I’m not entirely sure why this one caught my eye, but here we go. So, Microsoft’s up to something with the whole Xbox app on PC. They’re fiddling around with this new thing – like, an all-in-one gaming library. Sounds neat, right? Well, it’s for the Xbox Insiders at the moment, and it’ll begin with the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handheld gadgets or whatever later. Stumbled across this on some Xbox blog post (take that for what you will).
Here’s the scoop: You get to see all your games in one spot. I mean, as long as they’re from stores Microsoft likes. As of now, it’s kind of limited. Think Battle.net, EA, and Riot Games – the latter two just sneak in ’cause of the Game Pass thing. But hey, they’re saying more support’s coming soon. Fingers crossed for Steam, Epic Games, and GoG next. Wouldn’t that be something?
Sometimes, it feels like Microsoft’s trying to make gaming on PC as straightforward as on console. Saves you the time of skipping back and forth between different launches, am I right? Yeah, GoG Galaxy kinda does this already, but if Xbox is baked right into Windows 11, I can see people just taking that road instead. Less hassle, maybe?
Anyway, it’s like they’re steering Xbox towards being more service-ish, less console-centric. This all probably kicked off with their Game Pass thing – that’s for both PC and Xbox, by the way. And now we’ve got these Xbox-labeled handhelds popping up here and there, like mushrooms after a rainstorm. Turns out they ditched plans for their own handheld in favor of making Windows 11 tick better on devices from other folks. Go figure.
Oh, almost forgot. No exact date for when this library deal is coming to all PCs. But, since the ROG Ally handhelds are getting it starting this holiday season, it’s probably safe to bet on a wider release at the year’s end or maybe 2026. Seems like a long wait? Who knows? Could be tomorrow.
Anyway, I think Tom’s Hardware is tracking all this too if you’re into that kind of thing. Follow them somewhere. Or don’t. Whatever floats your boat.
