The Xbox app for Windows PC has just been updated with a new design and more listed games. It’s the start of the Xbox app being used for more than just downloading and installing games from the Microsoft Store and Game Pass.
Insiders were able to test this throughout November, but now everyone can have it. It includes a section highlighting important content, like new game releases, events, Game Pass deals, sales, and other updates. Users can also find curated collections, recommendations, and special discounts. A “Jump back in” feature lets users quickly return to their games from the game’s hub in Compact Mode.
The Xbox app is popular for accessing Game Pass games, but it felt a lot like a video game library than an app for Game Pass as a whole. The latest update is supposed to show more Xbox games that available as part of the subscription. Thanks to a partnership, the app now includes nearly 400 PC games with Xbox features, many of which users couldn’t find or buy in the app before. This includes games from developers like Kemco, Kairosoft, Yacht Club Games.
More than 100 new games now support Xbox Play Anywhere, which means that if you buy the game on Xbox and play it on PC and vice versa. This feature includes shared cloud saves and allows players on Xbox and PC to play together, although some cross-platform options will depend on the developers’ choice. Scrolling down the Cloud Gaming section shows these as an “All Console Games” through the PC Xbox App.
I really like this change, and looking through the all console games section showed me a few games I had never seen before. Microsoft stated that it plans to keep making updates, including testing new features for the Xbox app. The company is currently trying out a pilot program that includes casual games like Candy Crush Soda Saga and Angry Birds 2 in the Xbox app. The Xbox team will share more information about these plans at the Game Developers Conference (GDC).
Source: Microsoft
