Xbox Cloud Gaming is such a cool idea. I love the concept that I can sit down in front of my living room television and play my games in pristine quality from my Xbox Series X, and then, if I walk away from my console, hop back on through my phone, tablet, or laptop.
However, the one thing I couldn’t hop on to keep playing was another TV. Xbox did announce a partnership a while back to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to select Samsung TVs but, as someone who owns Sony, I’ve been waiting for them to provide a way for me to keep gaming in bed (yes, I have a TV in my bedroom, and it’s amazing — I just wanted to be able to game on it).
While I could have spent a couple of hundred bucks to get a Series S and hook it up to my bedroom TV, that honestly felt like overkill since I would only occasionally be using that TV to game. The only times I can think of gaming on that TV is if I’m sick or it’s a Saturday morning, stay in bed for the heck of it kind of day.
Thankfully, Xbox has finally come up with a solution to my conundrum. The company has announced that it is bringing the Xbox Cloud Gaming app to Amazon’s Fire TV sticks in July. If you’re wondering what models it will be compatible on, it’s only going to work on the most recent Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K.
The Xbox app will soon be available on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) ($59.99) and Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) ($49.99). For people new to console gaming, or for those looking for another way to play, it’s a great low-cost, convenient, and portable option to enjoy a huge library of incredible games.
Of course, in order to use this, you’ll need the following:
- A Fire TV Stick 4K Max or a Fire TV Stick 4K
- An Xbox wireless controller (or any other compatible Bluetooth controller)
- A subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
It’s important to note that Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently only available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, so you’ll need to pay $16.99 per month to experience this collaboration with Amazon. If you have Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Console/PC, you’ll need to pay a few extra bucks per month.
To get started, players just need a Fire TV Stick, a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller, and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership to gain instant access to hundreds of phenomenal games, including Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Starfield, and Forza Horizon 5, among others.
Plus, Bethesda Game Studios’ beloved Fallout games are also available with Game Pass Ultimate, including Fallout 76 and Fallout 4. Fallout fans will be able to play these games on select Amazon Fire TV devices alongside the acclaimed Fallout TV show on Prime Video, which released in April.
How does this all work?
Once you’ve gotten all of that in place, however, you can dig in. Here’s how to actually get things set up on your Fire TV stick (per Xbox’s instructions):
- Simply install and launch the Xbox app from your Fire TV device.
- Sign in with your Microsoft account to play. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, you’ll have instant access to hundreds of cloud-enabled games.
- Not a member? No worries! You can join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for one low monthly price, or check out Fortnite without a membership.
- Connect a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller. Controllers like the Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation DualSense, or DualShock 4 controller are all compatible.
- Start Playing!
In Amazon’s announcement, it also points out that, since the service works through its streaming sticks, it also makes it easy to take the stick with you when you’re traveling and plug in and game anywhere you have a good enough internet connection. Good point!
This is the future of gaming that I’m ready for
I can start to see a future of gaming on Xbox, and it looks pretty sweet. You have your console as your main way to play in the highest definition, performance, and overall quality in your living room. Have other TVs in the house? Just hook up a Fire TV stick and access those games for some more casual play with Xbox Cloud Gaming.
And, if Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer has anything to say about it, it sounds like we’ll have a portable Xbox handheld on the way that you can take your games with you when you leave the house. Spencer also hinted that it would allow for downloads and local play. This is definitely the right call. The Nintendo Switch experience is definitely more reliable than the PlayStation Portal experience. You can’t beat local play yet.
I imagine a world where I can load up a game like Firewatch and start playing it on my living room TV through my console, then pick it up in my bedroom TV through a Fire TV later, and then bring it with me through a handheld when I leave the house. My games are always with me, no matter what screen I’m using.
That does seem to be the future that Xbox wants to build and with this latest move with Amazon, it’s well on the way.
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