BlueStacks X is a service that lets you stream Android games in browsers across multiple devices, including iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux. It’s in beta, currently offering 14 cloud games and promising to add new games every week.
The cloud gaming aspect is a new part of BlueStacks X, but the platform has been around since 2009 and served as an Android emulator for Windows. BlueStacks is still retaining that part of its features and currently offers downloads of around 116 Android games for PCs.
BlueStacks X is currently free for users and primarily earns revenue through ads, but in an interview with The Verge, CEO Rosen Sharma said there could be subscription offers in the future. BlueStacks X also made its own Discord Bot called Cloudy that makes it easier for co-op play and socializing. “[Cloudy can] automatically [connect you] to a Discord voice channel so everyone can just click and play the cloud game,” stated Sharma.
Other current popular cloud gaming services include Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming, Sony’s PS Now, and Nvidia’s GeForce Now. In Microsoft’s case, xCloud is only available as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, a package that also includes the Game Pass libraries on PC and Xbox consoles.
In an interview with Venturebeat, Sharma stated he doesn’t see those services as “direct competition.” The aforementioned gaming services focus more on getting PC and console games in the cloud so they can be streamable on any device. BlueStacks X works by borrowing some of the user’s native browsers and devices’ computational power, instead of solely relying on the cloud.
Microsoft also plans to make Android apps directly available in its new app store, but it looks like this feature won’t be part of Windows 11, which is set to release in October. Android apps are already currently available to use on Windows 10, but users need to go through the Your Phone app in order to do so.
