No Xbox Series X? No problem! You may not need one next year

Xbox boss Phil Spencer teases game streaming in the not so distant future

Xbox Wireless Controller Black Friday deals
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The newly released Xbox Series X and PS5 are proving tough to get hold of as keen buyers snap up their limited stock. But soon you might not need a physical piece of hardware to play Xbox games as you stream them directly through your TV.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer says we’re likely to see a dedicated Xbox app next year that will allow you to stream Xbox games on your smart TV. “I think you’re going to see that in the next 12 months. I don’t think anything is going to stop us from doing that.”  

In an interview with The Verge, Spencer says we're going to see this roll out in the "next 12 months," adding, "I don’t think anything is going to stop us from doing that.” 

With the development of smart TVs that cater to apps, Bluetooth, and streaming capabilities, the idea is that players can stream their games directly through their TV, much like they would with movies and TV shows on Netflix.

Spencer didn’t discuss the specifics of an Xbox TV app but Microsoft has already broached game streaming territory. Its Project xCloud service enables players to stream games to their Android phones and tablets, and Microsoft is currently developing the service for browsers to run on iOS devices. The xCloud service has recently been added to the Ultimate tier of the Xbox Game Pass subscription.

While an Xbox TV App would radically change the way games are played, don’t go throwing out your Xbox just yet, as Spencer thinks home console hardware will be sticking around for a while longer. 

“I just push back a little bit on [the idea] that when streaming comes, all the consoles go away, or all my local devices that play video games go away. I’m not quite as sold on that. I think we just have to be nimble and watching what players want.”

Spencer went on to say that the tech will have to be refined to cope with latency and security issues that arise from streaming across multiple TVs in one house – for example, if a household wanted to play the same game on separate TVs simultaneously.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has hinted at a move towards streaming platforms. Last month, Spencer suggested the possibility of a streaming stick that plugs into your TV and grants access to the full library of Xbox games through the cloud. It would function similarly to the Amazon Fire Stick.

In the meantime, you can try your luck getting your hands on the latest Microsoft console with out Black Friday Xbox Series restock guide, as well as checking out a selection of Black Friday deals below.

  • Allsaints – 30% off everything
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  • Nike – 30% off sale now on
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 Source: The Verge 

Callum Bains
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