Microsoft has brought game streaming to Australia, but where is everyone else?

The country’s lagging internet infrastructure will be put to the test with xCloud, writes Shaun Prescott.

Last month, much to the surprise of all, Microsoft rolled out the Project xCloud beta in Australia. The company’s Xbox department head, Phil Spencer, had already made a vague promise that it would hit the antipodes some time in 2021, but at the time even that seemed unlikely. Game streaming in Australia? It’s just not a thing.

Look at all the services that have skipped Australia so far. Sony’s PlayStation Now service, a cloud gaming subscription service that launched in North America in 2014, is still a no show in Australia, with no sign of a rollout anytime soon. Google Stadia was marketed much more heavily than Sony’s service in the lead up to its 2019 release, but on the question of an Australian rollout Google has stayed quiet. GeForce Now? Don’t even ask.

It’s not that it’s impossible: Google Stadia can stream 1080p HDR video at 60fps on a connection that can reach (and hopefully comfortably exceed) 20Mbps. If you suffer a mere 10Mbps (it’s not rare!) you can still theoretically stream at 720p with 60 frames per second. Of course, for 4K you’ll need an out-of-reach-for-many 35Mbps minimum.

According to the September 2020 speedtest.net report (a great site for checking your own speeds), the average Australian fixed broadband internet speed is 55.97Mbps. We come in just behind Vietnam (56.83) and way behind countries like Brazil, Moldova, Malta, Hungary… the list is 55 countries long. For reference, Singapore’s average speed wins at 226.60Mbps, while the United States comes in at tenth position with 161.14Mbps.

Yeah, our situation isn’t great, but if you have a good internet connection in Australia you’ll comfortably fit within Google’s own streaming guidelines - you can probably even stream at 4K. At the time of writing, we haven’t had the chance to test xCloud in Australia – our mag went to print just days before its launch. That said, Microsoft itself claims the minimum requirement is 10Mbps, whether on a mobile connection or with 5GHz Wi-Fi. Since the xCloud beta is only compatible with Android tablets and phones, depending on your data cap, you’ll probably want to be connected to Wi-Fi when testing it.

If you’re lucky to have an NBN connection or have an NBN50 connection, in theory a game streaming service shouldn’t be impossible. Carriers like Vodafone and Dodo advertise a 40Mbps “typical evening speed” (ie, you’ll probably get higher speeds outside of those busy hours) but it’s the reliability that really matters. Anecdotally, I use an NBN25 connection and even during the day, my connection can fall to around 15Mbps download, depending on the whims of the internet gods.

Whatever the case, xCloud’s move in Australia is a welcome one, if we’re ever to see this burgeoning market grow (or even exist) down here. And it makes good business sense: Microsoft is aggressively bolstering its subscription-based gaming models. When xCloud launches properly in 2021, you’ll get it free with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Microsoft’s ecosystem may not be as ubiquitous and inescapable as Google’s, but there’s no denying it has the credentials when it comes to gaming.

“According to the September 2020 speedtest.net report, the average Australian fixed broadband internet speed is 55.97Mbps. We come in just behind Vietnam (56.83) and way behind countries like Brazil, Moldova, Malta, Hungary…”