The cheapest Xbox console is a Fire TV Stick, now half off for Oct. Prime Day

Now that Microsoft has launched the Xbox app for Fire TV, you can play Xbox Game Pass games without any extra hardware aside from a Bluetooth controller — no Series X, no Series S, and no very long HDMI cable from your Windows PC to your living room TV required. It’s the future Microsoft has been hinting at for years, and now that all things Fire TV are on sale for Amazon’s October Prime Day, it’s a great time to embrace the future.

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is 42% off for Prime members — only $34.99, instead of the usual $59.99. The 4K Max supports Wi-Fi 6E and Dolby Atmos, and includes a remote that you can shout “Alexa” into for ease of navigation (it also has normal remote buttons as well). There’s also the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (i.e., not-Max) for $24.99, which is down 50% from its typical price of $49.99). The Fire Stick 4K supports up to Wi-Fi 6.

To play Xbox games via cloud streaming, you’ll need Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a subscription that has hundreds of titles and is frequently updated with both first-party titles and some great third-party selections as well — like Inscryption, Polygon’s 2021 Game of the Year and a perfectly spoopy selection for October. You can pick up 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from Amazon for $44.99 (was $49.99) or try just one month for $16.99. And, of course, you’ll need that aforementioned Bluetooth controller — as luck would have it, the official Xbox wireless controller is currently 20% off from Amazon.

Looking for more deals? Check out all of Polygon’s favorite October Prime Day 2024 deals right here, and subscribe to our newsletter below to get great deals delivered to your inbox every week.