Xbox One users can watch ‘Game of Thrones’ season premiere, new backward compatible games announced

With the premiere of Season 6 of “Game of Thrones” already around the corner, Xbox One fans now have a way to watch the premiere via Microsoft’s console. Microsoft announced that HBO Now can finally be streamed on both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 via the HBO Now app.

The HBO Now app will allow subscribers access to its rather extensive library of series, movies, documentaries and other specials. For subscribers, all they need to do is to authenticate the existing HBO Now account on the Xbox One or Xbox 360 to launch the app.

“We’re thrilled to give HBO Now subscribers easy access to all that HBO has to offer through their Xbox console. Xbox has proven to be a favourite platform for HBO audiences to stream their beloved HBO shows and movies, and we are excited about this next big step in our partnership,” said Jeff Dallesandro, Senior VP for Worldwide Digital Distribution and Business Development in HBO, to Xbox Wire.

This is very timely, because HBO’s biggest and most anticipated series to date, “Game of Thrones,” will be launching its Season 6 Premiere episode this month. Even without the HBO subscription, Xbox One and Xbox 360 users will be able to watch the season 6 premiere episode on their respective consoles from April 25 to 28. This is most probably a teaser to set the tone for the succeeding episodes, which will obviously already require a subscription.

Then again, HBO is essentially free for the entire weekend, as HBO has announced a Free Preview Weekend from April 22 to April 25. This means that all of the new premieres of popular shows, including “Silicon Valley,” “Veep” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” will be available to watch. The rundown of the complete list of shows that can be watched during the Free Preview Weekend can be seen via Moviefone.

Beyond entertainment, Xbox One players can also expect a new title to join the list of backward compatible games on the newer console. GameSpot reported that “Rayman Origins” is now playable on the Xbox One via the service. This is just one of the recent additions to the list, which had seen recent growth thanks to titles like “Sonic the Fighters,” “Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project,” “Monaco” and “Doom 3: BFG Edition.”

This is great news for Xbox One players, and potentially enticing news for those who have yet to upgrade to the newer console. Recently, Microsoft has announced that it will be stopping production of the Xbox 360 after 10 years since its launch.

HBO Now App (Credit: YouTube/The Streaming Advisor)