The Xbox app is an app for

Windows 8 Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012; it was subsequently made available for downl ...

Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier. It was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on J ...

Windows 11 Windows 11 is the latest major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, released in October 2021. It is a free upgrade to its predecessor, Windows 10 (2015), and is available for any Windows 10 devices that meet the new Windows 11 ...

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

and

Tizen Tizen () is a Linux-based mobile operating system backed by the Linux Foundation, mainly developed and used primarily by Samsung Electronics. The project was originally conceived as an HTML5-based platform for mobile devices to succeed MeeGo. Sa ...

. It acts as a companion app for Xbox video game consoles, providing access to Xbox network community features, remote control, as well as second screen functionality (formerly branded as SmartGlass) with selected games, applications, and content. On Windows 10, the app additionally serves as a launcher for

PC game A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...

s installed on a device (including games obtained from Microsoft Store, Bethesda.net,

Battle.net Battle.net is an Internet-based online game, social networking service, digital distribution, and digital rights management platform developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The service was launched on December 31, 1996, followed a few days later ...

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

GOG.com GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through its ...

, Epic Games Store, Humble Bundle, Origin and Ubisoft Connect), provided access to the system's screen recording functions, and streaming of games from an Xbox One console on a local network. During E3 2019, the existing version of the Xbox app for Windows 10 was renamed Xbox Console Companion, and a new Xbox app was introduced in beta. This app is more specifically oriented towards PC gaming, serving as a front-end to games distributed on Microsoft Store, and as the client for

PC Game Pass Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are video game subscription services from Microsoft. Both services grant users access to a rotating catalog of games from a range of publishers and other premium services, including Xbox Live Gold and EA Play, fo ...

Features

Through the app, users can access their activity feed, Xbox Live friends and messages, manage their party, watch saved Game DVR clips, browse OneGuide, and view their achievements. Some games and apps can provide second screen integration via the app, displaying supplemental content. The app can also be used as a remote control for the console. The

version of Xbox Console Companion allows users to stream games from an Xbox One console over a local network, and has the ability to view and edit Game DVR recordings from an Xbox One console. It also serves as a front-end for a PC version of Game DVR on supported hardware (Game DVR settings were moved to the Settings app on Windows 10 version 1703), and has a library display for games installed on the device, such as those obtained via Microsoft Store, Bethesda.net,

, Epic Games Store, Humble Bundle, Origin and Ubisoft Connect. Support for Xbox Cloud Gaming as well as Remote Play from Xbox consoles was added to the app on September 14, 2021.

History

Xbox 360 SmartGlass was originally announced at E3 2012, for

, Android and iOS. Microsoft demonstrated use cases for the new app within both games and entertainment, including a minimap for '' Ascend: New Gods'', a second screen experience for ''

School of Rock ''School of Rock'' (titled onscreen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. Bl ...

'' with supplemental content, and ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...

'' (with interactive maps and family tree diagrams). With the release of Xbox One in November 2013, Microsoft released an accompanying Xbox One SmartGlass app for Android, iOS,

Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 is a release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013, and broadly released for retail sale on October 17, 2013, about a year after the retail release of its pre ...

, and Windows Phone, which contained more extensive functionality for controlling the console.

introduced a revamped version of SmartGlass referred to simply as Xbox, which notably added a library display for

s, and the ability to stream games from an Xbox One console on a local network. On June 12, 2016, the mobile versions of the Xbox One Smartglass apps were updated for parity with the desktop version, and renamed "Xbox" as well. Xbox 360 SmartGlass was not updated and was discontinued in May 2018. The mobile apps were updated alongside the Xbox One's May 2019 software update, adding cross-platform status indicators to friends. In May 2019, Microsoft also revamped the Xbox Game Bar feature of Windows 10 into a widget-based overlay, which features pop-up windows for features such as screen recording, managing audio inputs, viewing the Xbox Live friends list, and monitoring system components. On June 9, 2019, coinciding with Microsoft's E3 2019 press conference, Microsoft released a new Xbox app in beta exclusively for Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903), which has a redesigned interface, and serves as the client for Xbox Game Pass on PC. In advance of the conference, Microsoft rebranded the existing Xbox app on Windows 10 as Xbox Console Companion. The new Xbox app is pre-loaded software on

References

External links

*
Xbox (beta)
on Microsoft Store
Xbox Console Companion
on Microsoft Store {{Microsoft Windows components Android (operating system) software IOS software Universal Windows Platform apps Windows Phone software Xbox Xbox 360 SmartGlass Xbox network Freeware Screencasting software Screenshot software

Features

History

See also

References

External links