Gaming on a Windows 10 PC: what’s an Xbox without an Xbox?
According to a recent report from the Verge, Microsoft is working on enabling store bought native Xbox games to boot up on Windows PCs, in the same way as they do on the Xbox game console. While more details will be available next week, Microsoft has given out hints about tighter integration between its gaming platform and Windows 10.
At present, gamers looking to play Xbox games on their Windows 10 PCs can do so by purchasing and downloading games available through the Xbox app, which is currently split between a collection of games designed primarily for mobile platforms on Windows 10, such as Minecraft, and Candy Crush Saga, and higher-end games available on both Windows 10 and Xbox, such as Forza Motorsport Apex 6, Mirror’s Edge, and Tom Clancy’s The Division.
With the ultimate goal being to enable owners of Windows 10 PCs to play games directly from Xbox discs purchased in stores, there are a few technical issues to resolve, as the process may not be as straightforward, as least for some of the less tech savvy users.
Reading Xbox game discs on a PC
It’s no secret that optical drives are facing near-extinction. This means that Windows 10 laptops like the Surface Book, cannot load external media, such as the Xbox 360 or Xbox One gaming discs. For those looking to play games bought at the local GameStop, it could mean having to purchase an external DVD/Blue-Ray reader, which, on one hand would be cheaper than buying a full Xbox console.
Performance issues
With the exception of a handful of gaming laptops like MSI G Series, and Asus ROG, there aren’t many consumer laptops and desktop devices that are capable of playing high-end 3D games like Mirror’s Edge or Fallout 4, especially when falling short of the recommended requirements typical of the latest 3D games, like a GeForce GTX with a minimum of 2GB of video RAM. With that said, Windows 10 is the number one operating system on the Steam online gaming community, which suggests that most gamers are indeed aware of the kind of hardware required to play their favorite games on PCs, and are familiar with either building a gaming PC from scratch, or choosing one that is suitable, or easy enough to upgrade for gaming.
Licensing
By enabling users to install games on both their PCs and game consoles, the issue of licensing will potentially be something of a concern, which may prompt Microsoft to implement measures to ensure that the same licensed game can’t be played on multiple platforms simultaneously. This could mean that when a game is found to be installed on both an Xbox One console and a Windows 10 PC, one or other other will have an on-screen prompt to enable consumers to purchase additional licenses to play a game on different devices simultaneously.
More specifically, when playing the same multiplayer game on multiple devices, such as a Windows 10 desktop PC, a Windows 10 laptop, and an Xbox One console, each one of these devices will require a separate license to play the same game at the same time.