A Twitter conversation yesterday — originally spotted by OXM — involving Microsoft Games Studios head Phil Spencer revealed that the Xbox One’s cloud computing will be the primary source of power for some future games.
@joe_GeoThor Given local CPU/GPU likely see XBOX One games using local compute but we have things incubating that are primarily cloud based.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) October 3, 2013
Spencer later used Ascend: Hand of Kul, an upcoming free-to-play role-playing game for the Xbox 360 and PC, as an example of how the cloud could be used for benefit. Ascend will have synchronous and asynchronous multiplayer functionality, meaning that you can play against friends even when they aren’t online exactly when you are.
Microsoft’s new system, the Xbox One, launches on Nov. 22.