PC-to-Xbox Streaming For Windows 10 Nears Launch

Microsoft shared their plan to integrate the new Windows 10 with the Xbox One.

GameSpot reported that during the Windows 10 event on January 21, 2015 in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft provided details on how the new operating system will allow streaming via Xbox One. This means that gamers can stream their titles on the playing console to Windows 10 devices. However, there were questions if streaming from PC to Xbox is possible.

Xbox head Phil Spencer said in the same GameSpot report, "People ask about the streaming in the opposite direction--can I stream from my PC to my Xbox?--and I'll just say it's something that we're really looking at. If you think about that vision--my games are my games wherever I am, and I can play with whoever I want to play with--we want to be able to land solutions that are as native as the one we showed there. We just have to kind of work with the physics of time and work it through."

Engadget reported that the new approach by Windows to offer itself as a service will provide a feature which is the same as what Steam, PlayStation and Wii U have - streaming to other home devices. Aside from streaming features, there will be new gaming upgrades as well, available in Windows 10. The guiding principle for Windows 10 is, "Technology should be out of the way and your apps, services and content should move with you across devices, seamlessly and easily."

In a Eurogamer report, Spencer presented the gameplay of "Forza Horizon 2" streaming from an Xbox One to a Microsoft Surface laptop. The gameplay is streamed via the local Wi-Fi connection to compatible Microsoft devices that have Windows 10, regardless of the type. Control is done using an Xbox One pad.

Forbes reported that the actual hardware requirements to stream a game from a gaming PC to another device such as the Razer Forge TV or Intel Compute Stick are minimal. Since Steam games only require a CPU, preferably quad-core with a built-in H.264 decoding on the console, the Xbox One can satisfactorily meet the same requirement. Spencer shared that the real challenge is in the development and optimization, which the Windows 10 might be able to overcome.

Forbes concluded that that ability to play PC game titles on the Xbox is "inevitable". Should Microsoft finally make it happen through Windows 10, it will definitely have a competitive advantage over the Sony PlayStation 4.