Prime Day is over, but you can still nab a great Prime Day gaming deal: Amazon’s Fire TV 4K Max is being bundled with an Xbox Core controller for just $69. Considering that the Xbox Core controller is usually $60 on its own and the Fire TV 4K is normally $50, you’re saving more than $40 total.
But why buy these two products together? Amazon recently 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 — and you will need Game Pass Ultimate to play.
Be aware that the deal comes with a black controller, not the white one pictured above, but it does include a free month of Game Pass Ultimate for new members.
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.
Watch this: Xbox Cloud Gaming Comes to Amazon Fire TV
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.
On the other hand, if you’re a casual gamer or are just looking to buy these two products separately anyway, this is a really good buy. If this isn’t your thing, check out our other Prime Day gaming deals still going on for other options.
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