One thing unusual is occurring with Microsoft’s Xbox app on Home windows. Over the previous few days, the Xbox PC app has began exhibiting Xbox console video games contained in the library. Whilst you can’t set up video games like the unique Alan Wake for Xbox 360, it reveals up in the event you personal it as a part of the “My PC Video games” checklist contained in the Xbox PC app.
I don’t imagine this can be a easy bug, however extra the results of Microsoft’s plans to extra intently mix its Xbox and Home windows shops. I wrote about this effort in March, when I revealed in Notepad that Microsoft is working with Asus on a Challenge Kennan handheld. “It’s half of a bigger effort from Microsoft to unify Home windows and Xbox in the direction of a common library of Xbox and PC video games,” I wrote on the time.
This effort additionally entails enabling Steam and Epic Video games Retailer video games to be seen within the Xbox PC app library. Microsoft accidentally revealed mockup images exhibiting Steam video games within the Xbox PC library earlier this 12 months, and on the time sources accustomed to the corporate’s plans informed me Microsoft was engaged on an Xbox app replace that can present each recreation you’ve got put in in your PC.
Microsoft has additionally been engaged on making the Xbox app the home of PC gaming over the previous 12 months, and it has not too long ago began referring to its Xbox PC app as merely “Xbox PC.” This new branding first confirmed up in Microsoft’s announcement of Gears of Struggle: Reloaded, and a brand new gameplay trailer for MIO: Recollections In Orbit additionally reveals off the Xbox PC branding and emblem that we’re going to see every time Microsoft needs to let PC gamers know the sport is out there on its Microsoft Retailer.
All of those Xbox PC modifications and the hand held work means we’re most likely near seeing precisely how Microsoft lists extra video games within the Xbox PC app. The massive query will likely be whether or not Xbox console video games will really be playable on PC, and Microsoft might must leverage its cloud infrastructure for that except it has an emulation breakthrough able to lastly make the dream of taking part in previous Xbox video games on PC a actuality.