Gamers have been saying for a while that once Microsoft invokes the ability for gamers to play Xbox games on the PC, the writing would be on the wall for the Xbox One. During the Microsoft E3 2016 conference, Microsft rolled out a new feature called “Xbox Play Anywhere.” I touched on this newly announced feature and what this means for both Xbox and Windows 10 gaming here, however, I feel that some people are misinterpreting what Microsoft has set out to do with Xbox Play Anywhere.
In fact, many games are already calling this the end of the Xbox One, even though the Xbox One S is being released in a few months, with Project Scorpio coming sometime later in 2017. I definitely don’t think this is the end of the Xbox One hardware, and while I feel that the Xbox Play Anywhere is a fantastic idea, I can see what Microsoft is trying to accomplish and where it fits in. However, I wondered why this hasn’t been seen for what it is, so I wanted to break this down into 3 points and see if I can shed some light on Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere strategy.
What exactly is Xbox Play Anywhere
Xbox Play Anywhere is a new initiative launched by Microsoft that looks to close the gap between the Xbox One and Windows 10 gaming. It allows gamers to purchase a copy of a supported game for either the Xbox One or Windows 10 and play it on both platforms. In addition, it will let gamers play across both platforms to join in some co-op gaming thanks to cross-play. Achievements and progression will also be carried over between the two. All this is also at no additional cost.
Cross-buy, Cross-platform, Cross-play, all your stuff goes with you. Are you following so far?
Who exactly is Xbox Play Anywhere for
That’s the question of the week, and the answers are three-fold, at least to me. Let’s take a look at what it is and try to make this easier to understand.
- Do you only game on the Xbox One hardware? If you do, then Xbox Play Anywhere isn’t really going to make a huge difference to you. In fact, you may just as well ignore it because it isn’t aimed at you.
- Do you have a gaming PC? If so, do you have Windows 10? Xbox Play Anywhere is for those with a PC that meets the system requirements, which includes running a copy of Windows 10. Now, if you’re still running Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 and either haven’t upgraded or don’t plan on doing so, well, then this also removes Xbox Play Anywhere since it requires Windows 10.
- Do you have a Gaming PC running Windows 10 and/or an Xbox One? Then, this is who Microsoft is targeting with this new ability. The ability to play supported “Xbox Play Anywhere” games on your Xbox and then pick up where you left off on your gaming PC or vice versa. Is it the best of all offerings? Well, I seem to think it is.
It may not seem like this would be an ability many people would use, but I can tell you from where I’m standing that I can see it taking off. I already own an Xbox One, but more importantly, I also own three gaming PCs, 2 of which I share with my family (My kids love PC gaming). This means that I can buy a copy of Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Scalebound, or even Halo Wars 2, and I’ll get a copy of the game that’s playable on the Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.
This means I can jump between the Xbox One or Windows 10 PC anytime. If my family runs me out of the living room, I can go to my office and pick up where I left off. I want to play any of the mentioned games in glorious 60 frames per second and in a higher resolution than what the Xbox One can provide; I can get on my gaming PC that’s connected to a 4K TV and enjoy my gaming session there. Or I could even catch a game at work during my lunch period. Seriously, if this really takes off, the applications are pretty tempting for anyone not to take advantage of it.
It’s pretty exciting stuff
Now I know it may seem like I’m coming off as an Xbox or even a Microsoft fanboy, I know those comments are coming. The fact is that I have multiple gaming platforms, and I like gaming. I own two PlayStation 4s, merely because my original PS4 HDMI port died, which I eventually fixed. However, I couldn’t do game reviews and previews during that time without a PlayStation 4, so I picked up another. I’m trying to paint the picture that I play all games on all systems so that I could care less about brand loyalty. I feel that Microsoft, however, has a brilliant idea, and they’ve laid the roadmap that, if they play their cards correctly, could ultimately close the gap between the Xbox One and Windows 10 gaming.
That said, they still have ways to go in that regard, and when I say this, I’m referring to how games purchased or downloaded via the Windows 10 store are handled and the many issues regarding those. The recent Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Quantum Break releases are prime examples of this. Since Xbox Play Anywhere only works with the Windows 10 store, Microsoft has to convince developers that this is a worthwhile gambit and that the Windows store is just as important as Steam is for PC and PC gaming. That last part will take a lot of work, as the Windows 10 store currently doesn’t have anything to entice game developers or offer them anything over what Steam currently provides.
In my opinion, Microsoft has taken a pretty large step with Xbox Play Anywhere. I hope they can really maintain that stride without causing a rift within their current Xbox audience while gaining more support behind this new initiative. Playing games should be just that, something I feel Microsoft understands now, thanks to the efforts of Phil Spencer, unlike the Microsoft of 2 years ago. I’m sure there will be people that will say “Thanks for putting your games on PC, now I don’t have to buy an Xbox One anymore”. But that’s the magic about it all: the end goal for Microsoft. If you still play their games or download their software, they’ve ultimately pulled you in.
The big question is, will this be successful six months to a year from now?
Only time will tell.
