Stream certain Xbox games you possess directly to PC, Xbox-absent setup – however, there's a condition attached
In a significant leap forward for cloud gaming, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now stream over 250 select Xbox games they own on their PC via the Xbox PC app. This development is part of Microsoft's ongoing efforts to expand its game streaming capabilities as part of Project Lapland, as reported by The Verge.
To access this feature, users must sign up for the PC Gaming Preview portion of Microsoft's Xbox Insiders program to test the new service. The list of supported games, which has quintupled since the introduction of the "stream your own game" feature last year, includes popular titles such as Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Civilization VII, among others.
The "stream your own game" feature does not require streaming from an Xbox console but rather streams games via xCloud directly from Microsoft's servers. This means no Xbox console is necessary to buy and play these games, as they can be purchased through the app.
This capability is currently available for Xbox Insiders who are Game Pass Ultimate members in the 28 countries where Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) is supported. The service aims to provide players with flexible, instant access to their libraries, saving hard drive space and enabling play on PCs that may not have high-end hardware.
Microsoft has been working to beef up its technical capabilities and get developers and publishers to sign off on allowing their games to be streamed remotely. This move positions Xbox as a step towards becoming a console-agnostic game streaming service like Nvidia's GeForce Now.
For a detailed and updated list of supported games, users can refer to the Xbox PC app’s Cloud Gaming section within "Stream your own game". The list includes games from the Game Pass catalog as well as many owned console-only titles. More titles, including Xbox Play Anywhere games, are expected to be added over time.
This expansion of Microsoft's game streaming capabilities was revealed in an Xbox Wire blog post published on July 15, 2023. The list of supported games includes Xbox 360 games like Saints Row 2, but does not include many Xbox exclusives. However, with Project Lapland in full swing, it's likely that more exclusives will be added to the list in the future.
In conclusion, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers now have access to a vast library of Xbox games via the Xbox PC app, marking a significant step forward for Microsoft's game streaming capabilities. With the list of supported games growing steadily and the promise of more exclusives to come, this development is set to revolutionise the way gamers access and play their favourite Xbox titles.
[1] https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-inside/articles/xbox-game-pass-ultimate-members-can-stream-select-xbox-games-they-own-on-their-pc-via-the-xbox-pc-app [2] https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/15/22481609/xbox-game-pass-ultimate-stream-your-own-games-pc-app [3] https://www.windowscentral.com/xbox-game-pass-ultimate-members-can-stream-select-xbox-games-they-own-pc-via-xbox-pc-app
Technology is at the forefront of this significant advancement in cloud gaming, as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now stream over 250 select Xbox games they own on their PC via the Xbox PC app. The service, dubbed "stream your own game," utilizes Microsoft's servers and technology to provide players with flexible, instant access to their game libraries, regardless of their PC's hardware specifications.