Hungry for more morsels of information around the next-gen Xbox Series X console? So are we – but it looks like some big announcements could be just around the corner.
Microsoft is hosting two days of live streams on Mixer next week, with a dedicated slot set aside to talk about the incoming console, in tandem with the video game streaming service that we expect to hear a lot about in the next console generation: Project xCloud.
While we've got some decent hands-on time with xCloud so far, and certainly heard more about Xbox Series X specs than those of the PS5, there's still plenty we don't know – and this live stream could be aimed at filling the gaps.
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The live stream series appears to be replacing the talks Microsoft planned to give at GDC 2020 (Game Developer’s Conference), which was canceled after health concerns around the COVID-19 virus – but the ease of online video streaming, and the existence of the Microsoft-owned Mixer platform, means those GDC announcements are still making their way out into the world with a bit of ceremony.
What's being announced?
The Game Stack Live event page states: “Join us on Mixer March 17-18 where we'll be livestreaming content that we planned to share at this year's Game Developers Conference.”
Starting at 10:00 am PT on the 17th, come learn about the latest cloud and game development technologies from Microsoft, go behind the scenes with the creators at Xbox Game Studios and the ID@Xbox program, and level up with deep technical talks and panel discussions led by industry leaders.”
There are live streams planned on all sorts of topics, including inclusive game design, Gears 5’s accessibility settings, and a talk entitled simply “Xbox Series X + Project xCloud = New Chapter in Gaming” (March 18, 11.40am PT). The event kicks off at 10am PT (2pm ET / 5pm GMT) on March 17, with this specific talk happening at 11.40am PT (3.40pm ET / 6.40pm GMT) on March 18.
We obviously don’t know what, if anything, is being announced for the first time, but throwing the Xbox Series X and Project xCloud names together suggests something is afoot.
We know the console is being developed with Project xCloud in mind. It's a service for streaming games over the cloud, rather than the offline play of Xbox Game Pass, so we could well find out more about how players will access the service on the console, or any new features and functionality not seen previously.
We’ll keep you updated on anything important that comes out of it – though it’s also free to sign up for Mixer yourself.
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