A new report has revived years-old rumors that Microsoft plans to release an Xbox streaming device for the Xbox Cloud Gaming service.
VentureBeat claims that Microsoft will introduce “an Xbox cloud-gaming streaming device … in the next 12 months.” The device will resemble the Amazon Fire Stick and will let customers stream Xbox Cloud Gaming titles to a TV or other display. This service requires an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which costs $14.99 per month.
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VentureBeat also notes that Microsoft is working with Samsung to add Xbox Cloud Gaming capabilities to the latter’s recent smart TVs. This capability will also be available in the next 12 months, the publication claims.
Granted, this isn’t a new concept. Brad Sams reported on Microsoft’s plans for an “Xbox streamer” several times for Thurrott.com over the years, starting back in 2016. But as recently in June 2021, he said that the concept had been updated to be an “Xbox streaming stick.” As he also noted at that time, Microsoft had publicly stated that it was working with TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions too. So that’s not new either.
So what’s changed since then? Well, Microsoft now has over 10 million Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, and I assume it anticipates having even more by the time its streaming device ships. It has also taken steps to improve the performance of Xbox Cloud Gaming, in part by replacing the Xbox One consoles in its datacenters with Xbox Series X devices.