Xbox cloud gaming comes to Amazon dongles

Although physical consoles still have a long, long way to go, it is possible that the console of the future will be nothing more than an application on TV. It is possible that we only need a television, an app, an Internet connection and a controller to play. Well, that is, basically, what we can now get if we have an Amazon Fire TV Stick thanks to the arrival of Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The Fire TV Stick doubles as a console. As announced by Amazon, the official Xbox Cloud Gaming application will be available on Fire TV Sticks starting in July. That will allow anyone to launch games like ‘Starfield’ or ‘Fallout 4’ on their TV without needing a physical console. All you need is a (good) Internet connection and a remote control. The Fire TV Stick is only the playback platform, since all the muscle responsible for image rendering is located on Microsoft servers.

On all devices? No, unfortunately not. Although one of the advantages of cloud gaming is that it is “agnostic” to physical support, the Xbox application will only be available on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (79.99 euros) and Fire TV Stick 4K (69 .99 euros). Left out, therefore, are the most affordable models such as the Fire TV Stick Lite (34.99 euros), which is, according to the Amazon list, the best seller.

What else do you need? Obviously, to play through Xbox Cloud Gaming a subscription to Game Pass Ultimate is required, which costs 14.99 euros per month. However, you can try a month for one euro to see if it convinces us or not. It should be noted that not all Game Pass games can be played in the cloud, although many of the big titles are available.

On the other hand, it will be necessary to have a Bluetooth controller. The good thing is that we can use both Xbox and PlayStation controllers. If we have a Bluetooth controller at home, we can surely connect it to the Fire TV Stick and use it to play. When asked if you can connect a PlayStation 4 controller to an Amazon Fire TV Stick to play on Xbox Cloud Gaming, the answer is “yes.”

More optionsXbox Cloud Gaming isn’t the only option available for cloud gaming on Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. The firm founded by Bezos has its own cloud gaming platform, Amazon Luna, which arrived recently and works in a way that’s reminiscent of Google Stadia (may it rest in peace).

An announcement… curious. It’s been more than three years since Microsoft announced its own dongles to turn any television into an Xbox, but so far those plans have only half materialized: we don’t have dongles, but we do have apps for Smart TVs that fulfill the same content. Nothing has been known about the dongle since 2022 and, at the moment, there are no indications that suggest a near launch.

It is curious, of course, that while Microsoft is working on its own dongle it has decided to launch an app on devices as popular as the Fire TV Stick, although from the point of view of attracting users it makes all the sense in the world.

Images | Amazon

In Xataka | I have been playing video games for years and now the first thing I do before buying them is simple: check that they are in the cloud