The good news is that you can explore this firsthand on your gaming PC with ease. Simply utilize the Xbox Insider app on Windows 11, register for the PC Gaming Preview, and participate in the trial.
Microsoft is dedicating substantial resources to enhance the Xbox experience on PC comprehensively. The Xbox Ally will debut with the PC store aggregation feature and will boast new Windows functionalities to make controller-based OS navigation more user-friendly. Will everything be primed for the holiday season, though? Only time will tell.
And fear not, if this feature doesn’t sit well with you, there’s an option to disable it in the library settings.
Enable it, and watch as your library fills up with titles from those various alternative storefronts, conveniently displayed in your recently played list on the sidebar. This function simplifies the transition between different launchers; though, it doesn’t revolutionize the gaming experience significantly since you’d still have to load into the launcher itself. However, it does enhance navigation through the multitude of PC store apps and games using a controller, which is a desirable trait for the upcoming Xbox Ally launch later this year.
In a fresh blog entry today, Microsoft unveiled that Xbox Insiders will be granted access to an updated version of the Xbox PC app for Windows 11 this week. This revamped app will now consolidate various “leading PC store fronts” from different gaming companies, although specific details on which ones exactly remain undisclosed.
My skepticism leads me to believe that the omission of the prominent PC storefront, Steam, suggests its absence for now. However, it won’t be long before we ascertain the validity of such assumptions ourselves.
According to Microsoft, the upgraded Xbox PC app will automatically detect games you’ve installed from other PC gaming stores and neatly organize them in the library segment of your Xbox PC app. As of now, the provided screenshots solely depict Battle.net integration, yet Microsoft ensures that “more” PC stores will be seamlessly integrated down the line.
Microsoft’s ambitions to bring Xbox gaming to PC are moving forward without hindrance, and now, Xbox Insiders participating in the Windows 11 PC Gaming Preview are able to trial Microsoft’s groundbreaking aggregated store system.
Stay tuned for all the latest updates, reviews, and tips for Windows and Xbox enthusiasts.
