If you thought that the backwards compatibility feature coming to the Xbox One was a really cool thing, you'll likely be equally impressed to know that Windows 10 can stream Xbox 360 games running on the Xbox One.
Engadget was invited to a private demo to showcase the Xbox One's new system UI and integration with Windows 10 systems, which includes the ability to not only stream Xbox One games but to also stream Xbox 360 games.
How it works is that gamers with a Windows 10 machine will connect to their Xbox One running the old Xbox 360 game and it will stream the game to the PC. So, technically, you will finally be able to play backwards compatible games on PC that never released on the system. This means that games that never came to PC that eventually become playable on the Xbox One can then be played on PC. Theoretically, this could mean that you could be playing games like Red Dead Redemption or Crackdown on your Windows 10-enabled PC; considering that neither game released on PC this could definitely give PC gamers a reason to want to invest in a decent enough PC with Windows 10.
Of course, one thing to take into consideration is that the backwards compatibility streaming via Windows 10 does not mean that the games are being played natively. So if you were hoping this would allow modders to add custom PC mods to Xbox 360 or Xbox One games, you're a bit out of luck on that front. However, if you really want mods on your console and you don't want to go through the process of cracking open the system, Bethesda is making it possible for Xbox One (and eventually PS4 owners) to load mods up easily and efficiently in Fallout 4.
Getting back to Windows 10 and the streaming... this feature will be available right out of the gate when the new OS from Microsoft launches at the end of July.
Gamers will be able to use Windows 10 to stream games directly from the Xbox One. Many of the commenters on the Engadget article questioned what would be the point of streaming games from the Xbox One to the PC if your Xbox is already hooked up to a TV. One scenario posed was that if another member of the household wanted to use the television, then the person who wanted to play Xbox games could do so from their Win 10 PC or laptop. It's more of a convenience feature than anything.
Also, Kinect-enabled games will not work via streaming. It's been noted that games that require third-party hardware peripherals also won't work either on the Xbox One via backwards compatibility nor will they work via streaming on Windows 10.
For now, the backwards compatibility is limited for those previewing the new beta of the feature on both the Xbox One and on Windows 10 PCs. The feature itself won't go live until at the end of this year during the holiday season, which could likely drive a spike up in Xbox 360 game sales since the feature is expected to launch with compatibility for more than 100 games.
Windows 10 is set to launch on July 29th at the end of next month.
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