Manufacturers of two game consoles competing with Xbox and PlayStation, Microsoft and Sony, joined in a strategic partnership. This collaboration extends from streaming games and content through new image sensors to artificial intelligence (AI).
The agreement strengthens mainly the Microsoft cloud - the Azure Business because Sony is about playing and media content through streaming that will bring to customers. The Sony group, which is also a major supplier of camera chips for cellphones, can also develop with Microsoft and its new AI image sensor.
Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said the two companies had worked together for years in various fields, but were also rivals. Collaboration with new cloud applications that are now approved will advance business interactive content.
This collaboration strengthens Sony and Microsoft, especially in their competition with Amazon, the market leader in the cloud business, which in the meantime also penetrated the gaming market. But Google also recently announced a streaming platform for games with Stadia, which will start operating later this year. Content Stadia must be playable on desktops, laptops, televisions, tablets and smartphones, the real platform is Google Cloud.