question: What does Microsoft and Sony teaming up for cloud gaming mean?
comment: It means that it no longer matters if you buy ps or xbox and which ones your friend has. Games on both platforms can play together.
passages: Microsoft unveiled Project xCloud on October 8, 2018, which aims to incorporate Microsoft Azure cloud services into cloud gaming. In May 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft signed an agreement to co-develop cloud solutions across several divisions, including cloud gaming, with the potential for Sony to use Azure services as part of its offerings. As of May 24, 2019, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President, Kareem Choudry, announced that Project xCloud could already stream 3,500 Xbox titles.
  
  Section::::Types.
   LOUDPLAY announced expansion of its cloud gaming service to Ukraine, Belarus and few other Eastern Europe locations on May 18, 2018. On November 21, 2018 LOUDPLAY in partnership with Rostelecom and Huawei has demonstrated the first 5G cloud gaming showcase in Europe (in Innopolis).
  
  Electronic Arts acquired cloud gaming startup Gamefly on May 22, 2018. A few months later, on October 29, 2018, Electronic Arts announced their new cloud gaming program, Project Atlas.
   Gaikai was launched internationally on February 27, 2011 with "Dead Space 2", "The Sims 3", "Spore", and "Mass Effect 2". Sony Computer Entertainment acquired Gaikai on July 2, 2012, for $380 million USD. Sony announced PlayStation Now on January 7, 2014.
  
  The Blade SAS Group launched Shadow, their flagship cloud gaming service in France in 2017. By October 2018, Shadow announced that it was live in 19 states across the east and west coast of the US, with further plans to expand nationwide.
   Cloud gaming and Remote Play are some of several Gaikai-powered streaming services announced for the PlayStation 4 through its PlayStation Now service. Cloud gaming differs from Remote Play in that Remote Play allows games on home devices to operate remotely over a wireless network, while cloud gaming refers to a game that resides on a distant server rather than on a user's device.
  
  Section::::Software compatibility.
   Service and hardware announcements by Microsoft included a Windows 10 version of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service (which would be included in a larger "Game Pass Ultimate" service, bundled with the console version and an Xbox Live Gold subscription), that its "Project xCloud" cloud gaming platform would receive a public beta in late-2019, as well as an updated version of the Elite controller.
  
  Microsoft also teased "Project Scarlett", a successor to Xbox One.
   Section::::Online services.:Gaming Cloud.
  
  Gaming Cloud is a division within Microsoft's Xbox team to help game developers incorporate their cloud computing elements, such as Microsoft Azure within their games. While focused on Xbox and Windows games, the division will support developers regardless of target platform or distribution channel. The division was formed in March 2018, and led by Kareem Choudhry.
  
  Section::::Software.
  
  Section::::Software.:Xbox 360 Dashboard.
   Their first game, "Crackdown 3", was announced by Microsoft Studios at the June 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Bearing the working title "Crackdown", the game was announced to release for Xbox One at an unspecified date. Although the game was later scheduled for a 2016 release, it has since been delayed into February 2019, and will additionally release on Microsoft Windows. The game will make extensive use of Cloudgine's proprietary cloud computing technology, which they claim will make the game able to process physics calculations thirteen times as fast as with a standard Xbox One. Meanwhile, Oculus Studios released the Cloudgine-developed freeware Oculus Touch game "Toybox" in December 2016.
   On June 9, 2019, coinciding with Microsoft's E3 2019 press conference, Microsoft released a new Xbox app in beta exclusively for Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903), which has a redesigned interface, and serves as a client for the newly-unveiled Xbox Game Pass for PC service. In advance of the conference, Microsoft rebranded the existing Xbox app on Windows 10 as Xbox Console Companion.
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- PlayStation App
  
  BULLET::::- Apple Game Center – a similar gaming network for users of iOS devices
  
  BULLET::::- Google Play Games – a similar gaming network for users of Android devices
  
