Microsoft hints at Xbox app for TVs to stream games

Xbox apps for TVs may appear next year, making it possible to play games via streaming without the intervention of a console. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer hints at this in an interview with The Verge.

When asked if Xbox could run as an app on a smart TV, Spencer replied, “I think we’ll see that in the next twelve months. I don’t think there’s anything stopping us from doing that.”

Microsoft started game streaming this year through its Game Pass subscription. Currently that works in 720p resolution and only on mobile devices, but Microsoft also has plans to make streaming available on PCs and Xbox consoles. The next step would be to make streaming available via apps on TVs, or a streaming stick.

In October Spencer also hinted at the arrival of such a stick. Years ago there were rumors about such a stick. Microsoft would have worked on this under the name Project Hobart, but those plans were reportedly scrapped in 2016. At the time, Microsoft did not yet have a working streaming service for games; that is now the case.

Currently streaming Xbox games only works on mobile devices