Ty Pendlebury
2024-10-09 11:24:00
www.cnet.com
We’ve entered the final day of October’s Prime Day sales event and deals are still rolling through. You can get your game on with this discounted Fire TV Stick 4K bundle that comes with an Xbox controller and one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $75. That’s a saving of 41% its usual list price of $127 and it’s exclusive for Amazon Prime members.
But why buy these products together? Amazon unveiled the Xbox app for two of its streaming products: the 2023 models of the Fire TV Stick 4K and the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. This means you can play your Xbox Game Pass subscription games without needing either a console or a PC. Sadly, the app doesn’t work with older sticks — we tried.
Upgrade your gaming setup without breaking the bank with the best Prime Day gaming deals vetted by our team of experts.
What’s it like?
Cloud gaming may be the future, but the present is still pretty tentative. I tested the Fire TV 4K Max with both an Xbox Core controller and a Sony DualSense handset. Connecting the Sony to the Fire TV was easier out of the box via a Bluetoooth connection. As the streaming stick hadn’t been used in many months, it required five separate updates, though I was then able to connect the Xbox controller.
Read more: Great Tech Gifts Under $100
Having just tested the cloud gaming feature on the Meta Quest 2, I had a handle on what to expect, but overall I will say that I found the Quest to be more responsive than the Fire TV. Even if the graphics were relatively sharp, there was a noticeable lag in some games on the Fire TV 4K Max. As there are a lot of variables at play here — I used the two discrete systems on two different networks — it’s harder to pinpoint the issues without further testing. I do like that the app nags you initially to turn on Gaming mode on your TV, though. The Fire TV setup was fine for games like Peggle or Slay the Spire, where response time wasn’t critical. Conversely, the platformer Hollow Knight was almost unplayable. YMMV.
On a positive note, while I do use the Steam Link app on an Apple TV 4K at home all the time, the one drawback I have is that black is rendered as dark green. Using Xbox Cloud Gaming on the Fire TV I didn’t have the same issue with blacks during a play-through of Resident Evil — blacks were well rendered.
If you’re serious about cloud gaming and you want to reduce lag as much as possible, buying a high-powered, hard-wired system like the Apple TV 4K or the Nvidia Shield TV Pro might be a better option.
Support Techcratic
If you find value in Techcratic’s insights and articles, consider supporting us with Bitcoin. Your support helps me, as a solo operator, continue delivering high-quality content while managing all the technical aspects, from server maintenance to blog writing, future updates, and improvements. Support Innovation! Thank you.
Bitcoin Address:
bc1qlszw7elx2qahjwvaryh0tkgg8y68enw30gpvge
Please verify this address before sending funds.
Bitcoin QR Code
Simply scan the QR code below to support Techcratic.
Please read the Privacy and Security Disclaimer on how Techcratic handles your support.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, Techcratic may earn from qualifying purchases.