Xbox partners with Amazon for cloud gaming on Fire TVs

Microsoft and Amazon have announced a cloud gaming partnership starting in July that lets users with select Amazon Fire TV Sticks play Xbox games without a console. Instead, users can download the Xbox app on their Fire TV device, log in to their Microsoft account, and start playing right away — all without an Xbox console being necessary.

If you don’t own an Amazon Fire TV Stick, rest assured it’s cheaper than an Xbox would be, although there is a bit of spending involved in this setup. For the whole situation to work, you’ll need to own or acquire either a Fire TV Stick 4K Max or a Fire TV Stick 4K. You’ll also need a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, as well as a compatible Bluetooth controller (like an Xbox wireless controller or Xbox adaptive controller, or a PlayStation DualSense or DualShock 4 controller).

There are some extremely graphically intensive games on Game Pass at the moment, such as Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, as well as technological heavy-hitters like Starfield. The Amazon Fire TV stick uses cloud streaming to make it possible for people to play these games without running them directly off of console hardware. This brings us to the final line item you’ll need in order to take full advantage of this: decent internet.