Although Xbox has lost ground to competitors in the home console division for a long time, there is one area where Xbox is light years ahead of the competition, namely streaming and making its own titles available on a wide range of platforms, without the consumer having to spend more money switching between PC, Xbox, mobile, the cloud and so on.
The Xbox Play Anywhere initiative has been a huge benefit to consumers, and Chris Charla, GM of Portfolio and Programs at Xbox, told us the following about it and how cloud and streaming technology (and even the ROG Xbox Ally handheld) has made it easier for gamers and even smaller developers.
“Yeah, I mean, the reality is that when we talk to indie developers, they’re almost all indie gamers too, right? Everyone plays games. And I think the notion that playing on a console is great, that sitting on the couch and playing is the best. But playing when I’m at the airport is also the best. Playing when I’m on the bus is great. Playing when I’m at work at my laptop (don’t tell my boss) is also great. And then you see people took off right away. And when we talk to them about the extra work it takes to make a game on your Xbox Play Anywhere, play it on your Xbox PC or whatever, they totally get it. And yeah, it’s been really cool.”
He then compared the whole situation to the world of music, and how we can easily switch between a physical vinyl experience and digital and streamed music.
“Yeah, that’s a comparison I made this morning: I love vinyl, and I listen to vinyl a lot when I’m at home. But when I go out, I stream them. And the experience is not quite the same. And we can debate whether vinyl is so hot, and whether streaming is so precise. But the reality is that those are discussions for enthusiasts. I just love music. I just want to listen to music. And I think the same goes for games. If I’m at home and can play a game locally, it’s what I’m going to do. And luckily I don’t have to make that decision with the Xbox Ally. I can play in the airport and actually, I’m one of those people who’s on my back and playing Ally two inches from my face too lazy to reach for the remote now.”
You can watch the full interview with Charla below, with localized subtitles, where he also touches on how enthusiasm for Game Pass hasn’t waned for the developers.
