Microsoft is getting ready to make the Xbox PC app your go-to gaming hub, regardless of where you buy your games. The company has announced that Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview will get early access to a new aggregated gaming library within the Xbox PC app for Windows 11 PCs as well as handheld devices. The new feature is coming to the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X this holiday season.
Gamers' libraries are often split across different platforms like Steam, Xbox, Epic Games, and others. With this new update, Windows aims to aggregate your gaming library entirely within the Xbox app, allowing your Game Pass titles, as well as titles from Battle.net, to all be launched from one place. The announcement did not call out any other launchers or libraries by name but made references to more storefronts being supported in the future.
“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,” said Manisha Oza, product manager for Xbox. They added, “And this is just the beginning. We’ll continue rolling out support for additional PC storefronts over time.”
Users will be able to curate these combined libraries, while hiding or excluding particular storefronts and including others. The rollout is exclusive to the Xbox Insider Program for now, which is free to join if you’re curious to try the new PC Gaming Preview.
Microsoft has been making moves recently to bring its gaming services to par with other major players in the space, including a rumored unification of its console, PC, and handheld platforms. With Microsoft having recently announced its ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, it makes sense to strive for a more seamless player experience where all compatible games can be launched from one environment. We have reached out to Microsoft for clarity on what libraries are being included in this new all-in-one launcher model.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-xbox-pc-app-will-soon-integrate-your-various-game-libraries-into-one-place-192452664.html?src=rss
