Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members have just unlocked a fantastic new feature: the ability to stream games directly to their consoles, eliminating the need for downloads. This exciting development was announced in a recent Xbox Wire news post, detailing that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can now stream games from the Game Pass catalog, as well as "select games they own," on their Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One consoles via cloud streaming.
Previously, this streaming capability was available on smart TVs, PCs, smartphones, and Meta Quest headsets, but this marks the first time it's being extended to Xbox consoles. This feature is a game-changer, allowing users to bypass the lengthy download times and conserve valuable hard drive space.
To start enjoying this new perk, Xbox provides the following instructions:
- To initiate streaming from your Xbox console, navigate to My games & apps > Full library > Owned Games.
- Games that are available for cloud streaming will feature a cloud badge on their game page. You can use filters to quickly locate these games: choose Filter > Ready to play > Cloud gaming. To begin playing, select the game and opt for Play with Cloud Gaming. You can also start streaming directly from the Store app after purchasing select cloud-playable games.
Conversely, if you have games installed on your Xbox console, you can stream them on devices with supported web browsers using this link. Note that this feature is no longer supported on the Xbox mobile app, but remains accessible on phones via the browser link. Xbox is also working on extending this feature to Samsung and Amazon Fire smart TVs, as well as Meta Quest headsets.
In another exciting update, Xbox has announced that starting this month, Xbox and Xbox 360 backward compatible games will also support remote play.
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All these updates, according to Xbox, are part of a broader initiative to help free up storage space on Xbox consoles. A new feature in the console's settings, accessible via My Games & Apps > Manage, offers recommendations for cleaning up your hard drive and optimizing space.
In recent years, Xbox has been actively addressing the challenge of ever-increasing game install sizes, especially with titles like Call of Duty and Baldur's Gate 3. If you're still in need of more storage even after these updates, we've outlined some of the best storage options for the Xbox Series X and S. These are particularly useful if you're not keen on investing in the newer Xbox models that come with enhanced built-in storage.