  Section::::External links.
   BULLET::::- Cloud game streaming stores, executes, and renders the game itself in the cloud, transmitting an encoded video stream to user PCs, consoles, or other devices, where the game video is displayed. Controller and keystroke signals are transmitted back to the cloud. Early pioneers in this space included OnLive and Gaikai (both acquired by Sony). Hardware providers such as Sony and NVIDIA and smaller companies like GameFly, GameStream, and PlayGiga are developing cloud gaming products and services today.
   An analyst also noted that Microsoft's first-party studios were not as strong as those of Sony, explaining that "Sony has always been about first party and Microsoft wanted to emulate that, but they allowed studios like Rare and Lionhead to fade away." In 2018, Microsoft acquired a large number of third-party studios, including Compulsion Games, InXile Entertainment, Ninja Theory, Obsidian Entertainment, Playground Games, and Undead Labs, and hired former Crystal Dynamics head Darrell Gallagher to lead a new Microsoft studio known as The Initiative.
   At the January 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, Sony announced the PlayStation Now (PS Now) game streaming service, powered by technology from Gaikai. The service was initially discussed in February 2013, when it was revealed that PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 titles would be made available for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 console via a new cloud gaming service. At E3 2013, Sony had announced that the new game streaming service would launch in 2014. At CES it was revealed that in addition to PlayStation platforms (PS4 and PS3 systems, followed by PS Vita), PlayStation Now would come to most 2014 US models of Sony’s BRAVIA TV.
   A press release was published on August 20, 2013, announcing the release date of the PlayStation 4 (PS4) console. On that date, SCEI introduced the CUH-1000A series system, and announced the launch date as November 15, 2013, for North American markets and November 29, 2013, for European, Australasian and Central and South American markets.
   In July 2012, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that they had acquired video game streaming service Gaikai for $380 million. The acquisition was later strengthened when Sony acquired the assets of Gaikai's market rival OnLive. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2014, Sony announced that Gaikai's technology would be used to power PlayStation Now; a new cloud-based gaming service that allows people to play PlayStation games on a variety of devices. During 2014, Sony rolled out the service in North America on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in beta form as a means for users to test performance and pricing structures.
   The third platform will allow all of a company’s IT solutions to be available through the cloud, accessible via a variety of mobile devices. Data storage, servers and many IT solutions, which are on-site, can now be cloud-based.
  
  Section::::The Pillars of the Third Platform.:Internet of Things.
   In 2013, Microsoft established European studio Lift London, a studio that would create could-based games for tablets, mobiles and TVs. Later, they created a new "Deep Tech" team inside its Developer and Platform Evangelism (DPE) unit; the new team is charged with working with top developers outside the company to build next-generation applications on top of Microsoft platforms.
   OnLive was officially launched in March 2010, and its game service began in June with the sale of its OnLive microconsole. On April 2, 2015, it was announced that Sony Computer Entertainment had acquired OnLive's patents, and OnLive closed its doors. In November 2010, SFR launched a commercial cloud gaming service on IPTV in France, powered by G-cluster technology. And the following year Orange France unveiled its gaming service on IPTV based on G-cluster technology.
   On September 1, 2016, Cloud9 acquired Nemesis Hydra from Team Nemesis, getting their feet into the mobile esports scene. Nemesis Hydra had been one of the "first" competitive teams of Vainglory, having first appeared in March 2015. In their short year and a half of existence, Hydra had made it to the third tournament day, at least semi-finals, in each live championship. While never winning a championship, they completed a 14-game win streak in Split One of the 2016 Summer Season tournament "Evil 8."
   During the off-season, the Quantic Gaming organization went bankrupt and shut down operations, leaving its "League of Legends" team without a sponsor. Competing first under the name Team NomNom and then Cloud9, Nientonsoh, Hai, Yazuki, Wild Turtle and LemonNation secured a spot in the Season 3 North American Offline Qualifier for the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). However, Cloud9 was knocked out of the tournament in the group stage after losing to Azure Gaming and future LCS team Team MRN in a close base race.
   Meanwhile, the Open Platform model allowed streaming full games to PCs, digital TVs, tablets and smart mobile devices. The first mobile partnership came in May 2012, streaming games to the Wikipad tablet. In June 2012, Samsung announced a cloud gaming service powered by Gaikai to stream AAA games to its high end LED Smart TVs.
  
