ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reported that Microsoft is currently beefing up a new streaming team in the company's Operating Systems Group. This team is working on a technology codenamed "Arcadia," which is replacing the company's discontinued "Rio" game-streaming technology and is being assembled on the company's Azure cloud. This tech will supposedly stream specific apps, as well as games.
Backing this rumor is a job posting over on Microsoft's Careers site, which mentions the Arcadia codename. "The Operating Systems Group (OSG) Arcadia team is leveraging many new app technologies to bring premium and unique experiences to Microsoft's core platforms. We are looking for bright, talented engineers to help the next big thing for Microsoft," the job listing read.
A similar job posting for a senior software development engineer is listed on LinkedIn, but the Arcadia reference is omitted. However, the listing mentions the Operating Systems Group Streaming team, which is "leveraging the cloud to bring premium and unique experiences to Microsoft's core platforms."
Both job listings report that experience with non-Microsoft platforms, namely Apple's iOS and Google's Android, is a big plus.
Does this mean Arcadia will stream to non-Microsoft devices? That scenario is quite possible, rivaling Sony's own PlayStation Now which is eventually coming to non-PlayStation devices. The listings could also merely mean that Microsoft is looking for experienced iOS and Android app developers to build solutions for Microsoft's Windows platform.
Foley reported that it's probably way too early for Microsoft to reveal Arcadia next month when it showcases the consumer-friendly features of Windows 10. She also speculated that Arcadia probably won't be made available until after Windows 10 goes retail, which is believed to be the end of 2Q 2015 or the beginning of 3Q 2015.
The "Arcadia" label could be derived from the Halo series, as it's the name of the United Earth Government Colony. Microsoft previously dipped into the Halo lore with its virtual assistant, naming "her" after the artificially intelligent character Cortana. The Windows 10 release is also codenamed "Threshold," which is a gas giant in the Soell star system located in the Halo universe.
Streaming games and apps to non-Microsoft platforms should come as no surprise given Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's cross-platform push. We can definitely see a scenario where Arcadia streams Android apps on Windows-based devices while Android and iOS have access to a library of games of Windows- and Xbox-based games.
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