Microsoft Adds Steam Library to Xbox PC App on Windows

[Vayra86]

Eh, that's literally the whole point of Xbox and Windows not being clearly distinct entities like before. You know, when Windows missed out on a few good Fable, Halo, and Gears of Wars games. Back when Xbox was at war with the PC. Now you get cross save if you choose to buy games from their store, which you don't have to do; you can get them on Steam.

Yes, the new Rog Ally is obviously a way for Microsoft to get more people onboard the Xbox ecosystem. But there are plenty of other handhelds that won't use an interface relying on Xbox.

You act as if Microsoft is going to make the Xbox app the only way to launch any game on Windows moving forward. Which isn't the case. You are free to not use their app, and to not get involved in the Xbox ecosystem.

It's literally a non issue for anyone who hate anything related to Xbox, you can just not use it and nothing will change in your daily life.

Are we actually having a conversation about Microsoft doing a QOL adjustment for profit? Isn't that a ship that sailed many decades ago? Windows was born from a gotcha contract screwing over IBM and a business model that ensured maximum profit and proliferation of the OS. It's been a capitalist company from its genesis. Cheap PC compatible computers for everyone, yes, but also billions of dollars in their pockets.

You have just underlined the point I made. Its effin useless beyond just branding more crap with an xbox logo. Does anyone use the gog Galaxy integration? I sure dont. Meanwhile Windows isnt particularly improving in terms of ingame perfornance. Lets add another service!

 

[dyonoctis]

You have just underlined the point I made. Its effin useless beyond just branding more crap with an xbox logo. Does anyone use the gog Galaxy integration? I sure dont. Meanwhile Windows isnt particularly improving in terms of ingame perfornance. Lets add another service!

It might be for the desktop, but the not the new Ally and the other handheld once that version of windows get released. I remember many people talking about how awkward handheld on windows felt compared to the deck who got an interface designed to be used with a gamepad. They've also tweaked the handheld version of windows:

"When the player boots into the full-screen experience, there is a whole bunch of Windows stuff that doesn’t get loaded. We’re not loading the desktop wallpaper, the taskbar, or a bunch of processes that are really designed around productivity scenarios for Windows." [...] Microsoft told The Verge it saw around a 2 GB memory saving using the full-screen mode versus standard Windows in early testing. Power efficiency and idle/sleep power draw are also reportedly set to improve

But IIRC you do have a strong prejudice against console gaming as a whole, and would rather have the desktop PC being the sole option for gaming, so you might see that whole exercice as being pointless in any case

 

[Vayra86]

It might be for the desktop, but the not the new Ally and the other handheld once that version of windows get released. I remember many people talking about how awkward handheld on windows felt compared to the deck who got an interface designed to be used with a gamepad. They've also tweaked the handheld version of windows:


But IIRC you do have a strong prejudice against console gaming as a whole, and would rather have the desktop PC being the sole option for gaming, so you might see that whole exercice as being pointless in any case

No not all, I don't have a prejudice against console gaming at all. I'm really mostly focused on games over platforms.

Its nice for the Ally owners that they're getting a subpar OS for a handheld to game on, tweaked to be slightly less subpar though, sure. I still think its a strange device, really just a hack job of a Deck let's be honest; they plonked an OS on it that could already do everything and poof there's a 'console' ... but its far from that. And it won't change with this update either. Its still Windows. Its not streamlined at all.

Its also all coming as we move on, way post release. Live development towards an actually decent gaming device... I mean lol. Spec wise the Ally is good, but everything else is just extremely lazy about it. The commercial drive clearly precedes the actual user experience here. And that won't be changing with these updates, it just underlines it.

The bottom line, this has nothing to do with the Ally, and everything with Microsoft looking to expand its Xbox branding, so it can sell you more games and push its Store into your throat. We'll see how long it lasts this time. Track record of MS and its Store so far is pretty abysmal. All this will do is enable more Windows-based gaming 'devices' that really serve no purpose if you ask me.

 

[dyonoctis]

The bottom line, this has nothing to do with the Ally, and everything with Microsoft looking to expand its Xbox branding, so it can sell you more games and push its Store into your throat. We'll see how long it lasts this time. Track record of MS and its Store so far is pretty abysmal. All this will do is enable more Windows-based gaming 'devices' that really serve no purpose if you ask me.

Nah, that's too weak to entice people who don't interact with the xbox app to begin with. I did a fresh install of windows a couple of months ago, and until that annoucement I pretty much forgot that it existed. It does have everything to do with the ally and the futur handheld since those device will boot with that xbox mode interface by default. The Xbox app will be the first thing that handheld users will interact with. That's the platform were the QoL will be meeting the marketing strategy.

