This Is Microsoft’s Xbox App For Windows 10

Microsoft’s key takeaway for its Windows preview event today is that Windows 10 is everywhere – Xbox included. The gaming console was included in today’s announcements, and its inclusion helped reinforce Redmond’s ambitious cross-device intentions.

Microsoft Xbox gaming lead Phil Spencer opened the company’s discussion of gaming by talking about how personal the experience is, and by highlighting Xbox Live’s 50 million members. He did so to lead into a discussion about how MS is making PC gaming more social and interactive in Windows 10.

That’s all part of the new Xbox app for Windows 10. This includes a collection of all games, played on all connected Microsoft Windows 10 devices, as well as well as Xbox. There’s also a friends list, message inbox and chat window (featuring both voice and text chat), and an activity feed for tracking achievements and activity. These are on any system that can run Windows 10.

The activity feed is an effort to turn Xbox into more of a social network than it has been instead, with game clip sharing in the same way that people will post videos and photos to FB and other destinations, Spencer said. The Xbox app also works with a range of Windows gaming options, including Steam, which means Microsoft is happy to work with players in ecosystems where they already have made considerable investments in service of more social gaming. A game DVR feature will make it possible to capture and share gaming moments throughout the OS.

“Bringing more power to Windows gaming is incredibly important to us,” Spencer added.

Developing…

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