Forget Xbox Series X - You can now play Xbox games in the fridge (seriously)

Forget Xbox Series X - You can now play Xbox games in the fridge (seriously)

Microsoft's Project xCloud offers a future where you can stream all your favorite Xbox games without having to own an Xbox console. In fact, all you need is a basic consumer electronics device.

The first wave of xCloud functionality is already out in the world, and people are starting to get creative. Like the person who streamed "Doom: Eternal" on a Samsung smart refrigerator. Yes, xCloud was on refrigerators before it was on iOS.

For those who don't know, Apple has so far refused to allow any company to add their cloud streaming service to the App Store, notably Microsoft's xCloud and Google's Stadia. Android has no such problem Android has no such problem, and you can already download a preview version of the Xbox streaming app from Google Play.

Microsoft promises to fix Apple's debacle, but one person has already succeeded in getting xCloud streaming to run on his refrigerator. This is because we live in somewhat strange times, when you can play Xbox games on your refrigerator, but not on your iPhone.

This is Instagram user Richard Mallard playing "Doom Eternal" on his refrigerator. It's a long-standing tradition to play "Doom" on the strangest device possible. It may not be original, but Doom Eternal is still Doom.

Naturally, this process does not warrant a major hacking of the fridge, since Samsung's smart fridge runs on a version of Android. That said, with the proper APK and a way to sideload the app, you too can use xCloud in your kitchen. However, since Samsung refrigerator displays are vertical and xCloud games run in landscape mode, they cannot be used particularly effectively.

While you probably won't need to play Xbox games on your fridge, nor will you when you have a phone that can run games a bit more conveniently, it will still be interesting to see it happen before the service is properly launched on the iPhone and iPad.

The problem is that Apple does not approve of the way game streaming services offer large numbers of games that Apple cannot review individually. There is also the issue of prohibiting games streamed from the cloud as opposed to games streamed from a local device, as was the case with Steam Link, PS4 Remote Play, and other remote desktop apps.

Microsoft has promised to work around this problem with its Safari web app for iPhone and iPad users, but Apple has been forced to download a new app for each cloud game players want to access, a very inefficient tweaked its rules to provide a system. Meanwhile, if you want to try Xbox game streaming on your Android phone (or smart refrigerator), you can subscribe to Microsoft's $15/month Xbox Game Pass.

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