Microsoft just opened up the Xbox Console Streaming preview to all Xbox Insiders

Now everyone can try playing their Xbox One games on an Android phone

By Mark Knapp January 17, 2020

Microsoft has been slowly rolling out access to its Xbox Console Streaming for Xbox One since late last year, but that has all just changed. Now, anyone who’s in the Xbox Insider Program can check out the Xbox Console Streaming preview.

There, are still some limitations, as mentioned in Microsoft’s announcement. First of all, you’ll have to be a part of the Xbox Insider program, but anyone with an Xbox account can sign up to join the program. The Xbox Console Streaming app is also currently only available on Android (6.0 or higher) phones and tablets, so iPhone and iPad users are out of luck.

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There are some limits to the regions supported, as Microsoft states the preview is only available in Xbox One-support countries. Previously, the preview had only been available in the United States and the United Kingdom, but now it’s expanded to many regions throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. You can see Microsoft’s complete list here.

The Xbox Console Streaming preview will let you play any of your Xbox One games on your Android device. It does this by sending a video stream from your Xbox to your phone or tablet, and sending your controller inputs back to your console. Naturally, that means the service will also require you to have pretty fast and stable internet. Your upstream connection will need to be at least 4.75Mbps (or ideally 9Mbps). Your phone’s downstream connection should ideally be at least 10Mbps as well.

The service will let you play your Xbox One games, including Xbox Game Pass titles, on your phone or tablet whether you’re elsewhere in your house on Wi-Fi or using a mobile network hundreds of miles away from your Xbox. Though, of course, distance can introduce latency and reduce the quality of the experience.

If you’re interested in trying out the preview, we have all the steps you need to know on how to set up Xbox Console Streaming.

It seems Microsoft is definitely gearing up for streaming to be even more mainstream by the time it launches the Xbox Series X later this year. It definitely can’t rest with competitors such as Google Stadia and a possible Steam cloud-gaming service coming from Valve.

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Gaming

Microsoft pledges to bring Xbox PC games to Nvidia GeForce Now

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Microsoft has announced a 10-year partnership with Nvidia aimed at bringing Xbox PC games to its cloud gaming service competitor Nvidia GeForce Now as part of its ongoing efforts to win over companies skeptical of its potebtial Activision Blizzard acquisition.
This means that players can use Nvidia GeForce Now to play the Steam, Epic Games Store, or Windows versions of titles like Halo Infinite, Redfall, and eventually, Call of Duty through the cloud on GeForce Now. Third-party publishers with games on the Windows Store can also now grant streaming rights to Nvidia. This announcement came during a European Commission hearing where Microsoft tried to convince regulators that its impending acquisition should bne allowed.
Microsoft has been under a lot of regulatory scrutiny even since it announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022. It's trying to win over industry peers with deals like this one with Nvidia. This week, the Communications Workers of America voiced its approval of the deal, and Microsoft has signed a binding agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms as well. Previously, Nvidia had raised concerns about Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition, but the press release announcing this agreement states that the deal "resolves Nvidia's concerns," and that Nvidia now gives "full support for regulatory approval of the acquisition."
Regulatory bodies in the U.S., U.K., and Europe are worried that Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard will hurt the game industry and sabotage Microsoft's competitors in both console and cloud gaming. Nvidia GeForce Now is seen as one of the biggest competitors to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's cloud service offerings, which makes it surprising that it reached an agreement with Nvidia. However, this deal also demonstrates how Microsoft is willing to make concessions so that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved.

Gaming

This console generation isn’t about games or hardware. It’s about services

A character stands below a ship in Starfield.

It’s been over two years since the start of the current console generation, which launched with a rocky start at the end of 2020. You'd think it's been more than long enough to understand what it's all about, but for many, there's still confusion. That might be changing this year. As Tomas Franzese wrote earlier this month, 2023 could be the year where we finally see what games define this generation’s consoles, at least in terms of exclusives. He also noted that games could stop being cross-platform, launching on just current-gen consoles instead of simultaneously on last-gen ones.

While that'll finally give us some memorable games, it doesn't bring us closer to defining the hardware itself. Besides a few extra teraflops and new ultra-fast SSDs, there isn’t much that helps the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S stand out from their predecessors. Sure, the PS5 looks like a giant spaceship, and the Xbox Series X is built like a fridge, but we didn’t know what these devices could offer that the PS4 and Xbox One couldn’t besides some pretty lighting effects and virtually non-existent loading times.

Gaming

Your Xbox is becoming carbon aware with new update

Official Xbox art promoting energy saving, carbon awareness, and collective action.

While many fans are waiting for Xbox to reveal the release dates of Redfall and Starfield, or to even hold another game showcase of its own, Microsoft's first significant Xbox-related announcement of the year is about something else entirely. Xbox Insiders will have access to multiple new options to make their Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S more carbon-aware starting today.
To start, the "Shutdown (energy-saving)" power option will be updated to reduce its power consumption even further while still supporting overnight updates; in fact, your Xbox console will now optimize those updates by doing them "when the console can use the most renewable energy in your local energy grid." According to Microsoft, for every two consoles that are in this mode for 20 hours a day for a whole year, the carbon equivalent of a tree that has been growing for over a decade will be saved.

That isn't the only energy-conscious addition in this update, though. A new "Active Hours" setting is coming, which will allow those who choose the "Sleep" power option to boot quickly and support remote waking during set active hours, rather than it always being available. Surprisingly, even Xbox One owners will see a carbon-aware update with the addition of the "Shutdown (energy saving)" power option today, although Microsoft is still in the user feedback stage for that platform.
These carbon-aware updates are available to Xbox Insiders with an Xbox One, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S starting today, although Microsoft says these additions will come to all current-gen console owners "soon."