USB Webcam support brings the Xbox One one step closer to gaming PCs

When the current crop of consoles adopted the same “x86” architecture seen in modern PCs, the line between the two started to blur. Where does a PC end and a console begin? Microsoft seems to be on a quest to erase that altogether, and the company’s latest move brings that idea one step closer to being a reality.

In a new Xbox One update currently available to alpha Xbox Insider members, you can now plug any old USB webcam into your Xbox One and use it as a camera during streams on Microsoft’s Mixer streaming service.

Previously, that camera had to be a Kinect, Microsoft’s proprietary camera-microphone combo. Now, any cam should work, though there is one catch – those webcams’ microphones are currently not supported. You’ll need a headset or Xbox One-compatible mic for audio.

Since E3 2015, Microsoft has been inching ever closer to the idea of more universal interconnectivity. The first step was the introduction of the Xbox Play Anywhere program, where any game from Microsoft and any publisher/developer who wanted to join in could make their game available on both the Xbox and Windows stores, and allow the purchase of one to include the other. If you buy Quantum Break or Halo Wars 2 on the Xbox Store, it’s on your Windows account, too. Games like Minecraft and Rocket League are starting to see cross-platform play, and Microsoft is leading the charge on that, too.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/09/25/xbox-one-pc-usb-webcam/