Xbox Is Reportedly Working On Bringing Steam To The Microsoft Store And Next-Gen Hardware

Summary

Xbox has reportedly begun testing Steam integration for the Microsoft Store.
Earlier rumours suggest this is in a bid to make every game on your PC playable from one place, but it could also extend to the next-gen Xbox.
Leakers claim that the next Xbox will be more of a gaming PC, meaning that it will be able to run Steam and all of your already-owned games.

It’s been rumoured for a while now that Steam will be supported on the next-gen Xbox, which will reportedly be more of a PC than a traditional console. Microsoft even included a ‘Steam’ tab in its mock-up UI for a blog post about “opening a billion doors” (which it swiftly changed), confirming that it’s at least considering the idea.

With the Series X/S generation coming to a close, the rumours continue to persist, as insider eXtas1s claims that Microsoft has begun testing Steam integration for the Microsoft Store. In their latest podcast, they explained that this will “allow users to run Steam more smoothly and directly from Windows environments and, in the future, Xbox environments.”

NEWS Xbox red ring of death over a grungy black background.

If Steam Comes To Xbox, Microsoft Is Finally Bowing Out Of The Console Race

But maybe that’s not a bad thing.

While some believe this will work like other storefronts, such as EGS, merely implementing Steam as an app to download, others have taken it to mean that your Xbox and Steam libraries will be playable from one place, which lines up with what The Verge reported earlier this year. Sources “familiar with Microsoft’s plans” allegedly claimed that the billion-dollar tech conglomerate wants to make every game installed on your PC visible via the Xbox app, simplifying the user experience without the need for third-party tools.

With next-gen in mind, that means decades of backwards-compatible games and possibly even PlayStation exclusives listed right alongside your Xbox and Game Pass libraries.

“The Next Generation Of Xbox Is Going To Be More Like A PC”

“Everything is going to be developed around PC environments,” eXtas1s said. “Those logically need Steam integration, and you’ll have that in your Microsoft Store when you turn on your next-generation Xbox console. This will allow you to have Steam on your Xbox console and on any Windows device without the need for complex configurations”.

If the Xbox handheld (which is rumoured to be launching later this year) also runs on Windows, then that would mean your Steam and Xbox libraries would be playable on the go, making the transition between PC, handheld, and console seamless. That certainly fits with the company’s “play anywhere” mantra.

So, if the rumours are to be believed, the next Xbox would mark a generational shift in the console market, leveraging decades of industry experience to marry console with PC into a more streamlined package. Time will tell if the rumours pan out, but it’s an exciting alternative to the Dreamcast worries that have pervaded the console giant since the Xbox One.