Now, players can stream their video games on PC to their Xbox One thanks to Microsoft's new update. Not only that, they can use a controller to play them, too. Key to this is the company's newly updated Wireless Display app, which lets players load up Steam games or other titles and cast them to an Xbox One.
A regular Xbox One controller can be used, which enables gameplay or even the ability to use the console for, say, presentations. The Miracast-powered app creates a connection between the PC and Xbox One, and users can cast content as easily as pressing the Windows key and "P" combo.
Various latency modes are available, some for gaming specifically, some for simply streaming video. The downside is the app currently doesn't support streaming of protected content — in other words, Netflix is out, and so is Amazon Video and other popular video streaming services.
Microsoft Wireless Display
Before officially rolling it out to all Xbox One owners, Microsoft had made the Wireless Display app available to beta tester for months, but under various names. Previously dubbed Connect on Windows, it started as an app for the Surface Hub before eventually gaining casting-centered features.
Mouse, keyboard, touch, and stylus support was enabled through the same app to connect to and control the host PC, and now that same functionality is bleeding over to Microsoft's gaming machine.
Streaming PC Games To Xbox One
For years, Microsoft has been working to let players stream PC games over to the Xbox One, but this method seems to be the most logical solution for now, especially with regard to Steam titles, and, by extension, games not meant to be played on Microsoft's console.
Wireless Display's current iteration is far from perfect, to be clear. It doesn't even support keyboard or mouse input, for instance, which means players won't be able to use those peripherals for controls. Even still, there's a chance that changes soon, as Microsoft did introduce keyboard and mouse support for Xbox One last year for a handful of titles.
Wireless Display is available to download from Microsoft's website.
