Microsoft has a vision for the future of gaming: A unified experience across Xbox One and Windows 10.
Xbox head Phil Spencer laid out that plan at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco, where he conceded Windows lost the plot with gamers. The time has come, he said, to change course. "Our goal in gaming at Microsoft is to let people play games wherever they are," Spencer said. "Gaming was once central to what we did on Windows, but we lost our way. Now we hope to have a Windows release that's the best Windows release for gamers."
To that end, Microsoft is heavily pushing cross-platform play. The idea is for gamers to use Xbox Live as a hub for their gaming experience across both platforms. Games, DLC, achievements, friends lists—all of it will transfer seamlessly between Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.
This also means gamers can enjoy a communal multiplayer experience, playing with and against players on Xbox and PC. Microsoft showed off a match of the indie multiplayer eSports game #IDARB played between Windows 10 and Xbox One, followed by the launch trailer for upcoming MOBA/action game Gigantic.
Gigantic combines the action of third-person shooters with the strategy and coordination of multiplayer online battle arena games like League of Legends and Dota 2. It was announced for PC last year, but lead developer James Phinny confirmed it would be coming to Xbox as well. For Gigantic, everything in the game will be handled in a single account across both platforms.
But for this cross-platform dream, Microsoft also had to tackle the issue of input. To do that, the company announced a wireless adapter that would allow all Xbox One controllers and peripherals to work on Windows 10 PCs. It's already possible to use an Xbox One controller on PC, but this adapter will streamline the process, especially when using multiple controllers or other peripherals—plastic instruments perhaps?
