In recent years, Cloud Gaming seems to have become a thing that came out of nowhere. The main idea behind this service is to provide players with a rather cheaper alternative for those who cannot afford a gaming PC or video game home console.
Back in May of this year, for instance, Capcom released
Resident Evil VII on the Nintendo Switch. The thing about
Resident Evill VII, though, is that the Nintendo Switch is not capable of running the game without compromising graphics and this is where Cloud Gaming steps in, since this game could only be played on the Switch via Cloud Gaming as it was only streamed on the console. There are some disadvantages to this, since the internet connection needs to be pretty fast in order to avoid input lag, latency, and video compression that make the game look not as sharp as on a capable console.
While some believe that Cloud Gaming is the future of gaming and that the days of traditional video game home consoles are numbered, many more think that this isn't the case given that Cloud Gaming caters more to casual "gamers". Microsoft's Phil Spencer happens to be one of those people who believe Cloud Gaming will not be replacing traditional console gaming any time soon, if ever.
In a recent interview with Mexican website LevelUp, Phil Spencer was asked whether a time in which video game home consoles would disappear, and if we'll end up running games from remote servers like with Cloud Gaming. Spencer does see some benefits to Cloud Gaming but he thinks the disadvantages outweigh the perks, and downloading a game will still be more efficient than having it streamed.
"No. There are certain scenarios where a stream game is the best answer. On a console the best scenario for you is to download that game and play. If you are on a PC that's capable of download and play that game, download and play that game. Not all devices are capable of playing the most demanding games that we see here on the show, so streaming is an option in those scenarios, and there are some scenarios of like instant start and trials where maybe streaming on a device might be interesting, but I think for years and years the best way to play a game will be to download that game and play it. The same thing on PC. I think streaming is something that is further out in terms of it becoming a really mass marked where everybody's doing it, and even way further out before it's the best way to play that game, if it ever is.
It's about giving you a choice as a player, not about replacing what you do today".
For the full LevelUp interview with Microsoft's Phil Spencer, please watch the following video: