New ‘Xbox PC’ Branding Emerges in Game Dev Materials; Xbox App Gets Major Updates

Sure thing, here’s my take:

—

You know, I’ve been picking up on these little hints that Microsoft is trying to nudge its Windows and Xbox stuff a bit closer lately. Like, I was watching this trailer for a game called “MIO: Memories In Orbit” — randomly caught it on YouTube, don’t ask me why — and noticed it’s up for both Steam and something they’re calling “Xbox PC.” And then there was this whole press release about Gears of War: Reloaded, making its way to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5, and Steam this summer. It just screams that Microsoft wants everyone using the Xbox app instead of just diving straight into Steam games. Sneaky, right?

But wait — there’s more. So, Xbox App has done a thing where you can now see your console games right on your PC app. Someone over at The Verge mentioned Microsoft’s kind of blurring lines between Xbox and Windows stores. It feels like a deliberate move. Or maybe it’s just me reading into things? Who can say?

Anyway, while we’re all focused on the Nintendo Switch — especially with the Switch 2 hitting shelves — remember how Steam Deck shook up the handheld scene last year? Allowing us to drag PC games around with us? Genius. Now everyone’s jumping in. Asus, Lenovo, a bunch of others are all on it. But here’s the twist — Lenovo’s jumping ship with their Legion Go S running SteamOS. Sounds like a competitor, but they’re also selling it with Windows, so folks started comparing. Some reviews say SteamOS versions outran Windows ones, and you can bet that got Microsoft scratching their heads. Rumor has it, they hit pause on their own handheld to get Windows 11 just right for the portables.

Oh! And get this — word on the street is Asus is tinkering with something called Project Kennan — some handheld tied to Xbox Game Pass. They teased before Switch 2 hit, but we’re still waiting for deets. Fingers crossed for 2025. Could explain why Xbox PC shows up more in game trailers, huh?

Here’s a kicker: Xbox Series X|S isn’t flying off shelves as much as the PlayStation 5. PS5’s sold 75 million, compared to Xbox’s 33 million. Ouch. Windows, though, still the big boss in PC gaming but, SteamOS is creeping up. Sure, most gamers are still glued to Windows, but now handhelds offer both Windows and SteamOS. Probably got folks at Xbox losing sleep.

Stay tuned with Tom’s Hardware for more wild updates. Hit that follow button, don’t miss out.