Microsoft wants to 'stream PC games to Xbox One'

Windows 10 users can now stream Xbox One games to their PC




Microsoft is reportedly working on technology that would allow gamers to stream PC games to their Xbox One consoles.


With the launch of Windows 10 yesterday, Microsoft introduced the ability to stream Xbox One games to a PC via a local wireless network. This means that, when someone asks you to stop hogging the TV, you can slope off to a quiet corner and carry on playing your game on a laptop or tablet.


Windows 10 supports the Xbox controller, so Microsoft claims you’ll get a consistent gameplay experience no matter what device you’re playing on. You can also stream any backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games to a Windows 10 device from an Xbox One.


However, Microsoft's plans for cross-platform compatibility to not stop there. According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft wants to make it possible to stream PC games to your Xbox One as well.


Phil Spencer, Microsoft's head of Xbox, said: "We understand if you're going to go PC to Xbox, we need to get keyboard and mouse working completely so you could play those games. In terms of where we want to go with our platform, those are absolutely in scope of things that we want to do."


He warned that streaming this way around is more challenging, because PC games need to be encoded so that they have the right amount of bandwidth to stream on Xbox One. However, he indicated that this is a challenge Microsoft is willing to tackle.

As part of the Windows 10 upgrade, Microsoft has also updated the Xbox Live app for Windows, allowing users to access their Xbox friends list, achievements, messages and activity feed from their PC or tablet.

Some games have also been optimised for Windows 10, includingMinecraft, Gigantic, Killer Instinct, and Gears of War