Microsoft Corp. is reportedly working on a streaming service codenamed “Arcadia” that will focus on cloud computing, and which may soon stream games and apps to Windows devices. The service seems to be similar to Sony’s PlayStation 4 to PS Vita remote-play feature and the company’s cloud gaming service, PlayStation Now.
According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Arcadia is being built on top of Microsoft’s Azure cloud technology, the company’s current cloud-based platform. Unlike Azure, Arcadia is speculated to likely allow users to stream Xbox games to smartphones and tablets in a similar fashion to Nvidia’s cloud-based GRID technology.
A Microsoft Careers job posting for a senior software engineer mentions the codename “Arcadia” and lists qualifications such as being familiar with Android and iOS as a “plus.”
The prospect of bringing Android apps to Windows devices via this technology has also reportedly been considered. However, according to ZDNet, this idea was likely shelved by Microsoft for the time being.
It’s expected Microsoft has plans to reveal Arcadia at its upcoming Windows 10 event next month and that Arcadia’s technology will be exclusive to the company’s new operating system. During an internal company meeting Microsoft demonstrated a service called Rio and streamed Halo 4 to a Windows Phone device with an Xbox 360 controller attached to it.
Just like Cortana, Microsoft’s Siri-like Windows Phone voice-activated assistant, Arcadia is a reference to Microsoft’s popular Halo franchise. Arcadia is the Unified Earth Government colony that initially appeared in the now defunct Ensemble Studio’s Halo real-time strategy game, Halo Wars, according to Halo Nation.
Sony acquired Gaikai, a cloud-based streaming service, last year and has integrated the company’s technology into PlayStation 4 and other Sony devices.
