Microsoft and Asus are bringing forth the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally handheld next month, and it’s kind of a big deal. Arguably the most noteworthy Xbox device to emerge in over a decade, it’s also arguably not an Xbox… since it’s running full Windows 11. But to create an omnibus of all your installed games in one UI, Microsoft is updating its Xbox app with an integrated view.
This has been in testing for a while, centralizing a single launch area for games from the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, Steam, Activision-Blizzard’s Battle.net, and GOG. Games are automatically added to the Xbox app’s “My Library” area upon installation. Fortnite on the Epic Games Store also makes an appearance on the Xbox Wire story (spotted by The Verge).
The update is live on my PC, and indeed, I’m seeing a bunch of games on my system in it. Just so many games. Getting info from Steam seems to be a little hit and miss—several of them are showing a missing logo or a generic one, like the Unity logo for a demo.
Michael Crider/Foundry
Microsoft isn’t the first company to try uniting the disparate interfaces for buying, installing, and playing games on Windows. But as the gatekeeper of the platform with new hardware to push, it might have the best chance of actually pulling it off. Just in time, too. The clunkiness of Windows 11 in handheld form factor is well-known, and the various attempts to get around it by companies like Asus and Lenovo have left a lot to be desired.
Today’s Xbox app update also shows third-party apps in a simplified, touch-friendly launcher for handheld PCs. According to the Xbox Wire post, an additional update “coming later in September” will show you your cloud playing history across Windows devices—again, just like Steam already does. The additional feature that’s more useful is the ability to “Jump back in” from the home page, presumably integrated with some cloud-synced save files and other settings.