A $25 fix for your slow smart TV — The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is the Xbox Microsoft wants you to forget

You're going to see a lot of laptop deals this week thanks to Best Buy Tech Fest. But your quickest purchase will likely be an affordable gadget like the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, which is currently discounted to $24.99.

The tiny TV stick gets you access to 4K streaming for popular services. It supports 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG. Plus, you can stream your favorite games through it with either Xbox Game Pass or Amazon Luna.

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Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus: was $49.99 now $24.99 at Best Buy

This is the most cost-effective way to bypass a laggy smart TV interface. It supports 4K Ultra HD and Wi-Fi 6 for stable streaming. While Microsoft has moved away from its "This is an Xbox" branding, this stick still fully supports the Xbox app, allowing you to stream hundreds of games without a console.

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🎮 So many games

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (1 month): $29.99 at Best Buy

If you want to stream games on your Fire TV stick, a subscription is mandatory. While the newer Essential and Premium tiers now include cloud gaming, you’ll need Ultimate to unlock the best experience: 1440p resolution, 60 FPS, and boosted frame rates. Note that these performance enhancements are rolling out on a per-game basis.

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The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is part of Amazon's ecosystem, so it plays nicely with Alexa and can be paired with supported Echo speakers for a more immersive experience.

Heck, it even supports Live View Picture-in-Picture for supported cameras. I admit you have to be pretty deep into the Amazon ecosystem to take full advantage of everything the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus can do, but the integrations are lovely.

On top of paid services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, you can watch content through free or ad-supported apps like YouTube, Pluto TV, and Twitch.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus hits the sweet spot for Xbox Cloud Gaming and 4K streaming. If you specifically need 16GB of storage or Wi-Fi 6E support, you'll have to step up to the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, but for most people, the Plus is the better value pick.

Is the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus an Xbox?

I joke that the Amazon Fire TV 4K is not an Xbox anymore because Microsoft made its old "This is an Xbox" campaign disappear overnight. But the Fire TV 4K is still capable of streaming games through Xbox Cloud Gaming or other supported services.

Several Xbox Game Pass plans include Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing subscribers to stream games to smartphones, tablets, Xbox consoles, and select devices like the Fire TV 4K.

How many games you can stream depends on the Xbox Game Pass subscription you have. The Essential plan only includes a short list of cloud gaming titles. Premium subscribers have access to more titles and shorter weight times when streaming games.

If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you will get the best game streaming experience, including the best quality available and the shortest wait times.

All three Xbox Game Pass plans listed above let you stream games you own (limited to a list of approved titles).

Microsoft may have gotten rid of its "This is an Xbox" campaign, but the value of a $25 "console" that rescues you from a laggy TV interface is still very much alive. The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is 50% off right now, making it an affordable way to put Game Pass on your big screen.

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