Is Microsoft planning to let Windows 10 users run Xbox games?
Sony Playstation 4 continues to lead the market in game consoling with Microsoft’s Xbox One in second place. As a result, Microsoft has decided to focus on combining PC gaming with the Xbox One in order to sell more video games.
Xbox One was originally launched with a customized version of Windows 8, but the software maker upgraded the console to Windows 10 in November and rumors say that its working on a secret project called Helix.
Normally, when something is called Helix it is something which appears promising in the first incarnation but then repeats itself so badly during the second season that most people switch off.
Microsoft is planning to update every Windows 10 PC with an Xbox program that would make Xbox One games playable on a PC, without needing a console for streaming, according to The Verge. However, it is unclear whether this would be a way out along the lines of Steam, a streaming situation, or even just a straight download of video games. Some of that work has started, but more of it is due later this year and next year with future upgrades to Windows 10.
It would involve bringing the full Xbox One UI and system directly into desktop versions of Windows 10. It is not difficult, as the latest Xbox One dashboards are built on top of Windows 10, so all Microsoft would have to do is customise the interface towards keyboard and mouse.
Players working on their excel spreadsheets would press a button and suddenly there would be an Xbox one console in front of them and they could play games.
This move does not come as a huge surprise from Microsoft. The Xbox One is running Windows 10, and Microsoft is also aggressively upgrading any PC that will run it to its new operating system. The company has set a long term goal of bringing all its products closer together, and this thought is just a natural extension of that. Microsoft has also been working to pull down multiplayer walls between PC and console gamers (and between consoles). The company obviously believes that a change will bring in a wave of fresh air.
If Xbox One games are truly playable on PCs, then this approach will also encourage Microsoft’s Universal App platform and the ability to offer a single store purchase that will work across PCs and consoles.
Microsoft is expected to talk more about its Windows 10 and Xbox One integration next week at E3. The Redmond giant is expected to announce an Xbox One “slim” console and a future hardware upgrade codenamed “Scorpio,” and launch two new streaming “Xbox TV” devices.