  Section::::Acquisition by Sony Computer Entertainment.
   Section::::Products and services.:Consumer services.
  
  Section::::Products and services.:Consumer services.:Web-based services.
  
  Google offers Gmail for email, Google Calendar for time-management and scheduling, Google Maps for mapping, navigation and satellite imagery, Google Drive for cloud storage of files, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for productivity, Google Photos for photo storage and sharing, Google Keep for note-taking, Google Translate for language translation, YouTube for video viewing and sharing, Google My Business for managing public business information, and Duo for social interaction. In March 2019, Google unveiled a cloud gaming service named Stadia.
  
  Section::::Products and services.:Consumer services.:Software.
   Cloud9 finished 2nd in the Spring LCS Regular Season with a 13–6 record. Cloud9 met TSM in the finals of the LCS Spring playoffs but lost three games to one. It was the fourth consecutive LCS final that featured the two teams. In May, Hai officially retired from the team, citing chronic hand pain. Hai transitioned into a role as Chief Gaming Officer. On March 8 Incarnati0n joined the team and replaced Hai on the starting roster. The team struggled through the season due to issues with shotcalling, as Hai had been the primary shotcalled. The team dropped down to 8th place, in danger of relegation until July, when Meteos steps down and Hai rejoined the team in the jungle. With Hai, they were able to win enough games to rise to 7th place, high enough to avoid relegation, but not high enough to make playoffs.
   In July 2014 the C9 "Smite" team disbanded just before the start of the Smite Pro League. On May 6, 2014 Cloud9 signed "Super Smash Bros. Melee" player Mang0. Cloud9 acquired compLexity Gaming's "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" team in August 2014. The team left compLexity after it received a better offer from C9 before renewing their contract with their previous team. Cloud9 announced the formation of a Challenger Series team and held open tryouts. On November 26, 2014 Cloud9 added a "Halo" team by acquiring The Agency, which boasted several experienced players. In December 2014 Cloud9 withdrew their "Dota 2" team from the Chinese I-League because of concerns over poor playing and living conditions and were subsequently banned for the next seasons for doing so.
   Cloud gaming, also in some cases called "gaming on demand", is a type of online gaming that allows direct and on-demand video streaming of games onto computers, consoles, and mobile devices, similar to video on demand, through the use of a thin client. The actual game is stored, executed, and rendered on the remote operator's or game company's server and the video results are streamed directly to a consumer's computers over the internet. This allows access to games without the need of a console and largely makes the capability of the user's computer unimportant, as the server is the system that is running the processing needs. The controls and button presses from the user are transmitted directly to the server, where they are recorded, and the server then sends back the game's response to the input controls. Companies that use this type of cloud gaming include NVIDIA (GeForce NOW), LOUDPLAY, Playkey, PlayGiga, CiiNOW, Ubitus. Google's highly anticipated cloud gaming service, Stadia, is set to be released in November 2019.
   Ziris Manage provides a list of all displays & players on a signage network that can be managed by the product, allowing the user to see what is happening on screen and enable them to control the display by switching power, volume or inputs.
   Initially, Nientonsoh said that Cloud9 would disband in light of the loss. The team later decided to stay together, although Nientonsoh and Yazuki left the team. Hai shifted from jungle to mid, and the team tried out new junglers and top laners in online competitions.
  
  Section::::"League of Legends".:History.:2013.
  
  On April 1, the Cloud9 roster of Balls, Meteos, Hai, Sneaky, and LemonNation was reacquired by Quantic Gaming, now led by former COO Bernie Catalan. However, just a few weeks later the roster would once again become Cloud9 with previous TSM manager Jack Etienne becoming the manager and owner of the team.
  