This is going to have the same effect as a drop falling in the ocean on the desktop PC. Nobody will care besides people who are already involved with the xbox ecosystem. Steam is were most people live. It's older, so that's where most people got their games from, and the majority really, really don't want to buy stuff from different stores, unless there's a crazy good deal. Just look at Epic, who's giving away free games just to entice people to install their store. The only reason as why people don't utterly hate GOG is because it's DRM free, and got vintage games that aren't always available elsewhere. Competing with steam is a foolish errand, if it wasn't for the gamepass, the xbox store would have been dead many years ago.

 

[Imouto]

Mass layoffs among Xbox next week and pulling out some parts of Europe.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1937509416284340437

https://twitter.com/x/status/1937525956807479434

They sure are on a roll.

 

[AddSub]

Mass layoffs among Xbox next week and pulling out some parts of Europe.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1937509416284340437

https://twitter.com/x/status/1937525956807479434

They sure are on a roll.

I mean, they just announced they are taking someone else's device (Ally) running run-of-the-mill x86 hardware and are slapping an "Xbox" sticker on it and calling it "their" console. This is something a 2nd tier car manufacturer would do, like KIA or something, to get into the "gaming space". How the mighty have fallen. I mean, partnering with Dell to "Xbox" one of their gaming Alienware desktops would have been more dignified and made more sense, really....

 

[Gooigi's Ex]

No not all, I don't have a prejudice against console gaming at all. I'm really mostly focused on games over platforms.

Its nice for the Ally owners that they're getting a subpar OS for a handheld to game on, tweaked to be slightly less subpar though, sure. I still think its a strange device, really just a hack job of a Deck let's be honest; they plonked an OS on it that could already do everything and poof there's a 'console' ... but its far from that. And it won't change with this update either. Its still Windows. Its not streamlined at all.

Its also all coming as we move on, way post release. Live development towards an actually decent gaming device... I mean lol. Spec wise the Ally is good, but everything else is just extremely lazy about it. The commercial drive clearly precedes the actual user experience here. And that won't be changing with these updates, it just underlines it.

The bottom line, this has nothing to do with the Ally, and everything with Microsoft looking to expand its Xbox branding, so it can sell you more games and push its Store into your throat. We'll see how long it lasts this time. Track record of MS and its Store so far is pretty abysmal. All this will do is enable more Windows-based gaming 'devices' that really serve no purpose if you ask me.

Again the status quo of hating Microsoft/Xbox while trying to sound like an intellectual person. Just stop. You lost me at “hack job of a Deck” which is hella ironic on so many levels. You talk about games over platform but the moment it says Microsoft/Xbox you immediately turn away even though they are about games and embraced other platforms. Proving the status quo or Microsoft/Xbox tax as people call it.

The fact it’s ok for people to have this heavy criticism towards a company while making company look like a saint and argue is just plain sad. I don’t care for Valve nor Steam as I care about preserving games and actually have ownership of games(shhhh we don’t talk about that or its not a big deal so we brush it off) but I can acknowledge and give credit where credit is due but for some reason PC enthusiasts and gamers can’t do that apparently. They need to hate another company and bring up old shit of what they and apply it today while disregarding what they are doing now.

Steam snd Valve was shit and had many issues, but as time progressed, they got better. Now, we don’t bring that up because you’re a clown if you do…The same can happen if Xbox keeps this roll they got going on and not do Microsoft things.

It might be for the desktop, but the not the new Ally and the other handheld once that version of windows get released. I remember many people talking about how awkward handheld on windows felt compared to the deck who got an interface designed to be used with a gamepad. They've also tweaked the handheld version of windows:


But IIRC you do have a strong prejudice against console gaming as a whole, and would rather have the desktop PC being the sole option for gaming, so you might see that whole exercice as being pointless in any case

Nahhhhh he basically hates anything Microsoft which is understandable to a certain degree. I value that Valve is bringing immense competition to Microsoft and highly needed so they can do something. However, to say that MOST gamers are on Steam, sure in Windows but hell no about Steam OS. He’s right about one thing and having too many launchers and I would love to get rid of Steam and use mainly Xbox. Much easier and way more convenient and they recognized they need to make Windows more gamer user friendly so the are working on that.

