From Xbox One to Windows 10: Cool but could be better

What do you do if your kids want to watch Cartoon Network on cable when you're pumped up to play the Caped Crusader in all-night quests to defeat Gotham City's villains?

No longer will you need to make a pre-emptive strike to commandeer the TV set in your living room.

Windows 10 now lets you stream content from your Xbox One console to any Windows 10 PC or tablet on the same network at home.

Setting up is really easy.

First, you need to make sure that your Xbox One is updated to the latest version.

Go to Settings >Preferences and then tick Allow game streaming to other devices.

On your Windows 10 device, just download the Xbox app from the Windows Store and launch it.

Both the Windows 10 PC and Xbox One must be connected to the same network.

From the Xbox app, you can even power up the Xbox One. Then click Connect and link up your Xbox One. I did not manage to do this automatically, so I had to look up the IP address of my Xbox One and key it manually into the Xbox app.

Once this was connected, I clicked on Stream and my Xbox One dashboard appeared on my Windows 10 PC - just like the real thing.

You will need to connect your Xbox One controller to your Windows 10 PC via a standard microUSB-to-USB cable. Once connected, the Xbox One can be controlled via your PC, as if you were using your Xbox One directly.

When I tested several games, there was hardly any gameplay lag. YouTube worked without a hitch, but Netflix and Amazon Instant Video could not work in streaming mode.

Screen resolution was also a disappointment. In streaming mode, the graphics looked dumbed down and made me feel as if I was playing on standard-definition games.

Because the PC display mirrors whatever is showing on the Xbox One, you cannot have two players playing the same game cooperatively on the separate devices.

The Xbox app is neat. It lets you view all your game achievements and chat with your Xbox Live friends through the app.

Streaming from Xbox One to a Windows 10 PC is cool, but the disappointing limitations mean that I would do so only as a last resort.

This article was first published on June 29, 2015.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.