Amazon's new Alexa app runs directly on your Xbox

Microsoft has slowly opened the Xbox platform to non-Cortana home automation voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but now Amazon is going one step further. Now an Alexa app for Xbox is poised to roll out "in the coming days" -- you can see it in the Microsoft Store here but it's not available for download yet. While you've already been able to use Alexa to control certain Xbox features, installing the app will apparently enable visual features that pop up on your TV and add a few more interactions. Once it's available, the app should work on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles. There is one caveat -- in this Kinect-less future we live in, you'll need an Amazon Echo or other compatible Alexa device nearby to actually receive the commands and relay them to your linked Xbox.