While Xbox gamers—360 or One, really—know there's already Web browser capability built into the system, what's a little less known is that Microsoft (News - Alert) has some plans to carry out the reverse as well. Essentially, Microsoft wants to bring at least some of the Xbox experience directly to the Web browser, and is currently working to do just that, bringing cloud-based gaming to Xbox by attacking its main enemy: lag.

The reports suggest Microsoft has a research project within its confines that built what amounts to a prototypical cloud-based gaming service, and one that has dropped the lag appreciably. It's not completely gone, of course; that's not likely to happen until we're all on Google (News - Alert) Fiber, and maybe not even then. But lag is down somewhat, and that's got more than a few eyebrows raised. While many Microsoft research projects never see the light of day—much in the same way Apple (News - Alert) has a host of patents that will never likely be used—this particular one has something different about it.

Microsoft, reportedly, has a plan to bring games to the Web browser. That's an exciting enough prospect as it is, even if it were just the last generation titles involved. But at last report, it's not; word is that Microsoft may want to even bring out Xbox One titles, and in a fashion that may well make the releases on par with those released on the full Xbox One. Reports vary somewhat, though not by much; one source suggested that the experience was in the 60 frames per second class, while another figured that this cloud gaming mechanism was to be Microsoft's “...next killer gaming feature,” by some reports. Indeed, reports suggest that the Xbox 360 game this has been tested with are running the full experience complete with the dashboard, and the project not only has Xbox branding, but is also running outside of Microsoft.

Naturally, there are issues to getting this up and running fully; issues of pricing, for one; is this a monthly subscription or per-game pricing? There are also issues of licensing—what if Microsoft is in but Ubisoft isn't? Can Microsoft get all the publishers up for this one, when this might well cannibalize some PC gaming revenues? Does this spell the beginning of the end of Microsoft consoles? What about the indie game makers; will these make the jump as well? How well will a service like this scale upward with the millions of Xbox gamers out there using the service, potentially simultaneously?

Finally, one thing that doesn't seem to be considered is just how far back Microsoft will go. Will we see a revival of original Xbox titles played in the cloud? Titles like “Crimson Skies” or even “Morrowind” might make a comeback here thanks to cloud gaming. Naturally, something like this might be difficult to pull off in the fullest sense, and if Microsoft drops the ball on this one it's going to burn the player base in the process; that's a development Microsoft can ill afford thanks to the recent developments of Sony's incredible gains in the field of late. Done right, however, this could mean recovery for Microsoft.

Only time will tell just how this all comes off; reports suggest that a launch could be ready “in the not-too-distant future”, but just what is in terms of days, months and weeks is unclear. This could be the start of something very big, though, and Microsoft getting it right is going to be spectacularly important.