Xbox has unveiled its plans to launch the Xbox app on two different Amazon Fire TV Sticks, allowing players to use Xbox Game Pass Ultimate cloud streaming to play on their TV without a console.
While Game Pass cloud streaming was already available on the likes of PC, Android, iPhone, and certain Samsung smart TVs, in a news post on Xbox Wire, Ashley McKissick, corporate vice president of Xbox experiences and platforms engineering, says the Fire Stick compatibility will offer a “great low-cost, convenient, and portable option to enjoy a huge library of incredible games.”
“Xbox Gaming Coming to Amazon Fire TV: Play More Games, No Console Needed,” the post begins. If you don’t have a compatible Samsung Smart TV, this is definitely going to be a solid alternative if you want to load up your games on a TV screen without actually owning an Xbox.
As far as affordability is concerned, it’s been confirmed that the app will be available on the 2023 Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K, which cost $59.99 and $49.99 dollars, respectively. You’ll also need an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription (unless you just want to play Fortnite, which can be streamed without one), as well as a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller to, y’know, actually play the games, which will add to the cost, too. All in all though, when compared to the price of buying a whole new console, it’s definitely cheaper.
The portability also sounds like it could be a major selling point. Since you can just plug your Fire TV Stick into whatever TV you want, you can easily switch devices within your own home, take it over to a friend’s, or even on vacation without having to carry a bulky console around, while maintaining access to your games.
“Over the past several years, we have been on a journey to deliver cloud gaming to more devices and to more people around the globe,” McKissick writes in the news post. “We are excited to add Fire TV to our growing family of cloud gaming devices and eager to welcome new players into this experience.”
An additional post from Amazon confirms that Fire TV Stick compatibility will be rolled out at some point in July, so there’s not too long to wait. Being tied to Game Pass, and specifically the cloud gaming section of it, the games available will fluctuate, but given the access to major releases like Starfield and Fallout 4, there should be plenty to play.
Be sure to check out our roundup of the 25 best games on Game Pass for Xbox and PC.