Microsoft to merge Xbox and Windows features for better gaming on handhelds

TL;DR: Microsoft is looking to bring the Xbox experience to PC and handheld gaming. Speaking at an AMD and Lenovo event at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Microsoft's Vice President of "Next Generation," Jason Ronald, said that the combined Xbox and Windows experience could be rolled out before the end of this year.

Speaking to The Verge after the event, Ronald lamented that while the Xbox operating system is "world-class," it is currently locked to the console. He said it makes perfect sense for the company to extend the same robust experience to both players and developers in the Windows ecosystem.

Ronald added that Microsoft expects the addition of Xbox-specific features to deliver an improved gaming experience on Windows devices. He also noted that since the Xbox operating system is built on top of Windows, "a lot of infrastructure that we built in the console space" can be ...