PS4 Vs Xbox One: Cloud Planned As Microsoft’s Secret Weapon?

The PS4 vs Xbox One console war hasn’t been kind to Microsoft, and after some of the things they said before the Xbone was launched, it’s not hard to see why. After turning their back on nearly everything they bragged about, Microsoft has already stated that their original vision of the future is still coming. This was seen in the DRM checks at a Killer Instinct tournament, as well as the apparently scrapped (for now) plans to sell a disc-less Xbox One.

Ubisoft may still be embracing Microsoft’s vision of the future, and while we can’t say for certain it will happen, their recent statement about DLC makes us wonder how soon they’re planning to sell games in digital format only. If one of the biggest game publishers in the world does this, how long will it be before the rest of them follow?

Another item that Microsoft is still pushing for in this round of the PS4 vs Xbox One debates is Cloud computing, something that they claim will enable massive multiplayer games on the Xbone.

Both Sony and Microsoft are planning to show their wares and talk about the future at the Develop conference in Brighton, UK, though Sony is waxing nostalgic for now. The PlayStation 4 producer is looking back on how far gaming has come in the last 20 years in a planned speech from lead system architect Mark Cerny:

“It’s hard to believe it’s [been] 20 years since the arrival of PlayStation. And looking today at the ubiquitous popularity of games across a multiplicity of devices, it’s equally astonishing it had taken 20 years since the pioneering 1970s consoles before a manufacturer had dared again to aspire to take console gaming truly mainstream.

“PlayStation didn’t do it all, of course – no single product, game, or game designer could claim that. But with its pop culture sensibilities, 3D graphics, CD quality nightclub-friendly soundtracks, and adult-orientated attitude, Sony’s debut console surely marked a turning point for our industry, and our aspirations.”

Microsoft’s side in the PS4 vs Xbox One event is planned to focus on the Cloud, which they apparently still plan to use as a “secret weapon,” using outside servers to make calculations happen that the console can’t do on its own. Could this lead to a steady flow of Xbox One 1080p 60fps titles at the expense of being always online? Microsoft explains:

“Cloud Gaming is an overloaded term which is used to refer to an assortment of game distribution and monetization models. In this talk Microsoft will suggest that by thinking more in terms of the cloud and gaming, we can settle on a set of use cases for cloud computing technologies in gaming that embraces creating new or enhanced user experiences to the shift to Games-as-a-Service. In doing so we see more clearly how cloud will become a necessary part of every game.”

What did they mean by monetization in relation to the Xbox One Cloud? Could they be planning to charge extra for the service just to boost games in the future to a performance that more closely rivals the PlayStation 4? This could mean a return to the “always online” concept that gamers rallied against from the start.

While the gamers have already noticeably chosen a side in the Xbox One vs PS4 console war, Microsoft seems poised to make a comeback through the use of the Xbox One Cloud. Also if Sony wants to maintain their lead, they might need to focus more on the future instead of patting themselves on the back for four successful consoles. Hopefully they can boost the display on Project Morpheus before releasing it as the next wave of gaming.

Xbox One fans will no doubt remind Sony of the failure that was the PS3 launch, to remind them that they did make some big mistakes.

Will Microsoft or Sony have a stronger presence at the upcoming Develop conference? Can the Xbone win the console war with the Cloud, or is the PS4 vs Xbox One debate already decided?

[images via gottabemobile, extremetech, polygon, flickr]