Xbox will work harder to improve the PC gaming experience

Within a new ticket on Xbox Wire, Microsoft returns to its will improve the gaming experience in PC, with the ambition to count Superior race as an integral part of the Xbox ecosystem.

For a long time it was a paradox for the Redmond firm, which long hesitated on invest in PC video games, while the vast majority of gaming machines work under windows, the Xbox division under Phil Spencer’s leadership has been going to great lengths lately to have a presence on the platform.

Between posting games on Steam that gave Sea of ​​Thieves a second life and the development of games designed with the PC as a priority like the incredible Gears Tactics and the incredible Flight simulator, the schmilblick seems to be heading in the right direction. However, there still seems to be some shadows on the board, like great technical and ergonomic concerns as far as it comes to manipulating the xbox app (required to take advantage of the Game Pass) and Microsoft Store built into Windows 10.

First, Microsoft says it wants to improve the interaction between PC and Xbox consoles. Dropping a few bits of information about Infinite halo, the Redmond firm confirm that the title will be cross-play and cross-progression. In addition, Halo Infinite should receive special care on PC, with widescreen support Y graphical options in tire-larigot. That’s the binding minimum for a PC game that’s well suited to the platform, but it seems to mean a lot to Microsoft. We can assume that top Xbox games to come you must follow the same mantra.

Just to bring the point home the xCloud client The current restricted access will soon be available to all PC players subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate, allowing them to access the hundred exclusive console games remaining. Although the various Xbox consoles are still important platforms for Microsoft, the company does its best to make its games accessible to everyone. whatever your support.

A good chunk of PC gamers have yet to consider the Xbox ecosystem, but Microsoft is working on it. Released in late 2019 on PC with its content released in drops, Halo: The Master Chief Collection you are experiencing your little hit in the holy land of keyboard / mouse combo with 10 million players. On Steam or via Game Pass, a good part of this community never played a Halo before.

All this blah, it’s good; A PC version worthy of the Halo Infinite name was long overdue, but what concrete steps does Microsoft intend to take to enhance PC gaming experience ?

As stated above, the most obvious improvements should be technical in nature, with a fundamental development in xbox game bar Y Facilities management :

We are constantly working on new features to enhance or personalize your experience, such as the Xbox Game Bar. More enhancements will be made in the coming months to improve the daily experience for PC gamers, such as more reliable installs and faster download speeds. We will give you more details on this soon.

The subject of rumors for a few weeks (in particular central windows pair), the Microsoft Store should get a facelift during the year, with many fewer restrictions for users (you know, the famous locked files).

However, the most important announcement related to the Microsoft Store is surely the increase in the participation of developers in the sale of their games. Microsoft mimics the Epic Games Store and Starting August 1, 88% of proceeds will be donated vs. 70% (but only on PC). This should motivate more and more studios to offer their games on the Microsoft Store, but above all to give more options for consumers to buy their softs. Gamers who like indie games often worry about the remuneration of its developers.

The initiative is commendable, but it will surely depend on long-term Microsoft Store ergonomics. If users don’t feel the overwhelming urge to jump out of the window after 10 minutes of use (and waterfall issues), it will already be a huge win. Bad reputation they are also, and unfortunately, stubborn.

We know we have a lot of work to do, but feedback from PC gamers and developers gives us confidence that we are heading in the right direction for the community with the investments we are making. We have never been in a better position to offer the best to those who play on PC. […] We will continue to listen carefully to your feedback to make sure we deliver on our promises, but we also respect the way you want to play. Cela s’avèrera particulièrement vrai dans les mois qui viennent: the second semester of 2021 verra l’integralité de l’écosystème PC will meet for faire advance l’industrie et proposer toujours plus d’excellents jeux à toujours plus de joueuses et de joueurs worldwide.