Windows 10 users will be able to stream any Xbox One game from their console to their PC or tablet, Microsoft announced at today’s Windows 10 media briefing.
On stage, Xbox boss Phil Spencer gave a live demonstration with Forza Horizon 2. Spencer was using a Surface Pro 3 tablet to stream the game, even bringing up the Xbox One UI. The feature will be available “later this year.”
This is part of the new Xbox app for Windows 10, which will also allow users to access their Xbox messages and notifications, games lists and achievements, and even record gameplay clips using a Game DVR similar to that of Xbox One’s.
Find more details about the Xbox app below, via Xbox Wire:
- The Xbox App. Whether you only game on the PC, the console or both, the Xbox app brings together the most important aspects of your gaming life: Games, Friends, Messages, Activity Feed, your gaming legacy with Achievements, and much more.
- Xbox Live and multiplayer across devices. Xbox Live is social, interactive, and seamlessly integrated directly into Windows 10, bringing gamers the experiences they love across devices, like multiplayer gaming on Windows 10 against players on an Xbox One, and messaging and chat with friends. And developers will get full access to the Xbox Live API, making it easier to create more powerful gaming scenarios across devices.
- Game Streaming. Thanks to the deep integration of Xbox on Windows 10, games on Xbox One can be streamed through your home network to your Windows 10 PC or tablet, anywhere in your house. Xbox One gamers will now be able to play many of their favorite console games on their PC. And many Xbox One accessories will work interchangeably on the console and PC (with more on the way), so you can customize your experience in whatever way you see fit.
- DirectX 12. We’ve enhanced our graphics technology to squeeze every ounce of performance out of your supported hardware and open up a new wave of innovation for high-end graphics. Delivering greater complexity and detail on your current PC, games authored or updated for DirectX 12 are able to run faster and have richer visuals. And this technology is already in the hands of developers today. The engines used to power hundreds of games are implementing DirectX 12, including Unreal Engine 4 from Epic and, as we announced today, Unity.
- Game DVR. On Xbox One, one of the most popular features used by gamers is Game DVR, which gives simple access to recording, editing, and sharing out your most epic gaming moments. It’s not easy or consistent to do that for PC games today. We’re bringing this beloved feature to Windows 10, now accessible by simply pressing Windows+G. With the games you love playing – whether on Xbox Live, Steam, or other services – you can record, edit, and share game clips with all your social networks.
And while Xbox is coming to Windows, Windows 10 is also coming to Xbox One. The console currently runs on Windows today for its app environment, and later this year it will be updated to Windows 10 for “seamless interaction with PC gamers,” providing developers an “easy path” to extending their applications to TV. Microsoft will share more details at the Game Developers Conference in March.
Finally, cross-platform support between Windows 10 and Xbox One games is also planned. While confirming a PC version of Fable Legends, which will launch “day-and-date with the Xbox One version in 2015,” Spencer demonstrated cross-play between both versions. Microsoft also teases that Fable is only the “first of the major game franchises from Microsoft Studios coming to Windows 10” and promises “more to share in the coming months.”
Watch a new Fable Legends video below. View some new screenshots at the gallery.
