Video game streaming is years away from going mainstream, says the head of Xbox.

Phil Spencer, Executive Vice President of Gaming at Microsoft, believes the technology is still in the testing phase and needs to evolve further before it becomes a normal part of gaming.

Speaking to the BBC’s Marc Cieslak, the 51-year-old explained that Microsoft’s ‘Project XCloud’ – a rival to Google Stadia, which is due for launch in a couple of days – was providing vital information from gamers as to how that technology should evolve.

“I think you’ve seen in other forms of media how streaming has given people the ability to stay connected to their music or videos wherever they go,” he said.

“And the same thing, we believe, will happen with gaming over time.

“We evolve our technology and our experiences hand-in-hand with our customers, so they give us feedback on what’s working – what they’d like to see more of.”

He added that Project XCloud had already gathered feedback from “thousands and thousands of players”, before being asked by Cieslak if Microsoft were playing catch-up with Google as it gears up for the launch of Stadia on November 19.

“My view is we’re all in the testing phase – we’re early in the technology and it will take many years before this technology becomes mainstream,” he replied.

“The best place for you to play will be on your local device – your console, your Xbox connected to your TV and that’ll be true for many years.

“Same thing for a gaming PC – the local compute capability that you have, you’re not dealing with internet irregularities, you’re dealing with a dedicated device that was meant to go play those games connected to a display device that is probably the best display device in your house.”