Microsoft and Sony have announced a joint partnership that will allow the PlayStation maker to use Azure’s platform as a foundation for its next generation streaming efforts.
Microsoft and Sony have announced a joint partnership that will allow the PlayStation maker to use Azure’s platform as a foundation for its next-generation streaming efforts. The partnership will also see Sony offer its knowledge in the field of entertainment in order to make Microsoft’s efforts the best possible for what matters streaming, so it won’t limit to just use the technology itself but will also improve it.
On top of that, the relationship will also extend to the field of semiconductors and artificial intelligence, with Sony offering its image sensor as part of the deal and Microsoft bringing in the powerful Azure AI for further developments in the future.
“Our mission is to seamlessly evolve [PlayStation] as [a platform] that continues to deliver the best and most immersive entertainment experiences, together with a cloud environment that ensures the best possible experience, anytime, anywhere,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony president, and CEO.
“For many years, Microsoft has been a key business partner for us, though of course, the two companies have also been competing in some areas. I believe that our joint development of future cloud solutions will contribute greatly to the advancement of interactive content.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella added that “Sony has always been a leader in both entertainment and technology, and the collaboration we announced today builds on this history of innovation…Our partnership brings the power of Azure and Azure AI to Sony to deliver new gaming and entertainment experiences for customers.”
It’s incredible to see these two companies work together, but it was also a bit predictable that gaming giants would be uniting to face a new ‘menace’ like Google and other outsiders coming in attracted by the rise of streaming.
Both the companies have streaming platforms for games, such as PlayStation Now and the upcoming Project xCloud. It will be interesting to see where this will lead the entire industry in the future, even though we don’t expect radical changes in the way PlayStation and Xbox drive their businesses.
