So forgive me because I find it hard to believe this hasn't come up before, but I can't see anything, even in some of the longer Xbox / PC forum threads; and it didn't get raised on any of the E3 stuff like I was expecting.

Can anyone explain to a non-tech guy why the following vision is wrong; or alternatively, point me to articles where smarter people have got there first?

What would prevent future iterations of the Xbox from streaming PC play to your TV via the hardware itself, Steam style? To my mind this mitigates the 'Why not dump Xbox and buy a PC' argument as follows:

• PC owners can play on their couch as and when they choose, with (presumably?) the graphical improvements that brings over the Xbox versions.

• Xbox owners continue to get console exclusives and a cost effective solution, if they can't afford a gaming PC rig.

• Cross play and cross buy means anyone making the leap (in either direction) at any future iteration, as hardware and spec requirements change, doesn't lose out on their library and progress.

So far it's all been Xbox to PC streaming, and not the other way around - though I have noted Microsoft using Minecraft as the pioneer software for many of their advancements on platform unity, which seems like a wise use of a very high investment.

Again, I apologise as this seems so obvious I can't believe it hasn't been discussed, postulated, or otherwise raised before - but I can't see anything.

I'm either not looking hard enough; or I don't understand the tech limitations; or I am missing some obvious consumer economics implication.

Can any duder tell me which one I'm falling down on?

It shouldn't take much to enable PC to Xbox streaming. I am able to stream games from my PC to my M8S+ (a $45 Android TV box) flawlessly, so I guess it is only a matter of Microsoft doing the work.

Also, according to The Verge, Microsoft is working on the feature.

With Microsoft doubling down on PC and Xbox as a singular brand I can totally see this happening for games you bought in the Windows 10 store.

Sadly as it stands Xbox can be streamed to PC via the Xbox app on Win 10 but you cannot stream PC to Xbox. The reasons are hidden but there is a good case for assuming Microsoft's console deals with content providers hinges a lot on it not being so easy to throughput pirated content on a closed platform.

The only concession Microsoft has made to this stance is the Media Player update that supports SOME MKV formats. "Play To..." still remains brittle and breaks down frequently when shunting video to the Xbox. This could change in the future as a response to Chromecast and other like devices that make it easy to display content on a large TV screen but I'm sure there will always be restrictions. Consoles are sold as closed secure content platforms and it would be harder to make content deals when it looks like they are chipping away at that security.

At most I could hope that when they finally do get all their content cross platform between Xbox and Win10 we might see those software packages have access to back and forth streaming. Until then your best bet is probably still Chromcast (this is in beta but functional) or a direct video out with HDMI wireless.

It's possible, but personally I would rather cut out the middleman (and the input lag) and just run an HDMI cable to my TV.

There's at least one 'other reason' I hadn't considered - excellent point; though I wonder if there's enough money in it for them, would Microsoft simply keep plugging away at it. It seems like a real differentiator against Sony which they could use (although if I am wrong in that assumption, again, very keen to be corrected).

More please!

Interested also to hear from Xbox- and PC-only owners whether they would consider buying the other machine, assuming all of the conditions outlined in the original post were met.

Thanks duder.

Had seen that article and I'm sure there have been similar 'nothing to announce at this time' comments from Microsoft before, but was unsure if they had issued anything more formal (be it 'someday' or 'never').

I am PC only and I see no reason to buy any kind of Xbox at this point. I can already use Steam In-Home Streaming for free, if I needed to stream games to another room without a PC or laptop in it I would just buy a Steam Link.

Even if some game I really wanted to play was going to be a better experience on Xbox compared to PC (which I don't see happening) then I would still have to shell out more cash for Xbox Live. No thanks.

If you already own a PC I have absolutely no idea why you'd buy an xbox when you can (if the trend continues) play the xbox games on PC anyway. Even if you wanna stream to your TV spending £300 on an xbox is like 6x times as much as you need to spend.

If you have a PC already there are significantly easier and cheaper ways to output to a TV than buying an Xbox that you presumably don't even need or want

I'm currently PC only. I've seen a lot of folks saying that they'd never buy an Xbox now that the games are coming to PC, and I totally understand that thought process. For me though, the cross-buy stuff is tremendously appealing. My wife wants a console because she prefers sitting on the couch to play. We tried Steam Link and that didn't really do the trick for at least a couple of reasons.

Buying an Xbox means I can buy a game once and switch platforms as needed. She wants to shop online? I'll use the Xbox on the TV. She wants to watch a movie? I head in to the other room to the PC. If Microsoft implements streaming somehow? That'd be great, but not a selling point for me.

Thanks again duders.

So in summary, I'm hearing a lot of 'Don't see the use case', and not a lot of 'Technically impossible / impractical'.

Final one from me - is there anything which means Microsoft could do this, but Sony, Nintendo etc couldn't?

Because cards on the table, and I fully acknowledge I'm in the minority here - if this becomes something Xbox can do which other systems can't, then my personal view is that this might be a strong USP for Microsoft to have as the battle for consumers shifts away from hardware, and towards platform functionality.