Lenovo’s mysterious “way forward for gaming handhelds” occasion at CES delivered affirmation this week that Microsoft is combining “the very best of Xbox and Windows collectively” for handhelds. Microsoft’s VP of Next Generation, Jason Ronald, spoke to my colleague Sean Hollister after the occasion to disclose that not solely are huge adjustments coming to the Windows handheld expertise but in addition “you’re going to see loads of stuff as early as this 12 months.”
I’ve been writing for greater than a 12 months about how Microsoft must overhaul Windows on handhelds and use an Xbox OS UI on high, protecting the complexity of the Windows desktop hidden away. That sounds precisely like what Microsoft is about to do. “I might say it’s bringing the very best of Xbox and Windows collectively, as a result of now we have spent the final 20 years constructing a world-class working system, but it surely’s actually locked to the console,” says Ronald. “What we’re doing is we’re actually centered on how can we convey these experiences for each gamers and builders to the broader Windows ecosystem.”
Ronald says Microsoft’s “purpose is to ship an Xbox expertise that places your content material entrance and middle, and never the Windows desktop that you’ve got at the moment.” For this to occur in actuality, Microsoft has to sort out loads of complicated work to actually ship the Xbox OS UI on high of Windows. Microsoft is engaged on issues like updating the elemental interplay fashions in Windows to allow joystick and thumbstick help, as an alternative of getting to make use of a mouse-driven interface.
What’s actually attention-grabbing is that we’re listening to about all this work from Ronald, who’s a part of the Microsoft Gaming division and never the Windows org. While the Xbox staff has constructed experiences for Windows PCs previously, these have largely been restricted to the Game Bar or the Xbox app. It seems to be like Xbox is now taking management.
Aside from the UI adjustments and potential for an Xbox OS-like expertise on each handheld PC, Microsoft additionally has to sort out sport compatibility. Will this mixed Windows and Xbox expertise nonetheless play Xbox console video games and your total digital library, or will it depend on Xbox Play Anywhere — the place you should purchase a sport digitally on the Xbox retailer and play the PC model on Windows? Xbox Play Anywhere is a good initiative, but it surely’s solely a small choice of titles proper now. There are indicators that Xbox Play Anywhere is the strategy Microsoft will primarily deal with for this mixed Windows and Xbox effort, however there additionally must be a option to play older Xbox titles that don’t have a PC equal.
“What we’re actually centered on is eradicating loads of these obstacles, placing you and your library on the middle of the expertise no matter how you obtain the sport, the way you entry the sport, whether or not it’s through Game Pass otherwise you purchased it,” says Ronald. “It’s actually about enabling you to play the video games you need in as many locations as you’ll be able to.”
Ronald additionally says Microsoft could be very a lot centered on sport preservation with this new handheld effort. “It’s actually about retaining the library and the a whole lot of hours of development you’ve and enabling you to expertise these in new ways in which you’ve by no means been in a position to do earlier than.” You’ve definitely by no means been in a position to play Xbox video games on PC earlier than, however perhaps that’s about to vary.
I’ve been considering so much about XWine1, a promising effort by third-party builders to make Xbox One video games run on Windows. The staff behind XWine1 is at the moment engaged on mapping the core system, graphics, and WinRT APIs that Xbox video games use over to Windows. It’s considerably just like the work that Valve has carried out with Proton, translating Windows APIs over to Linux. The XWine1 builders are having to do a complete lot of hacking collectively of options and wrappers for Microsoft’s UWP app mannequin, however think about what Microsoft may do itself.
Microsoft has experimented with the thought of Xbox video games working on Windows previously. In 2016, Microsoft was engaged on Project Helix, a option to additional mix Windows and Xbox after the Xbox One was initially launched with a custom-made model of Windows 8. At the time, I reported that there have been ambitions to make Xbox One video games playable on a PC to bolster Microsoft’s Universal App Platform efforts with Windows 10. That work by no means progressed, however now we’re months away from seeing how Microsoft will pull off turning Windows PCs into an Xbox.
I think loads of how this all comes collectively might be associated to the brand new Xbox staff centered on sport preservation and ahead compatibility. Xbox president Sarah Bond created this new staff in early 2024, and I’m guessing it may ultimately result in the Xbox 360 / authentic Xbox emulator working on PC. There are some apparent licensing hurdles to beat with such an strategy, however I can’t see how else Microsoft will protect the complete Xbox digital libraries if it’s trying to an Xbox future the place it integrates extra absolutely into Windows.
