Windows 11 Embeds Xbox Gaming At Its Core

Today Sarah Bond, Corporate Vice President of Xbox spoke during Microsoft's Windows 11 event about GAMING. This next version of Windows will incorporate features like Auto HDR which, according to Bond, "just works." Windows 11 will also have a new Direct Storage API, and Xbox Game Pass built in to the OS via the Xbox app. If you haven't used the Xbox app before, or didn't realize it even existed on your Windows machine, there'll be no more missing it from this point forward – you'll see it front and center.

Windows 11 will feature Xbox Game Pass with the Xbox app with games from Bethesda, EA Play, and it'll have a new, wider variety of 3rd-party games. This system will integrate xCloud for cloud gaming – of course – and it'll be more deeply integrated with the operating system than ever before.

This system for gaming both locally and via the cloud has been in testing with earlier builds of Windows for many months. One would hope that, upon launch, it'll work without flaw. With the launch of this system, there'll be 100+ games in Game Pass, complete with Direct Storage, xCloud, Auto HDR, and more bits.

This newest update to Windows, embedding Microsoft's own serving of games via the Xbox app, isn't going to be great news for systems like Steam and Epic Games. They'll still be able to function, and it's unlikely they'll go out of business any time soon, but having Microsoft's own gaming system this deeply integrated into the operating system means Microsoft has a far better chance of being the default gaming service for PC users worldwide.

Take a peek at the timeline below for more information on Windows 11 and the future of Xbox gaming and the Xbox app. We're looking at everything Windows 11 has to offer today, and what Microsoft has planned for PC users globally from this point forward – it's going to be interesting!