Xbox One to Windows 10 Game Streaming - What's the Point?

[dmmontal]

Last night I fired up the game streaming feature (going from my Xbox One to my Windows 10 PC) for the first time. My wife was watching TV in the living room on the XBO and I wanted to play Killer Instinct. As I began playing she came in grumbling that I stopped her TV show. I now realize of course that you can't stream and locally use the XBO at the same time. Which makes me ask the question - what's the point?

I'm not being facetious - I'm actually wondering if anybody has ideas on how this is intended to be used that I'm maybe not considering. If nobody else can be using the Xbox while I'm in my office streaming a game to my PC, why wouldn't I just sit in the living room and use the Xbox locally to begin with?

Another consideration in my case is that because I watch TV through my Xbox, my console is set to boot up my whole living room TV and sound setup - so I would have to get up and turn all that off in the living room anyway each time I stream, unless I want to waste that power or have the TV blasting with nobody using it.

The only situation I can think that of is the joke about streaming to a tablet while I'm in the bathroom. Is that really the only application for this feature? Does anyone have an alternate setup in which they're finding this to be a major benefit? I'd like to hear what people think.

 

[sinime]

IDK, I'm kind of in the same boat, wondering what the usefulness of it is. If the TV wasn't set up to run through the Xbox, it might be more useful, but I like having my TV routed that way. It might be more useful in a house with 2 Ones... So while the wife is watching TV in living room (XB1 A) I could also be in the living room, but streaming a game from XB1 B on my tablet. So we can both converse while doing different things.

 

[dmmontal]

Yeah I could see that. I guess I feel like they pushed so hard for people to do the TV integration, that they're essentially competing with their own features. I wonder if down the road they might be able to add in the capacity for "multi-tasking" streaming. I know right now it's just streaming the entire Xbox interface - I wonder if they could get it to stream a specific app (i.e. just games, while someone else watches TV). Sort of an extended, streaming version of snapping.

 

[MobileVortex]

I'm hoping this will be changed in the future. Maybe with Win10 on Xbone, that will unlock the ability to stream games while someone is still watching TV/Netflix/Hulu etc. When these apps are being used and you try to stream you get an error that says you cant stream this, but if you hit close you can still stream it... I have to think this is coming, but only time will tell.

 

[dmmontal]

Right, that's what I was running into last night. I'm hoping the same - otherwise I just don't really see how this is useful to anyone.

I've been feeling like many of Microsoft's XBO announcements lately have been similar to this: DVR coming, but doesn't work with paid cable service. Backwards compatibility coming, but only for a very small number of games. Game streaming to W10 coming, but doesn't work while anyone else is using the Xbox. I know there are reasons for all these limitations, but I can't help but feel repeatedly disappointed in each case.

 

[MobileVortex]

DVR makes sense... Licensing is involved..
Backwards Comparability, again licensing is involved but idk what you consider a very small number of games... I bet there are hundreds within a year.

I actually used the game streaming last night. I was on my desktop downstairs, and played dying light on one monitor while browsing on the other. Very limited use, but still it did get used lol.

 

[dmmontal]

Yup, as I said, I know there are reasons for these limitations.

As far as backwards compatibility, there are well over 1,000 Xbox 360 games in existence - I believe that's just for on-disc games, so far more if you include the download-only games. So I do consider the initial rollout of about 100 games to be very small (most are lesser known titles too). Yes I understand more will come in time - but again my point is that there's always sort of an asterisk behind every big announcement they've been making as far as features being more limited than initially implied.

Anyway that's neither here nor there - I didn't mean to get off topic, just the third time I've been disappointed recently by an otherwise exciting feature they've announced.

 

[dkp23]

The point is you can stream to another room if somebody else is using the T.V without using the xbox.

You expected to be able to play your game on your xbox while your wife is also using the xbox for t.v? Wouldnt that require the xbox to have two versions running at the same time?

now, they said they are looking at a solution to allow netflix streaming on t.v while you play games in another room, but i find it hard to believe this is coming anytime soon if at all.

Many xbox owners don't use xbox as a t.v hub, but there are that do, dont expect to play games and watch t.v through xbox at the same time. This is a benefit for those that just watch t.v with traditional OTA or cable/satellite.

So maybe it makes no sense to you since you expected to be able to do two things at the same time using your xbox, but it makes sense for the many that dont do that.

 

[dmmontal]

Ouch. Not sure why the tone of condescension was necessary here - it was a legitimate question that I was looking to discuss with the community.

