Microsoft is currently in the process of creating a play anywhere and on any Windows 10 device ecosystem as part of its Universal Windows Platform (UWP) plans. The company is readying plenty of cross-platform strategies that will turn a Windows PC into an Xbox One and an Xbox One into a fully-fledged PC.
However, the console getting PC-like capabilities may still be some way off, even though the UWP concept is going to kick into full gear next month with the release of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. PCGameSN suggests in a new report that compatibility support for a mouse and keyboard on the Xbox One is still months away.
The outlet is not just pulling a figure out of thin air either, the timeframe is directly from Xbox chief Phil Spencer (image). PCGameSN caught up with the head of Microsoft’s gaming division at E3 and the executive had the following to say about keyboard and mouse support:
“I keep talking about it in the press and my platform team keeps shaking their head, because they… Truthfully in our dev kit modes now keyboard works, mouse support is a little bit further away…I say it because I know it’s not years away, it’s more like months away, but we don’t have an exact date yet.”
Microsoft has started preparing the Xbox One to be a PC of sorts with a number of preview updates recently, including Cortana more integrated into the system. Windows 10 arrived on the console last year and just this month the Windows Store is being rolled out offering an equal experience on game machine and PC.
The glue holding the UWP idea together is Windows 10, and the idea is that users will have the same ecosystem experience whether they are on PC, smartphone, tablet, Xbox, or indeed HoloLens. Microsoft detailed some of the gaming-related aspects at E3 when it discussed the ability to purchase one game and play it across Windows 10 PC and the Xbox One.
An internal project (Project Helix) is rumored to be working on bringing the Xbox One UI to Windows 10 PC, allowing any PC to become a games console without the need for streaming. Plans for the Xbox One to pack some PC capabilities are in full swing, and maybe support for a keyboard and mouse will be the final piece of the puzzle.
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Last Updated on December 13, 2020 9:36 pm CET