Xbox One Streaming To Windows 10 With Speed Improvement Solution

The ability to stream games from an Xbox One to your computer is an awesome feature of Windows 10. In fact, for a gamer, it's probably the biggest reason to upgrade to Windows 10! But does it actually work like you'd expect? Is it laggy? Is it buggy? Is the quality reduced? Are there awesome features I need to know more about?

The answers are simple: Yes. Sometimes, depends on your setup. Not at all. Sometimes, depends on your setup. Yes, absolutely! Clear as mud, right?

Getting Started

Let's cut through the confusion and first get you connected to your Xbox One. Start by launching the Xbox App from Windows 10 (install it free from the Windows App Store).

First, go turn your Xbox One on manually (you only do this once). Back at your PC, click the Xbox One icon on the left side, near the bottom, just about the settings gear icon. Your Xbox One will appear in the list so select it to connect to it. It should remember it for next time so you can power your Xbox One on/off as needed from your PC now.

Now, grab a regular Xbox One controller and a micro USB cable. Plug that cable into the controller and your PC. No drivers are needed, they're built into Windows 10. It will also auto-sync to your PC so you'll need to re-sync it to your console later if you wish to use it there again.

Test Your Connection Speed

The first step is to click the Test Streaming link in the Xbox App. It takes a minute or so to run but will tell you if your connection is good. You need a fast connection between PC and console for this to work. Slow connections will lead to lag as well as reduced video quality.

You should see a result like the screen shot above but yours likely won't have the "Very High" option shown. To get that Very High quality option you'll need to modify a setting on your PC. This is a tip that's been floating around online, pretty much everywhere, but it works.

The following directions are easy to follow, and easy to undo if you wish, but if these break your PC we're not responsible. Follow at your own risk! Have the Xbox App closed when you do this.

1: Open File Explorer, copy / paste this into the location bar at the top:

C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Packages\

2: Ppen folder that starts with Microsoft.XboxApp.

3: Open the LocalState folder.

4: Right click the file named "userconsoledata" and choose the "Open With" option. Select Notepad.

5: Find the section named IsInternalPreview and change the text inside from false to true.

6: Save the file, close notepad.

7: Open the Xbox App, start streaming your game (click Stream). Then you'll be able to click the circle icon at the top right to change the stream quality to Very High. See screen shot below.

You're now streaming in high quality, assuming your network can handle it. Fast, wired connections will do best. If you're on wifi and it's a fast wifi router with a good signal you should be okay as well. If you experience lag then try lowering the quality back down a bit.

Other Awesomeness Awaits

Streaming is pretty great and all but did you know the Xbox App has additional goodness built right in? The app can also capture screen shots and video. It can do this for the games you're streaming but also for most apps on your PC.

Load up the Xbox App and try it out. Just hit "Window + G" on your keyboard and it will load the control panel for capturing screens and video. It works well and is a great tool to have. Best of all, it's free!

• Technology: App / Software	• Technology: Computer	• Technology: How-To	• Technology: Tips & Tricks	• Games & Software: Windows PC
• Games & Software: Xbox One