What you need to know
- Microsoft recently announced a partnership with Amazon to provide Xbox Cloud Gaming through certain Fire TV Stick devices.
- Starting today, players can download the Xbox Cloud Gaming app through a Fire TV Stick 4K Max or Fire TV Stick 4K.
- Xbox Cloud Gaming requires an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership and a Bluetooth-enabled gaming controller.
There's a new way to play Xbox games.
Players can now download the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta app through specific Amazon Fire TV Stick models, Microsoft shared on Monday through an ad spoofing horror films.
The company previously announced a partnership with Amazon that would allow players to use certain Fire TV Sticks to access Xbox Cloud Gaming, a move that came as something of a surprise given Microsoft and Amazon's historic hostility as Cloud rivals. Right now, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available through the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K models.
What do I need to play Xbox Cloud Gaming on my Amazon Fire TV Stick?
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In addition to one of the aforementioned Fire TV Stick models, anyone who wants to jump into Xbox Cloud Gaming will need a Bluetooth-enabled gaming controller, such as an Xbox Series X|S controller or PlayStation 5 DualSense controller. Players will also need to be subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in order to access the game streaming service. Finally, players will naturally need a modern monitor or TV to plug in the Fire TV Stick and actually play games.
Xbox Cloud Gaming includes a number of titles, including Xbox first-party games like Fallout 4, Sea of Thieves, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, and Starfield from across Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.
Analysis: A neat expansion of Xbox services
This is cool to see, and it's also good that it's rolling out so quickly after the initial announcement. Xbox Cloud Gaming updates stalled out for a couple of years, with Microsoft slowing progress down to essentially nothing while it was embroiled in its efforts to acquire Activision Blizzard.
With that gargantuan task firmly in the rear-view mirror, updates have started up again, such as seeing some games available through Xbox Cloud Gaming get mouse and keyboard support.
I don't see this move to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to Fire TV Sticks suddenly resulting in millions upon millions of new players, but given the work that is once again going into Xbox Cloud Gaming as a whole, it makes a great deal of sense as an expansion point for the service.
It's also interesting to see Microsoft snuggling up closer with Amazon like this. I do have to wonder if the success of the Prime Video Fallout series (which is coming back for a second season) played a role in discussions.
