Microsoft has announced it will enable streaming from the Xbox One to PCs and tablets running Windows 10.

What are the use cases here? I'm really not seeing a lot of scenarios where I would want to stream from my console to my PC. Maybe for easier recording?

I certainly don't see myself streaming a game from my console to my PC and then playing the game on the PC.

I'm guessing this has more to do with people being able to stream their games to their Windows 10 phones than their PCs, like you can do with a PS4 and the newer Sony phones.

@brandondryrock: They didn't mention phones.

I think this is a pretty neat feature. I mean I could be playing Peggle 2 or Sunset Overdrive at school or at work. Hopefully my boss is not reading this.

They also announced Xbox Achievements for Steam games and cross-platform play between PC and Xbox One.

Now they're talking about holograms.

It would be more useful to do the reverse: Stream a game running from Windows 10 to XBox One.

@isomeri: Did they actually announce cross-platform play though? Or is it only Xbox streaming to PC/tablets?

As for the hologram stuff, are they sure they don't just mean "We have AR glasses now"?

Holy shit it's the Heavy Rain glasses. Mars and all.

@hassun: They did. Fable Legends will be the first game to support this.

Also Phil Spencer was wearing a Battletoads shirt.

@extomar said:

This makes more sense to me. I can't think of a situation where I would ever do the reverse....I probably would never do this anyway in the first place. Is this the new second screen experience the industry tried to claim people cared about?

AFAIK the streaming that they're proposing is local area streaming only. Xbox achievements for windows games is kind of meh. I don't think most people on steam care about achievements. In the Steam world, the number of games you own is used for e-peen comparisons, not achievements.

The most impressive thing here is that they announced that amazing Fable game is coming to Windows too. Please be excited.

Actually the Holographic glasses are neat, really goofy looking though.

I found it useful to use the "Steam Streaming" mechanism instead of Twitch or trying to use something like a laptop + hdmi to run Dota 2 on my more powerful machine to display on my Linux PVR under my big living room TV during The International. I'm not entirely sure I'd play a game that way but for a "sit back and relax" experience that was the way to go.

I do it too. I have my PC set up in a side room and then I have my laptop hooked up to the big TV in the living room. If I'm playing a console type game then I'll use In Home Streaming.

@isomeri: But that's just Fable Legends. I mean cross-platform gaming in general.

@hassun: Obviously they can't force developers to adopt this, and for many games like first-person shooters it wouldn't make sense. I think it's cool that it's possible nonetheless.

Like other people have said, streaming from a PC to an Xbox would be way better but the big announcement that I'm seeing here is the free upgrade to Windows 10 for not only 8.1 users but also 7.

@isomeri: It isn't like it is impossible to do without this. This isn't the first cross play game and SF5 is cross play too.

@isomeri: It's just that actual cross-platform gaming was possible before as well. It's just that nobody ever did it. I suppose they could be making it easier to implement with Windows 10 but still.

Personally, I'd use this the same way I use the Wii U Gamepad currently - when the TV is in use I can just play games on my laptop.

@xyzygy: That definitely seems to be the most useful aspect of it at the moment. Freeing up the TV when other people in the house want to use it.

Those Holographic glasses are INSANE!!

Wow, while Google was making there shitty glasses and Facebook was spending money on Oculus, MS was making this!! Stuff like this is why people want to invest in MS over Google and FB, share prices last year show that people believe Nadella is turning this company around. Such cool tech much more interested in this over Oculus for sure.

The Skype translation stuff is amazing too literally world changing stuff there if they can implement that tech in say a phone speak and translate feature!!

@zombie2011: How about you wait before exclaiming your amazement. Lots of people have tried this kind of thing before. It could turn out like the kinect, neat for demos but in the real world, a bit more flaky.

I'm glad someone mentioned this because just like with the XBox One announcement, Microsoft again mixes their message leaving controversy and people confused. There are a number of people who watched the announcement thought that Windows 10 is "free with subscription" because of their mixing up costs and their subscription schemes. They really do a poor job explaining their model due to presentations goofs like this.

Wait a second, what the hell happened to Windows 9? Did they just say fuck it and skip a number?

@oldirtybearon said:

The prevailing theory is that, because a significant amount of third-party code uses the Windows version number in compatibility checks, the dev team were worried "Windows 9" would get inadvertently identified as Windows 95 or 98. Since Microsoft values compatibly above almost everything else, they skipped a version number to avoid the issue entirely.

I'm excited for the development! I work in R&D so i know the costs this stuff can have on the company. Developing this stuff is what pushes us to bigger and better, if it doesn't work they will at least understand why and can iterate on it. So i'll be excited for this as much as i want. Its that they are trying new things is what is important, they could have just copied Oculus like Sony and said fuck it to innovation but they didn't and that's worth celebrating.

@conmulligan said:

That is far less stupid of an answer than I expected.

Thanks.

@zombie2011: To me it seems similar to what CastAR is trying to achieve. Except it is projecting onto the eyeglass instead of onto a screen.

Which alone is quite different. CastAR seems to need a flat surface, or at least thats what i got from the videos of it i watched. This looks like it doesn't it moves dynamically within the space you are in because it's on your glasses not a screen.

@zombie2011: It doesn't need a flat surface, but it does need a reflective surface. MS have yet to state how the device resolves around objects in 3d space. If it is similar to existing mechanisms prepare to be disappointed.

I can certainly see the applicability for 3d modelling etc, provided it is floating in front of the user, and interaction is handled by a close range ir camera like the one used by Oculus or the leap-motion but to a lesser extent the Kinect which seems designed for larger scale environments. The IR camera could also potentially be a big issue, primarily due to latency of outside-in tracking.

They did a live demo of it on stage. 95% of it looked like stuff they could only be doing on stage, but obviously the 3D printing would have to be done earlier because that shit takes time. Hololens looks like something that's actually innovative and different from the competition and I'm so fucking excied to see where it goes. That live demo kind of proved that even if they succeed with a fraction fo what they're saying it can do, it'll be a badass piece of equipment. It's being co developed with NASA for fuck sakes.

Wired got given a hands-on back in October!

@xyzygy: Oh the lenses are very interesting, my skepticism stems from the interaction and environmental tracking and the larger goals outlined by the video as opposed to a floating object in 3d space.

I didn't know they were making this with NASA!! I worked there for 2 years, would have stayed if I could have worked on this. However, i doubt mechanical engineers are needed for this kind of stuff.

Some defense contractor is developing on something similar for fighter pilot helmets. Where the HUD and pertinent information is overlaid in an AR manner. The helmet looks freaky as shit, like some sort of alien entity.

Here's wired's infographic. Click here if your screen ain't vertical.