Sony Plans to Use Azure/Microsoft Partnership for More than Just Games

I think most people already knew that streaming was the future of video games, given that it’s taken over just about every other entertainment medium. It just so happened that Google beat us all to the punch (well, Microsoft did with the first Xbox One, they just attached it to an expensive console as well) with the Google Stadia, a platform that pretty much no one is actually excited for. In part because they don’t believe it will work, in part because they don’t understand how it would work.

But of course, they aren’t the only one keen on trying out streaming. Sony and Microsoft (for real this time) are also toying with the concept, and if possible we know even less about it than Google Stadia, given that all we know is that the two companies are partnering up to make their streaming options and technology competitive.

Well, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently gave an interview with Fortune and the subject came up, and while we know literally nothing else new of substance on the initiative, we at least now know who… took the initiative, so to speak.
 

It’s a beginning for us. First of all, it’s all driven by Sony. They looked at who are all their partners that they can trust. In fact, it turns out, even though we’ve competed, we’ve also partnered.

They elaborated at least so far as to say that whatever Sony’s plans are with Azure, they don’t plan to stop at gaming.
 

That’s a core piece of the partnership. They also have—beyond gaming—other assets, like interesting devices and silicon (chip) businesses, which could be interesting in the context of what we’re doing in Azure.

Interesting. But we’re still probably years from anything of substance to come from this partnership, so I wouldn't start holding my breath just yet.