A quick search online reveals that many others had the same expectation as me with this feature, thinking that they would be able to use the Xbox while streaming, so I don't think it was an illegitimate thought at all. I am certainly not an expert on the programming of game consoles, so I really can't say what would be necessary from a programming or engineering perspective to allow this. We are able to multitask locally on the Xbox by having two completely unrelated apps running at the same time (some of which even stream over a network, such as the Music app) - so no I did not think it would be impossible for the console to still do two things at once, even if one of those things was streaming. This is especially true as Microsoft has heavily advertised the integrated TV capabilities, which many people such as myself take advantage of - when a company advertises two features as major advantages to using their console, yes it can be surprising and a bit confusing to the consumer who has bought into their ecosystem to learn that those two features are not actually compatible.

 

[dkp23]

I think what it comes down to can your xbox alone project to two separate screens one playing a game and the other running netflix/tv features independently? I dont believe so, so it i think it is unrealistic at this point to even think the console would allow independent apps (games or t.v apps) running at the same time in one room and one in another via stream. If anything, they would have to get the console alone to work on two full screens to run apps independently before even getting to the point of seeing it happen via stream. Only way two apps run at same time is via the snap feature.

Phil spencer himself addressed this i think earlier this year and said it was a goal, but shy'd away from any committment. I am no engineer, but it would be quite the feat to accomplish imo on the streaming side when they haven't on the console side.

There were a number of FAQs about streaming articles stating this as well.

Im no engineer, just trying to be logical. IMO, this would be difficult to pull off and i dont see it happening anytime soon.

This feature is a benefit for those that do not use the xbox as a hub for t.v. I think the expectation was based on wishful thinking because we all want things to work the way we want it.

 

[dmmontal]

Thanks - that's a much kinder response. I appreciate your insight.

 

[rex.reyesiii]

Anybody saw MI:Rogue Nation? I think Simon Pegg's character was streaming Halo 5 on his work PC...

 

[Fabe56]

You expected to be able to play your game on your xbox while your wife is also using the xbox for t.v? Wouldnt that require the xbox to have two versions running at the same time?

Xbox One can stream TV on SmartGlass when I play, so why not?

 

[yihong kang]

I think the point of the game streaming is taking the games with you. You are not limited to the couch in the living room, you can continue to play the game even when you are on the bed. You can play consol changes in your mobile devices, not just candy crash again more.

I do agree, they need to figure out a way to allow someone else to use the TV while we are streaming games. Otherwise, there is no way they can dominate the living room as they promised.

 

[Fabe56]

I just find this suggestion Stream Xbox One games on Windows 10 while a family or friend could still use the same Xbox One for apps like Miracast or Netflix on the UserVoice.

 

[Qtweeder]

yep, agree with the OP, similar feelings here, am glad they offer this feature, but because my tv stb is run through xb1, and the whole media system comes on with xb1, it means, for me, currently, i cant really utilize the streaming feature, as i had hoped it would work

the OH is constantly watching tv through the xb1, and i get little time to actually play my own console, so streaming could have been a game changer, meaning i could play my games on the pc in a different room, whilst she is passified with soaps ;p

 

[sik2k]

I could take XFactor no more and stopped my TV running through the xbox so I could stream to my laptop instead.
My wife isn't bothered as she just wants to watch TV and does not care how it gets to the screen. Playing Dragon Age on my laptop gives me some respite from what she watches and I can still be semi-sociable as we are still in the same room together.

I miss being able to switch between games and TV just by shouting out commands but I'm appeased a little in the ability to still change channels, mute and adjust the volume by voice.

It's something I guess but it would be nice to have both TV and streaming simultaneously through the Xbox.

 

[patternjake]

There is no point in it whatsoever. It's literally a 'feature' to show the power of the XBOX ONE and a futile attempt to tie Windows 10 and XBOX together. However the XBOX app is absolutely brilliant, even though I prefer the SmartGlass app for Android.

 

[supadryz]

I feel the streaming option is useful mostly for the following reasons

You don't have access to main TV because the missus is watching her soaps, I can power up my tablet & play away in the same room.

I can take my tablet upstairs & play in bedroom if missus has company over and I wish not to be sociable.

Someone is playing Xbox 360 on main TV, I want to play my Xbox One. Stream away I go.

I wish to boost a game for multiplayer achievements by myself for Xbox 360. using the backward compatibility on Xbox One this will be easier than without switching channels or setting another TV up.

Most people who say this is useless are those who live by themselves, live at home with Mum & Dad & use bedroom for Xbox.

 

[dmmontal]

"Most people who say this is useless are those who live by themselves, live at home with Mum & Dad & use bedroom for Xbox. "

Umm, I see nothing in this thread or others to imply this. The majority of people (at least in these threads) who have claimed the feature to be useless seem to be those who already use the Xbox One in conjunction with their cable box (a feature Microsoft strongly advertised at launch), myself included.