Similar in execution but expanding upon the scope of our coverage here, Microsoft plans to roll out capabilities for players to access their Battle.net and more than likely their Steam libraries directly from the Xbox app on PC, though currently this will only be available to participants in the Xbox Insider program to be thoroughly tested and vetted before making it publicly available.
I imagine that if this multi-platform synergy is successful, then the next Xbox console as well as the upcoming Asus Xbox Rog Ally and Ally X will likely feature this near-universally requested feature. After Xbox’s announcement of partnership with Asus earlier this month to create their own set of branded handheld gaming devices, many excited fans began to speculate about the potential for cross-progress between PC and console through the Cloud utilization of the Xbox “Play Anywhere” initiative.
With these new Xbox library compatible handheld game systems, Microsoft announced an upcoming Xbox PC app that would give users the ability to freely access games from their Game Pass titles as well as other leading gaming libraries like Battle.net and likely Steam as mentioned above, all from within that one application. As of today, the news is verified, and the project’s early phases are being put to the test.
According to Xbox Wire:
“With the aggregated gaming library, players can conveniently launch games from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net and other leading PC storefronts from a single library within the Xbox PC app. Whether you’re on a Windows PC or a handheld device, your Xbox library, hundreds of Game Pass titles, and all your installed games from leading PC storefronts will now be at your fingertips.”
As previously noted, this update is currently only for Xbox Insiders, so if you haven’t applied for the program and you’re interested in testing out this new feature, now is the best time to become a more active part of the Xbox ecosystem.
‘When a player installs a game from a supported PC storefront, it will automatically appear in “My library” within the Xbox PC app, as well as the “Most recent” list of titles in the sidebar—making it easier than ever to jump back into your games. And this is just the beginning. We’ll continue rolling out support for additional PC storefronts over time.”
The possibilities for this seem endless as the online gaming marketplace and associated libraries are ever-growing in popularity and profitability. I think Microsoft is making the right move with their recent shift into user freedom for where and how they choose to experience their games. Only time will tell if this helps or hurts the brand, but the one thing that’s for certain is the excitement many gamers are experiencing at the mere prospect of what is to come.
Are you excited for this service? Do you hope that one day console will allow other game library compatibility? Would you prefer if Xbox focused more on first party development projects? Let us know over on the Discord!
