Multiple reports claim Amazon is developing a game streaming service, joining the likes of Microsoft’s Project xCloud and Google’s Project Stream, with the company already in talks with publishers about adding their libraries to the platform. And It could be out as early as next year.
While Amazon has yet to comment, the reports from The Information and Deadline say multiple sources familiar with the project have confirmed its existence, though details are sparse.
The rumour will undoubtedly spark more discussion about the decline of consoles and a world where everyone’s streaming 4K games to their phones, but it’s far too early to predict the impact of game streaming before it’s even made the slightest impact. Certainly, it’s not proved to be a game changer so far, even though it’s been available in various forms for years.
Google’s Project Stream beta only confirmed that we’re still quite far from being able to enjoy the same quality of experience when streaming a game as we do without the cloud. Sure, being able to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on Chrome was very impressive, but several concessions were evident, from the framerate to the graphics quality.
No matter how good these streaming services end up being, they’re also going to be restricted by infrastructure. While some parts of the world might enjoy blisteringly fast internet speeds, more don’t, and it’s not even consistent across small areas. Expensive consoles and PCs are an obstacle, but they’re still less insurmountable than low speed internet.
This isn’t Amazon’s only foray into gaming. It acquired Twitch in 2014, runs a Twitch Prime service connected to Amazon Prime and it’s developing New World, a sandbox MMO, along with Crucible, a battle royale.
For more, here are all the times companies have tired to make ‘Netflix for gaming’.
