With the addition of the new Windows 10 OS, Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox One will reportedly be armed with an expansive software library that could bring new functionality to the system.
According to reports from Pocket-Lint, the all-in-one system will receive access to “thousands” of new apps when it switches over to Windows 10.
A Microsoft representative said that the Xbox One will be able to tap the Microsoft Store and download a wide range of “compatible apps” on the marketplace.
Cross-buy will be supported for compatible apps, so if you buy an app on the Xbox One you’ll be able to download and use it across other platforms including laptops, smartphones and tablets.
Since Microsoft plans to release Windows 10 on PC first, it might be a while yet before it’s available on Xbox One.
Windows 10 will launch in phases, with each platform having its own planned release window.
During a special event at this year’s Build Developer’s Conference, industry analyst Paul Thurrot revealed that Windows 10 will have a segmented launch.
According to conversations that Thurrot had with Microsoft corporate vice president Joe Belfiore, every platform has its own separate launch schedule lined up for 2015.
“At a special event today, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 10 will launch over a period of time this year, with the PC version of the OS arriving first.
“Versions for phones, Internet of Things (IoT), Xbox One, HoloLens and other devices will arrive according to their own schedules later in 2015.”
Belfiore continues by saying Windows 10 will launch this summer for PC’s and 2-in-1 devices and larger tablets, keeping with Microsoft’s previous promise.
Windows 10 Mobile, on the other hand, will be hindered by red tape from wireless carriers and isn’t “as far along” as the PC version. As a result Thurrot projects a Fall 2015 release for the platform.
So what about the Xbox One’s schedule? No window or date has been finalized yet, but a Microsoft rep says Windows 10 isn’t expected to hit on Xbox One until “much later”.
Phil Spencer says that Windows 10 will only bring apps that “make sense” for the console to have.
Although the Xbox One might get access to new software on the universal Microsoft Store, Xbox exec Phil Spencer tells us to tamper our expectations. The exec affirms that certain types of applications won’t be coming to the console.
“We won’t see people using Excel on the Xbox, but Microsoft is making it easier to port experiences from PC over to Xbox where they make sense,” Spencer said during Microsoft’s Windows 10 reveal in January.
“We’ll treat gaming on Windows 10 with the same passion as we’ve put into the Xbox console.”
But what experiences “make sense” to port onto the Xbox One? Might we see cross-platform functionality, such as using a stylus to scribble onto a Windows 10-powered tablet and having it interact in some fashion with the Xbox One? Could we have external devices like tablets act as an off-screen Snap Mode menu, or even use smartphones for Kinect-like voice commands?
Microsoft has already has something called the Xbox One Wireless Display App, which essentially mirrors the screen of a tethered smartphone or tablet onto your TV via the console.
Windows 10 will bring an “Xbox App” to the PC that houses a user’s complete Xbox LIVE profile while allowing console-to-computer game streaming.
Windows 10 also adds its own form of Remote Play. Using the new OS users can stream Xbox One games right to their Windows 10-powered PC’s. The function has been described as a “killer app“, and previewers report the streams have “zero lag“.
Spencer also revealed that Xbox One Preview Program members will get first access to Windows 10 on Xbox One. The new DirectX 12 API will also be tested out by Preview Program users for a full month prior to its general release across the platform.
Read More: DirectX 12 on Xbox One Coming First to Preview Members
