Windows 10 Xbox app gets Xbox One SmartGlass tech for future game streaming

Microsoft is migrating several functions formerly reserved for its Xbox One SmartGlass mobile app into the Xbox app for Windows 10, as it increasingly ties the Xbox One console to PCs and mobile devices.

Microsoft didn’t really add anything too new to the Xbox app for Windows 10, which might be thought of as a private social network for gamers on the Xbox One, and soon Windows 10. But the capabilities of the Xbox One SmartGlass app on Windows Phone and the Xbox app on Windows 10 are now largely identical—which makes a great deal of sense to those who might not own a Windows phone, but who may eventually run Windows 10 on, say, a Surface tablet.

SmartGlass is a “second screen” app that was originally written for Windows Phone, allowing it, for example, to control aspects of a connected Xbox One. Like SmartGlass on the phone, a Microsoft spokeswoman said in an email, users can navigate the Xbox console. They can also bring up the OneGuide channel guide, find TV listings and app channels, then instruct the console to tune to the selected content. The app can also be used to mute the television and adjust the volume, similar to the virtual remote control apps that are available for various smartphone platforms.

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