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.
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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