major game development hubs, and Microsoft notes that teams at companies like Capcom and Paradox Interactive “now have the ability to easily test their games directly from Project xCloud without having to port to a new platform.”

For instance, Microsoft says Project xCloud is already technically capable of streaming over 3,500 current Xbox games without the need for any tweaks or changes from the developers of those titles.

Specifically, Microsoft says that developers looking to bring their games to xCloud "will be able to dramatically scale their existing games across devices, with no additional development, no additional code base maintenance, and no separate updates.”

This also applies to games currently in development for the Xbox One. Microsoft says that 1,900 games are currently in the works for the platform, and that all of those projects could feasibly run on Project xCloud without any additional steps from the developers making them.

While additional tweaks won’t be necessary to bring xCloud support to existing Xbox One games, Microsoft has also launched a new API for its existing Xbox Developer Kit that lets games detect if they’re currently streaming from the cloud, and make in-game changes accordingly. According to the post, "games can then cue features and functionality to enhance the streaming experience; for instance, adjusting font sizes for smaller displays or hosting multiplayer matches on a single server to reduce latency.”