UPDATED 06:42 EDT / MARCH 17 2016

NEWS

Microsoft announces timeframe for Windows 10 apps coming to Xbox One

Microsoft’s Jason Ronald revealed at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco that this summer Windows 10 apps will be coming to Xbox One, according to reports. The Xbox Store and Windows Store for apps will also be merged.

No exact date was given as to how this will unfold, although Business Insider states that, “UWP apps are gradually going to open up over the course of this year to run the more advanced graphics settings that PC gamers demand.” For consumers this means easier access to apps that will be under the same roof, but the appeal for developers is that any Windows 10 app built will have a very wide reach across multiple platforms.

We are not quite sure as yet as to what apps will come to Xbox One, but you can be sure that music, video and messaging will be an ultimate instant hit. At the same time if users implement a keyboard then Office apps come into the picture, transforming your gaming console into a personal computer. Earlier in March at the Mobile World Congress Microsoft gave a demo of some Windows 10 apps working on Xbox One.

Microsoft has come up against vehement criticism concerning its UWP, with Epic Games Inc. CEO and founder Tim Sweeney stating that Microsoft and its Universal Windows Platform  is a, “Closed platform-within-a-platform into Windows 10… the first apparent step towards locking down the consumer PC ecosystem and monopolizing app distribution and commerce.”

Quite the blow came to Microsoft’s vision when in December last year former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer said “that won’t work”, following present CEO Satya Nadella talking about his universal apps strategy.

At  on March 30 more details will probably be revealed.

Photo credit: Ninac26 via Flickr

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