Xbox is making bold strides to ramp up the features in its PC app, and it looks like they’ve recently let slip a potential new addition that might surprise many.
We recently got a sneak peek at Project Kennan, Microsoft’s collaboration with ASUS to bring a partner handheld device to life. It’s the first step in a new initiative by Xbox, aiming to work closely with OEM partners, usually seen in the Windows PC arena, to shape the future of gaming hardware for Windows.
Anyone who’s got their hands on a Lenovo Legion Go or ASUS ROG Ally will know that the user interface feels worlds apart from the smoother experience you’d find on the Steam Deck. Windows hasn’t been tailor-made for this kind of platform, but change is on the horizon.
Microsoft’s been busy tinkering with the Xbox Game Bar, adding features like compact mode and making the Windows on-screen keyboard accessible via a controller. But this latest “leak” is possibly a game-changer.
The folks at The Verge spotted a rather intriguing graphic posted—and swiftly removed—by Microsoft. This image detailed their push to entice developers into a cross-platform gaming ecosystem. Look closely, and you’ll notice a neat feature that’s yet to grace Microsoft’s Xbox app—namely, a Steam filter.
Now, the Xbox Game Bar can already pull up and launch recent Steam games when you’re using compact mode. It can scan your system for available Steam titles and even boot them up when you choose. I’ve personally been diving into Final Fantasy 7 Remake using my Lenovo Legion Go like this. Yet, the Xbox app hasn’t caught up with this feature set, especially without the capability to recognize your complete Steam library.
While this could simply be an oversight or an ambitious inclusion by a designer in Microsoft’s camp, it might also signal something bigger. There’s long been chatter about a potential Microsoft and Valve partnership to bring Steam’s array to Xbox consoles. The presence of Xbox consoles in the image makes me wonder if Microsoft is suggesting this could be part of Xbox’s domain. Alternatively, it could merely be a slip-up.
The Verge pointed out that Microsoft pulled the image after they started digging into its implications.
Is there substance to this?
If I had to venture a guess, Microsoft could be preparing to revamp the library section of the Xbox app on PC. Currently, this part of the app comes across as its weakest trait, bringing up defunct Windows Phone games in your “owned” filter while missing options to hide old beta tests or demos. There’s already some integration with Steam happening via the compact Xbox Game Bar. Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer has mentioned in interviews his vision for partner devices, like Kennan and the ROG Ally, to replicate the Xbox console experience as closely as possible.
Microsoft is serious about aligning Xbox and Windows game development for the future. From what Windows Central gathers, traditional Win32 will be the primary development setting for the next wave of Xbox consoles, slowly retiring the Xbox One/Series X|S “ERA” environment. The fate of our existing library of Xbox ERA games is up in the air, although emulation seems to be one path Microsoft might explore for backward compatibility and preserving games.
Whether this results in games running smoothly on Windows devices like Kennan, the ROG Ally, or any gaming PC is uncertain. Some legal nuances could restrict what Microsoft can do with third-party titles in its store.
We’ve reached out to Microsoft for their take on this development. Either way, things are certainly heating up.
