Microsoft has been making some big moves to make the "Xbox" ecosystem across devices and platforms more tightly integrated, and those developments continue today.
Following the arrival of Xbox PC's "aggregated library," pulling different storefronts together, and the addition of Xbox Cloud Gaming's "Stream Your Own Games" feature to the Xbox PC app, some new features are rolling out to the Xbox Insider Program today.
Announced on Xbox Wire, there are two features Insiders can test starting today. First, the Xbox PC app is making it even easier to find and play all of your cloud games (whether you own them or play them through Xbox Game Pass).
Second, the Xbox ecosystem is getting a new "Play History" feature that syncs your most recently played games across console, PC, and handheld devices.
Will this all be the same thing at some point in the future?
Just to get it out of the way, these features are just entering the "testing" phase with Xbox Insiders, so it may be a while before the rest of us see them (and the features may have changed by then).
Still, the direction Xbox is heading is abundantly clear with the rollout of its most recent features across console and PC, and the company is staying on the same track.
Xbox PC players definitely benefit the most from these features right now. It's even easier to play more of your games through the Xbox PC app, after all. On top of pulling in installed games from Steam, Epic Games Store, and other third-party launchers with dedicated filters, Xbox has added a new "Cloud playable' filter that brings together all your Xbox Cloud Gaming and Stream Your Own Games titles in one place, from the original Xbox to the Xbox Series X|S — all playable on your Windows PC or gaming handheld.
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Next is the new "Play History" feature, arguably the more interesting of the two. Present in the "Jump back in" section of the Xbox PC app or on the Xbox Dashboard for console, the "Play History" feature syncs all your most recently played games across devices, including cloud playable games. Play Banjo-Kazooie on your Xbox? Find it waiting for you on your handheld, ready to be streamed.
With Xbox consoles unable to play PC-exclusive games (at least for now), PC players do benefit from this feature more right now. That being said, the next-gen Xbox console could be closer to a PC than ever, Xbox Play Anywhere has never been more important, and Xbox Cloud Gaming may be getting more advanced, too.
As time goes on, our devices should increasingly be able to access the same library of games, and the "Play History" feature will make it easier to keep track of them all as we move between them.
Personally, I'm excited to see where Xbox takes these features next! Do you think this is the right strategy for Xbox, and is there anything the Xbox ecosystem is missing for you?
