Microsoft announces Xbox streaming stick and a TV app for xCloud gaming

Xbox has quietly announced that it will be making streaming sticks that would allow gamers to play "on any TV or monitor". The news comes as part of an update the video game giant, owned by Microsoft, published ahead of the E3 conference. Streaming sticks may not be the only way that Xbox is looking to get more games into the hands of players, as it also says that it is "working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions with no extra hardware required except a controller." Microsoft's head of Xbox Phil Spencer had previously said that a dedicated app for the games console could arrive on Smart TVs and stream games directly to them, and it appears like it is now becoming a reality. A number of changes to Xbox Game Pass were also launched alongside this news: the company is working with telecommunication providers on new purchasing models like Xbox All Access, encouraging payments over time rather than money up-front, is rolling Game Pass Ultimate out in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan, and is adding cloud gaming support directly into the Xbox app on PC.