Xbox Series X can use this killer feature to make the game play even faster

Xbox Series X can use this killer feature to make the game play even faster

If you've been following the news about Xbox Game Pass, you know that as of last month, more than 100 titles can be streamed to Android devices; 1) the interface needs improvement, and 2) players can stream games to PCs and consoles as well should be able to do so. Fortunately, the head of Xbox seems committed to solving both of these problems.

According to a recent tweet from Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's Xbox division, Project xCloud will indeed one day be streamed to PCs and consoles. However, the feature is "a little further down the list" as the company wants to focus on the mobile component of the Xbox Game pass first.

While confirmation from Spencer is good, it's not exactly shocking news; many of the Xbox Game Pass titles are already available for download on PCs. Microsoft has a game streaming infrastructure in place for Android, and services like Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now are already streaming the latest blockbuster games directly to PCs and streaming boxes.

It is also no secret that Microsoft is focusing on Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. It is not surprising that the company would eventually want to make this service available on as many platforms as possible.

There are only two caveats to Spencer's message: first, his tweet was in response to a message from Business Insider journalist Ben Gilbert. Gilbert was initially asking about streaming Xbox Game Pass on PCs and consoles to "demo" games. Therefore, streaming Xbox Game Pass titles on PCs and consoles could be a limited-time, try-before-you-buy feature. However, since there is no such service on Android, it seems unlikely.

Another thing is that streaming on "console" is a bit vague. If Xbox Game Pass offers full streaming capabilities, which consoles would take advantage of it? In theory, it would be most useful on the Xbox One. Players with older hardware would simply be able to stream newer, more demanding games. But it might also discourage them from purchasing new hardware and tie them to their old consoles rather than allowing Microsoft to focus its resources on newer models.

Still, Phil Spencer is right: Xbox Game Pass will be able to stream games to PCs and consoles at least at some point in the future. As for when, expect the new Xbox console to be the first to launch.

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