Xbox Game Pass subscribers no longer need a console – just an Amazon Fire stick

Kenneth AndersenPublished Jul 9, 2024, 11:58am|Updated Jul 9, 2024, 9:38pm

Xbox cloud gaming asset (Xbox) — Just make sure you have a good internet connection (Xbox)

The Xbox app is now available on Amazon Fire sticks, which means you can play Game Pass Ultimate titles without an Xbox Series X/S console, via the cloud.

A few weeks ago, Microsoft’s patent for the Keystone device surfaced for the first time, showing a small streaming box that would have let fans play games via the cloud, with no need for a console.

That project was cancelled in 2022, but now Xbox has made another attempt at pushing cloud gaming forward, essentially doing the same thing as the Keystone box by making the Xbox app accessible on Amazon Fire sticks.

That means that Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can play games via the Xbox TV app with no need for an Xbox Series X/S console.

The app is now compatible with the Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max devices in 25 countries, including the UK.

It works by downloading and launching the Xbox app on the applicable Fire TV device, then signing in with your Microsoft account and Game Pass membership, and connecting your Bluetooth-enabled controller.

The Xbox wireless and adaptive controllers are compatible with the app, as well as the PlayStation DualSense and DualShock 4 controllers.

This means that you can play games in the Game Pass Ultimate library with no console, as long as you have a Ultimate membership (£12.99 a month) and a Fire TV Stick 4K (£59.99) or Fire TV Stick 4K Max (£69.99) device.

You do need a Game Pass Ultimate subscription to play anything but the exception is Fortnite, which is playable for everyone for no extra charge.

‘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, Ashley McKissick, corporate vice president of Xbox Experiences and Platforms Engineering, said last month, when they announced the app.

‘We are excited to add Fire TV to our growing family of cloud gaming devices and eager to welcome new players into this experience.’

Using the Xbox app instead of a console means you can only play games in the Game Pass Ultimate library, but not anything else you own physically or digitally – unless it also happens to be on the service.

A good internet connection is also important to run games smoothly, as streaming games is much less forgiving with internet speed and reliability than just watching videos.