Last 12 months, I wrote about how the way forward for Xbox seems to be so much like a PC, and I believe Ronald’s revelations this week go additional than simply Windows handhelds and trace on the next-generation Xbox platform, too. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has already teased that the Xbox staff is considering the way to open up its ecosystem and embrace PC shops just like the Epic Games Store and Itch.io. If that occurs, then it’s an enormous rethinking of the Xbox console mannequin, and to make it potential, an Xbox console would should be able to working PC video games. Ronald is out right here teasing the way forward for Windows handhelds, but it surely additionally seems like he’s describing the way forward for Xbox consoles, too.
The key might be Microsoft’s execution. We’ve seen Microsoft attempt to deal with gaming on Windows a number of occasions previously, with some disastrous outcomes. The Microsoft Store on PC remains to be painful in comparison with Steam, and most PC players nonetheless solely care about Steam. Microsoft additionally has the strain of SteamOS looming over it, particularly now that Lenovo is utilizing Valve’s OS on its newest Legion Go S handheld.
Microsoft nonetheless has the benefit of compatibility and having the ability to supply PC Game Pass and Steam video games on the identical gadget. If it could actually nail the expertise correctly, then that will nicely forestall different PC handheld makers from taking over SteamOS, however the execution should be good. I definitely belief the Xbox platform staff to get this proper greater than the Windows aspect, so I’m cautiously optimistic that the end result might be what Windows handhelds want proper now. With a extra highly effective Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon and SteamOS creating some wholesome competitors, Microsoft can’t afford to mess this up.
Xbox Developer Direct
Before the vacations, I teased on Bluesky that I used to be anticipating an Xbox occasion in January. Microsoft introduced at the moment that it’s internet hosting one other Xbox Developer Direct on January twenty third. It’s going to be a busy 2025 for Xbox, with video games like Fable, Avowed, South of Midnight, Doom: The Dark Ages, Towerborne, The Outer Worlds 2, and extra to look ahead to.
This 12 months’s occasion will embrace a mysterious “model new sport,” and Microsoft can even supply a better take a look at South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Doom: The Dark Ages. This can also be the primary Developer Direct since Microsoft began bringing extra video games to Nintendo Switch and PS5, so it’ll be attention-grabbing to see if there are any extra bulletins for different platforms.
With Nintendo’s unannounced Switch 2 console leaking nonstop proper now, it additionally looks like Nintendo is simply days away from making the Switch 2 official this month. I’m prepared to guess that Microsoft could have some Xbox video games prepared for the Switch 2. We noticed proof of Hi-Fi Rush for the Switch final 12 months, and Grounded and Pentiment already made their means over to the unique Switch. Perhaps the Switch 2 might be highly effective sufficient for Sea of Thieves to make the leap, too.
The pad:
- Microsoft is utilizing Bing to trick folks into considering they’re on Google. Microsoft has boldly created a search end result for Google on its Bing search engine that appears so much just like the Google homepage. The Google end result features a search bar, a picture that appears so much like a Google Doodle, and even some small textual content below the search bar identical to Google does. Microsoft even scrolls the web page down robotically to masks its personal Bing search bar on the high. It’s a sneaky transfer that’s left Google unimpressed, simply as a brand new struggle rages between the 2 rivals. “Imitation is the sincerest type of flattery, however Microsoft spoofing the Google homepage is one other tactic in its lengthy historical past of tips to confuse customers & restrict selection,” says Chrome boss Parisa Tabriz in a put up on X. “New 12 months; new low Microsoft.”
- Microsoft has a brand new ergonomic keyboard, but it surely’s costly and made by Incase. I’m not an enormous fan of ergonomic keyboards, however lots of people had been disillusioned to listen to Microsoft can be discontinuing them in 2023. Thankfully, Incase took over Microsoft’s accent line, and it now has a brand new ergonomic keyboard that’s designed by Microsoft and out there quickly for $119.99. That’s extra dear than the $80 Microsoft needed for its Sculpt ergonomic keyboard, but it surely’s nonetheless cheaper than higher-end choices.
