No more hacking, the app appears on the homepage

The latest version of the Xbox Game Pass app on the Play Store now supports the Android TV home screen. Another proof that Microsoft is clearly turning its eyes to connected TVs to develop its cloud gaming service.

Cloud gaming is democratizing at high speed this year. The arrival of Google Stadia on Android TV is proof of that. And Microsoft, in turn, appears to be taking another step in the direction of boxes and TVs under Android TV and Google TV.

Xbox Game Pass

If games from the Xbox Game Pass catalog can already be played via xCloud on TV with sideloading and the few wizards that come with it, the icon won’t appear in the list of installed apps. This requires reliance on a third party app, Sideload Launcher.

Sideload Launcher – Android TV

There is still a way

This makes installation easier, with one step less access to the Game Pass catalog on the screen. On the other hand, the app still does not appear on the Android TV Play Store, and it is still necessary to resort to sideloading to install it, which is undoubtedly the last step until Microsoft Cloud Gaming is fully integrated into Android TVs. TV.

But we can already see it as another indication that Microsoft is now looking at connected TVs as the many outlets for its services.

In addition, according to 9to5Google, who tested the service with this latest update, the performance has remained average and the interface offered is not yet adapted to this platform. Microsoft’s cloud gaming service will require more work to be truly usable on Android TV.

Within a few years, Xbox Game Pass became the number one asset in Microsoft’s game show. Unlimited access to subscription games is available on console, PC, and now in…
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