Microsoft xCloud could stream Epic Games Store and Steam libraries to consoles

Microsoft is working on a feature which would allow gamers to stream PC games to their Xbox, via xCloud, according to a new report.

According to Brad Sams, un-named Microsoft insiders revealed that the company plans to unveil a feature which would allow gamers to stream their Steam and Epic Games Store libraries on other devices, such as laptops, phones… and Xbox consoles.

Sams claimed “Microsoft is working on that exact same technology and it is coming… I would expect them to announce it hopefully soon… I just know that Microsoft has the technology for where you can play a game on your PC and stream it across xCloud to any type of device.”

As of yet this is, obviously, completely unconfirmed but it’s an exciting prospect. Nvidia’s GeForce Now platform promised something similar but had major setbacks this week when a slew of publishers pulled their games from the platform.

Related: Why are games abandoning GeForce Now? Nvidia provides answers

If this capability comes to the Xbox Series X, but not the PlayStation 5, it could be a major differentiator between the two next-gen consoles. PlayStation fans with expansive Steam libraries for instance could be tempted away from Sony’s console in order to be able to access their library across more devices.

The concept of streaming games onto various devices, which burst onto the scene with the opinion-splitting Google Stadia, has been one of this year’s big talking points so far.

When we got hands-on with Nvidia GeForce Now, a prominent Stadia and xCloud competitor, we were hugely impressed.

Our reviewer, Adam Speight, said: “The GeForce Now beta is very impressive, and seems a far better cloud-streaming service than Google Stadia since it utilises your existing library of PC games. High demands regarding internet speeds mean there’s no guarantee this will appeal to the masses, but the free subscription tier at least makes it very accessible. That said, questions still remain whether the servers will hold up post launch.”

Related: Project xCloud – All the latest on Microsoft’s cloud streaming service

However, the news since – that many publishers were pulling their titles from the service – has thrown its future into doubt.

While Stadia was less impressive, Google are better resourced to keep publishers on-side.

When it comes to Microsoft, the company has been more cautious than either Google or Nvidia in testing and developing its gaming platform thoroughly. We wouldn’t be too surprised if it trumped the other two services when it comes to full release, but we will have to wait and find out whether it can.