- Windows 11’s dynamic wallpapers revealed by former Microsoft designer. Microsoft has been engaged on dynamic animated wallpapers for Windows 11 over the previous few years, however they’ve in all probability been canceled. A former movement designer at Microsoft revealed the unreleased dynamic wallpapers in a put up on Behance that’s now been deleted. The dynamic wallpapers had been supposedly set to launch as a part of the 23H2 replace to Windows 11, however solely unfinished components shipped and have now been eliminated within the 24H2 replace. Hopefully Microsoft is holding these again for a future model of Windows, as an alternative of absolutely killing them off.
- Microsoft is reverting its Bing AI picture generator due to high quality complaints. Microsoft upgraded its Bing Image Creator to a brand new model of the DALL-E 3 mannequin in December, and it has been producing less-detailed outcomes and pictures that don’t mirror what was within the immediate. Microsoft has began rolling again the replace, and all Copilot Pro customers are actually on the earlier model of DALL-E 3 whereas Microsoft seems to be to repair the difficulty.
- LG and Samsung are including Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant to their TVs. I hinted in final week’s Notepad that we’d begin to see Copilot showing in some uncommon locations, and now LG and Samsung have introduced their 2025 good TVs will embrace entry to Copilot. Neither Samsung nor LG has demonstrated the Copilot integration absolutely, however I perceive it’s largely only a net app on these TVs. Hopefully we’ll get a full demo quickly, however I’m wondering how many individuals will truly find yourself utilizing this.
- Microsoft expects to spend $80 billion on constructing AI knowledge facilities this fiscal 12 months. Microsoft says it expects to spend $80 billion on establishing knowledge facilities to deal with AI workloads in its fiscal 12 months ending in June. “More than half of this whole funding might be within the United States, reflecting our dedication to this nation and our confidence within the American economic system,” says Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith in a weblog put up.
- The Windows on Arm mini PCs and all-in-one Copilot Plus PCs are right here. In Notepad final week, I stated that Microsoft’s mini AI PCs had been on the best way, and at CES this week, we noticed new miniature PCs from Acer, HP, and Lenovo. While Acer and HP have opted for chips from AMD or Intel, Lenovo is bringing Windows on Arm to mini desktop PCs due to Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X chips. Acer and HP have additionally introduced all-in-one PCs which are able to working Copilot Plus options, which means Microsoft’s Windows AI efforts are steadily shifting into the desktop PC area.
- Microsoft would like you to cease utilizing Windows 10 this 12 months. 2025 is the 12 months Microsoft ends help for Windows 10, and it actually needs folks to cease utilizing this OS. Microsoft is now calling 2025 “the 12 months of the Windows 11 PC refresh,” after declaring 2024 was “the 12 months of the AI PC.” Microsoft govt vice chairman and shopper chief advertising and marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi believes that “one of the necessary items of know-how folks will look to refresh in 2025 isn’t the fridge, the tv or their cell phone. It might be their Windows 10 PC, and they’ll transfer ahead with Windows 11.”
- Microsoft is making ready for extra layoffs. Microsoft is reportedly making ready to chop lower than 1 p.c of its 228,000 staff, in accordance with The Information. While the report suggests these are “company-wide efficiency based mostly layoffs,” I perceive it’s just a little extra sophisticated. There are layoffs occurring alongside Microsoft making it simpler for managers to take motion towards staff who’re failing efficiency evaluations.
- Microsoft teases “main” Surface enterprise announcement for January thirtieth. Microsoft will make a “main” Surface for Business announcement later this month that’s in all probability associated to Intel Lunar Lake. Microsoft is rumored to be launching Intel-powered variants of its Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 gadgets quickly, and it’s now holding an AI tour in New York City the place it’s teasing this “main announcement.” Microsoft can also be rumored to be refreshing its Surface Laptop Studio, however I’m not anticipating that individual announcement later this month.
- Nvidia hints at “plans” for its personal desktop CPU. Rumors of Nvidia getting into the Windows on Arm market have existed for greater than a 12 months now, and it seems to be like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been dropping some huge hints at CES. Reuters experiences that the Arm-based CPU codeveloped with MediaTek inside its new $3,000 Project Digits AI supercomputer may kind the premise for greater desktop CPU plans. Windows on Arm remains to be licensed completely to Qualcomm, however maybe that exclusivity is lastly about to finish.
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