While Windows 10 isn't officially available until the end of July, early adopters have been running the Insider Preview for months now. And as of a few days ago, those of us running the latest build can take advantage of the Xbox One game streaming functionality in the Windows 10 Xbox app.
In a post on the Xbox Wire, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb walks us through(Opens in a new window) the process of enabling this shiny new feature. If you want to give it a go for yourself, start by heading to the Settings menu on the Xbox One. Under Preferences, you should be able to toggle on a setting titled Allow game streaming to other devices.
Next, make sure you're running the latest Windows 10 build and the newest version of the Xbox application. Launch the app, navigate to Connect, and select Add a device. Provided you're on the same network, you should be able to select your Xbox One from this menu. Plug in a controller, go to the Home tab, and then select your console under the Game Streaming section.
Of course, Microsoft isn't the first out of the gate for local game streaming. Sony allows you to stream PS4 games to the Vita and PlayStation TV over Remote Play, Valve offers in-home streaming in the Steam client, and even Nintendo offers off-TV play for many titles on the Wii U. It's nice to see Microsoft finally taking advantage of the massive Windows market, but why did it take so long? I called out the Xbox One's lack of game streaming over a year ago, and Microsoft is just now rolling out that functionality.
We can add this new feature to the long list of improvements that Redmond has made in an attempt to right the ship after the initial debacle. The strict DRM, the focus on television, and the reliance on the Kinect were all missteps, but there were also countless small issues that needed to be corrected after the troubled reign of Don Mattrick.
With the major price drops, the backwards compatibility announcement, and now the game streaming roll-out, Microsoft's Phil Spencer has done a superb job revitalizing the Xbox One. But is it too late to undo the damage done to the Xbox name? The PS4 quickly took hold as the dominant platform this generation, and Microsoft has been playing catch-up ever since.
Personally, game streaming is a must-have feature, so this update is a major selling point for me. I currently keep my PS4 in my home office, and frequently stream to the PlayStation TV in my bedroom. Now, the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on an Xbox One is a lack of notable exclusive games. But with Quantum Break and ReCore on the horizon, hopefully that will change in 2016. It might be worth waiting for a redesign at that point, though.
