Xbox wants to make their games more accessible to everyone, even if they don’t own one of their current-gen Series consoles. While the company will still make consoles in the future, moves like Game Pass coming to Amazon’s Fire TV sticks shows their plans for other hardware.
Microsoft has announced that the new Xbox app is now available on Amazon Fire sticks, with hundreds of games now playable through the cloud. Game streaming might not be as ideal as native gaming on consoles, but this is still a great way to play more without a system.
The only caveat thus far is that players will need an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate account, which is the highest tier of Microsoft’s service. It’s worth it, as the service gives players access to a ton of games, but that’s also more money monthly. Still, considering how good Xbox’s cloud gaming has proven to be, we don’t think too many fans will complain.
Internet-based gaming isn’t always the best and Microsoft suggests having 20Mbps internet with 5GHz wi-fi for a more stable experience. Because this service will rely on internet, connection issues could also lead to your gaming progress being halted, which is annoying.
For all our complaints about cloud gaming, Microsoft has proven that it can be a force for good when done well. This lets less powerful devices like mobile phones play more powerful games, assuming they have a strong internet connection.
At the least, this does introduce Xbox to more audiences, so fans who don’t want to buy a Series X or Series S can check this out. Granted, they will need to buy an Xbox controller, but that’s not going to cost an arm and a leg like the Series systems.
Xbox’s console future is always interesting to talk about, though they do have a ton of games to look forward to. Whether it’s Gears of War: E-Day or the new Fable title, the company still has a lot of things to offer.