Microsoft just dropped a massive hint that a future version of a united Xbox operating system available across devices could bring the Steam PC gaming store to Xbox consoles. In a roundabout way, that’d bring PlayStation games to a future Xbox!
In a post explaining how Microsoft was “opening a billion doors with Xbox” the company detailed its mission to “deliver exceptional content across all platforms seamlessly.”
To illustrate the post and “mission to make every screen in the world an Xbox” the company used an image of a user interface showing a Steam tab within the games interface, on a television. It sat alongside other familiar tabs like Recently added, Installed, Game Pass and Owned (via The Verge).
This is a new Xbox UI so it might be a mock-up and not necessarily representative of what Microsoft eventually pushes to Xbox consoles and other devices capable of running the UI. However, Steam is clearly listed on the TV, handheld and tablet versions.
Perhaps significantly, Microsoft has removed that image and replaced it with a new one, minus the apparent Steam Store slip up.
Does it mean that Microsoft’s next Xbox, which is said to be more of a “PC in a TV friendly shell” and run on a version of Windows would offer access to PC storefronts like Steam, as well as the best Xbox games?
Any handheld device launching with Xbox branding would likely be running Windows too, and be more of a Steam Deck rival.
Microsoft playing the long game?
Microsoft’s entire ethos is to ensure Xbox experiences are available everywhere, so it’d make no sense if it was resistant about having other platforms like Steam running on its hardware.
Indeed, the next Xbox might be shaping up as a do-it-all gaming device where you could play PC games… which also means you could play certain PlayStation games on Xbox consoles.
While we’ve been asking why has Microsoft been shipping all of its exclusives to PS5 consoles, has Microsoft been playing the long game all along?
