Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has once said that Xbox is close to Microsoft’s center. Today, we get a better idea of what his position on the company’s gaming division is.
Xbox Live senior global product marketing manager Mike Lavin describes Nadella as being ‘fully on board with gaming’, but this does not really shed much light on his plans.
However, we do get a better idea of what Nadella thinks with the Xbox One app on Windows 10. It allows Xbox users to access social features, take screenshots and videos, and most tellingly, stream your Xbox One on any Windows 10 PC or tablet.
Xbox Group Product Manager Peter Orullian sheds more light on his vision, saying that ‘Everything will be unified at some point.” Indeed, Microsoft is already taking steps to bring PC and Xbox gaming together.
Chief among these now is Xbox One’s big update to Windows 10. Instead of merely duplicating your desktop, the Xbox One is geared towards being a all-in-one meant for the living room.
On the way afterwards is Cortana, Windows’ voice based digital assistant. Eventually, the Windows App Store will be combined together with the Xbox digital store.
And beyond? This is the scope of the article, but it’s been speculated upon before that Microsoft (along with Sony) would eventually drop the idea of dedicated home consoles, and shift their business to digital streaming game services. While it still seems like going exclusively streaming is untenable at this time, Microsoft has an additional option.
That would be to shift Xbox away from dedicated hardware and make it an online game platform, like Steam, GOG, and Origin. Such a shift would radically change relations with third party developers, but if Steam Machines has the impact Valve hopes it will have, Microsoft may feel compelled to respond in kind. If that comes to pass, Windows 10 PCs will then also be Xbox consoles, with exciting new form factors and options from third party manufacturers.
Would you welcome such a move from Microsoft for Xbox? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