Nah, that's too weak to entice people who don't interact with the xbox app to begin with. I did a fresh install of windows a couple of months ago, and until that annoucement I pretty much forgot that it existed. It does have everything to do with the ally and the futur handheld since those device will boot with that xbox mode interface by default. The Xbox app will be the first thing that handheld users will interact with. That's the platform were the QoL will be meeting the marketing strategy.

This is going to have the same effect as a drop falling in the ocean on the desktop PC. Nobody will care besides people who are already involved with the xbox ecosystem. Steam is were most people live. It's older, so that's where most people got their games from, and the majority really, really don't want to buy stuff from different stores, unless there's a crazy good deal. Just look at Epic, who's giving away free games just to entice people to install their store. The only reason as why people don't utterly hate GOG is because it's DRM free, and got vintage games that aren't always available elsewhere. Competing with steam is a foolish errand, if it wasn't for the gamepass, the xbox store would have been dead many years ago.

Sure it’s for Xbox gamers as well as PC gamers who are not wasting their time installing a new OS they are not familiar with(even though it’s VERY EASY to use Steam OS and install) or recognize and something they are comfortable with which is Windows. Also it for PC gamers who just don’t care for or deal with Steam OS or Bazzite OS and there is A LOT OF THEM. More than Steam Deck fanboys like to pull out of their own butt when having a discussion. Also, Gamepass is recent so even without it, Xbox and Microsoft would be alive and well lol.

Mass layoffs among Xbox next week and pulling out some parts of Europe.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1937509416284340437

https://twitter.com/x/status/1937525956807479434

They sure are on a roll.

Yup they sure are despite having 5 games in the top 20 games sold in May 2025 including some in the top 10. Also if you further investigation of the cut offs, it’s specifically in Central Europe that the cuts are being made so nothing really major to be honest.

 

[DaemonForce]

It works fine. If you run a Steam game that doesn't use Steamworks DRM, it will just run without launching any Steam binaries (I tested Cyberpunk 2077).

The entire point is that Microsoft DRM is some of the most egregious garbage on the planet and I have saved entire install repos just to bypass the app.
Still, the way Windows apps (it's what they all are really) interact with the system has its own requirements that make it an instant fail on my setups.
Some people are smarter than the default but Microsoft doesn't value those types.

 

[Vayra86]

Again the status quo of hating Microsoft/Xbox while trying to sound like an intellectual person. Just stop. You lost me at “hack job of a Deck” which is hella ironic on so many levels. You talk about games over platform but the moment it says Microsoft/Xbox you immediately turn away even though they are about games and embraced other platforms. Proving the status quo or Microsoft/Xbox tax as people call it.

The fact it’s ok for people to have this heavy criticism towards a company while making company look like a saint and argue is just plain sad. I don’t care for Valve nor Steam as I care about preserving games and actually have ownership of games(shhhh we don’t talk about that or its not a big deal so we brush it off) but I can acknowledge and give credit where credit is due but for some reason PC enthusiasts and gamers can’t do that apparently. They need to hate another company and bring up old shit of what they and apply it today while disregarding what they are doing now.

Steam snd Valve was shit and had many issues, but as time progressed, they got better. Now, we don’t bring that up because you’re a clown if you do…The same can happen if Xbox keeps this roll they got going on and not do Microsoft things.


Nahhhhh he basically hates anything Microsoft which is understandable to a certain degree. I value that Valve is bringing immense competition to Microsoft and highly needed so they can do something. However, to say that MOST gamers are on Steam, sure in Windows but hell no about Steam OS. He’s right about one thing and having too many launchers and I would love to get rid of Steam and use mainly Xbox. Much easier and way more convenient and they recognized they need to make Windows more gamer user friendly so the are working on that.


Sure it’s for Xbox gamers as well as PC gamers who are not wasting their time installing a new OS they are not familiar with(even though it’s VERY EASY to use Steam OS and install) or recognize and something they are comfortable with which is Windows. Also it for PC gamers who just don’t care for or deal with Steam OS or Bazzite OS and there is A LOT OF THEM. More than Steam Deck fanboys like to pull out of their own butt when having a discussion. Also, Gamepass is recent so even without it, Xbox and Microsoft would be alive and well lol.



Yup they sure are despite having 5 games in the top 20 games sold in May 2025 including some in the top 10. Also if you further investigation of the cut offs, it’s specifically in Central Europe that the cuts are being made so nothing really major to be honest.

Boy where do we start...

Let's just agree to disagree, okay?

 

[Gooigi's Ex]

Boy where do we start...

Let's just agree to disagree, okay?

Exactly! Not everyone has that same ideology as you and is willing to deal with Microsoft and work with it