Xbox One Windows 10 Streaming Gets 1080p/60fps Boost

Good news, Xbox gamers. The next time you stream a game from your Xbox One to a Windows 10 device, it's going to look a whole lot better.

Microsoft's August update for the Xbox app on Windows 10 includes support for streaming games in 1080p/60fps.

"You can now stream games from your Xbox One to Windows 10 devices in high-res HD quality at 1080p/60fps," Xbox Live's "Major Nelson" Larry Hryb wrote in a blog post. The new streaming capability works best for those "who have home networks with adequate bandwidth," he added.

To check out the new HD quality streams, head over to the Xbox app on Windows 10 > Settings > Game Streaming, and set the video encoding level to Very High. After that, games will stream from your Xbox One to your Windows 10 PC at 1080p and 60 frames per second.

Prior to this update, the quality settings—even at their very highest—provided a lackluster streaming experience. A workaround was discovered earlier this month, but it was a tad complex.

Meanwhile, the August Xbox update also lets you more quickly connect with friends: Just right-click on a friend and select Send Message or Invite to a Party. You can also now enable or disable notifications for when you're invited to a party or multiplayer game via Settings > General > Party Games & Invitations.

Besides that, you'll now see an animated display for recently played games showing you how many friends have played each title along with the four most recent players. The display also shows your last played date, Gamerscore, and Achievements. In addition, you can now compare achievements with friends from Game Hub: select Achievements > Compare at the top right above the list of all the achievements.

Microsoft also updated My Games to display titles in an alphabetical grid. Just click on a specific letter to more quickly find a game.

Finally, "the team also updated the Xbox app on Windows 10 to address some issues around sign-in, localization, and game streaming reported by a subset of Windows 10 users," Hyrb wrote. "The Xbox app on Windows 10 should automatically update to the new version when it becomes available in the Windows Store."

Once you get the August update, your version number should be 8.8.6000.00000 or higher. To verify you have the latest version, head to Settings > General.

For more on the update, check out the video below.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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