Microsoft has long championed its Xbox series of consoles. However, now Microsoft is leaning into new messaging, telling customers they don’t even need an Xbox to play its games.
The website Video Games Chronicle recently reported on this news. There is a new YouTube video from Xbox titled “No Xbox? Have no fear with Amazon Fire TV Stick” that showcases its new partnership with Amazon:
The whole ad has a creepy, stalker-like vibe like the Scream franchise, with a scary voice telling a woman, “You don’t need Xbox to play Xbox,” in a condescending tone. It is not the way I would try to sell my product, but hey, I am not a marketing executive. There are also silhouettes of who appear to be Raz, the Doom Slayer, and Vault Boy, bringing to mind the vast IP Microsoft spent billions of dollars to acquire. At least the commercial mentions Halo.
As the advert makes clear, gamers can now stream Xbox games from their Amazon Fire TV Stick devices. All that is needed is to install and launch the Xbox app from their Fire TV device, sign in with a Microsoft account, sign up for Game Pass Ultimate, and connect a controller to play.
Related: All Xbox Game Pass Changes, Explained
Xbox head Phil Spencer talked about the benefits of streaming back in 2021, saying, “The cloud will allow us to completely remove these barriers to play worldwide. Of course, there’s still a place for consoles and PCs and frankly, there always will be, but through the cloud, we will be able to deliver a robust gaming experience to anyone connected to the internet, even on the least powerful, least expensive devices, devices people already own.”
It’s certainly a bold strategy to tell users they don’t need to buy an Xbox anymore to experience its library. Also, it may be dangerous to place a lot of your trust into the cloud, seeing as how streaming can be spotty in certain parts of the world. We will see what the future holds and if Microsoft’s strategy pays off, but for me, give me a physical disc or download over streaming any day of the week.
