Xbox Is Re-Adding The Ability To Stream Your Console To Your PC

Finally. That took way too long.

How's about re-adding the snap feature or the PnP feature that was supposed to replace it?

Does anyone know if you can switch users with streaming when you're logged into a local console? I know that's one thing Sony doesn't allow, I.E. game sharing doesn't work when streaming. Not sure if XB allows that or not, and forgot to check it the last time I tested, but I presume not.

@NEStalgia

I'm able to switch users etc when streaming

I used the test app using this link I while ago and it works pretty well. Played mafia definitive edition this weekend using it and was pretty decent.
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-stream-xbox-series-x-or-s-to-your-pc-5093348

@VOODOO85 Oooh, very intriguing. If it works, I can easily see buying a spare XSX in the next year or so as a backup for if my soon to be more heavily taxed duo start breaking down....

@NEStalgia the one thing I think they block is accessing the store while in remote play.

@Tharsman That makes some sense. I still haven't tested it but that would be amazing if you could change users and thus use the "home xbox" features. I just assumed it would be the same as PS which, if you try to switch users tells you you can't do that while streaming - you can only connect to your primary PS and only play under your own PS account.

@NEStalgia I have not tested switching accounts so I am just taking @VOODOO85 on his word, but I know my app lets me have a list of multiple Xboxes to conduct to (although I have not added a second one.)

I don’t think it lets me connect from outside the home without some network trickery, though.

@Tharsman I keep intending to try it out, and keep forgetting I switched my XSX to power-save mode since I'm not actively using it much (streaming xCloud more at the moment.)

"Game sharing via console swapping, while streaming to a PC while at home" is probably not a very large market, at all, but if it actually works, that works out super well for my usage! I kind of just expected you could connect to any console and do that, until I happened to try PS and realized you can only connect to the primary (or, rather one PS5 and one PS4), and it blocks account switching away from your primary. It's almost like a streaming subscription to your own console rather than using your console. Would be cool if Xbox was more like RDPing into your console as though you were in front of it.

@NEStalgia my biggest grudge with the PS4 remote play was the requirement for PS4 controllers. I mean, makes sense due to the touch pad and motion features, but I have never played a game that mandates either. Closest is using the touch pad as a button. Let me use any controller on my PC and map touch pad clicks to whatever.

I guess it’s one of the reasons I like that Xbox didn’t innovate much with their controller, it keeps cloud and remote streaming very flexible, as far as controllers go.

Anyways I understand why consoles prevent some actions while in remote play. I seen plenty of sad stories from kids being fooled into giving a stranger remote access to their PS4s only to have stuff like destiny characters deleted. Imagine if they could get to account screens and take ownership of your console.

@Tharsman The most beautiful is that you can't actually use a dual sense on PC. More hilarious, you can use it with xcloud, but not PS Now. . And you can't use the ds4 wirelessly at all without a USB adapter they don't actually sell....

So, I use use a controller mapper and use my bt xb controller instead .

That's a good point about remote access and account screens, I hadn't thought about that type of issue.