A new leak from known Xbox-centric leaker, eXtas1s, reveals some new details about Microsoft’s rumoured next-gen Xbox. The leak indicates that the next console released by the company might just be a cross between what we’ve previously seen from Xbox consoles, along with elements of PC gaming. Some of these new features might even include the ability to play PC games on an Xbox console, according to eXtas1s (via ResetEra user P40L0).
The fact that the next-gen Xbox is rumoured to run on a special version of Windows should come as no surprise, since Microsoft has been doing this for quite some time. However, the leaks also indicate that we might see more Windows-styled features in the console, including integration with Epic Games Launcher as well as Steam. This comes from the fact that an app dubbed “Steam DF Beta” has been spotted on the Microsoft Store.
While this may not end up allowing Xbox Series X/S consoles to play Steam games, the fact that Steam might end up on the Microsoft Store means that there might be serious considerations for the launcher to be usable on future consoles. As for Windows user, this doesn’t really mean much aside from being able to find Steam on the built-in store. Windows is an open enough platform where getting Steam from its official website is a trivial matter anyway.
Aside from next-gen consoles, eXtas1s also claims to have knowledge about a future version of Windows where Microsoft may be making bigger strides towards making gaming easier on the operating system. For instance, the company is reportedly working on a “shell” layer for a future version of Windows that would offer up a console-styled UI that can be more easily used with controllers. For the sake of context, this would be similar to something like Steam’s Big Picture Mode, which is also used as the primary UI on the Steam Deck. This new UI shell will also likely end up being the main way players use the next Xbox.
This rumoured future version of Windows might also come with some fancier new gaming features, including the ability to emulate Xbox games on PC. While this feature is far from confirmed, eXtas1s claims that development work behind the scenes is already under way, and that players will be able to emulate Xbox versions of games on PC, along with also being able to play natively-built PC games.
As for the future of one of Microsoft biggest features, Game Pass, the leaker claims that the company has no plans to discontinue it. Rather, we might see changes made to its pricing, as well as the addition of new tiers among different segments, such as ad-supported and Xbox Cloud-only offerings.
In the past eXtas1s has leaked other things, including the fact that a rumoured new line-up of Xbox controllers being worked on will also be compatible with Microsoft’s next-gen consoles. These new controllers are also expected to include DualSense-styled features, including more refined haptic feedback rather than the traditional rumble.
