Mouse and keyboard support still needs to be sorted out

Jul 29, 2015 11:00 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft confirms through the voice of its Xbox division head Phil Spencer that it's planning to support game streaming from a Windows 10 PC to the Xbox One, not just from the Xbox One to the PC. However, certain challenges, like mouse and keyboard support or encoding, need to be solved.

Windows 10 is finally rolling out as we speak across PCs around the world. The universal operating system will also be released for the Xbox One in the near future, but until then, Microsoft is focusing on the immediate features possible for PC users.

For the gamers who also own an Xbox One, a big feature is the option to stream gameplay from the console to a Windows 10 PC, and then enjoy it using an Xbox One controller on that platform. This special streaming solution is live alongside the operating system, but many are hoping that the mechanic will work both ways, in order to get PC games to stream on the Xbox One.

PC to Xbox One streaming is coming

After making a small statement earlier this month, Phil Spencer confirms to The Verge that such a system is being worked on so that Windows 10 PC users can stream their PC exclusive titles to the Xbox One.

Unfortunately, there are some major technical hurdles that need to be passed, starting with support for the mouse and keyboard on the Xbox One so that PC games with no controller support can still be enjoyed on the console. Encoding the actual data is also a tricky issue, due to the varied PC configurations out there.

"We understand if you're going to go PC to Xbox, we need to get keyboard and mouse working completely so you could play those games. In terms of where we want to go with our platform, those are absolutely in scope of things that we want to do. It's actually a little more challenging doing the encoding on the PC side to the Xbox, but challenge is good," Spencer says.

Thus, while such a mechanic is coming eventually, it won't arrive anytime soon, as Microsoft still has to work hard and make the necessary adaptations for Windows 10 to run on Xbox One.