Microsoft begins turning everything you own into an Xbox with a new aggregated library

The gaming scene has really changed since a decade ago, hasn't it? It wasn't long ago that console-exclusive titles were worth their weight in gold, and console manufacturers were highly protective of their IPs. Now, with news like the Final Fantasy 7 remake coming to other platforms due to sales on PS5 not doing so well, some consoles are letting their exclusives go, while others are holding onto them tighter than ever.

Xbox is definitely in the former camp. Once peddlers of big console shifters like the Halo series, the company is now determined to get its software onto as many devices as possible, including rival consoles. The goal is to "make everything an Xbox," and we've seen games arrive on PCs, consoles, phones, and even a new Xbox-branded handheld. This has prompted Microsoft to make a unified library across all devices to make things easier to navigate, and honestly, it's a very smart move.

Microsoft introduces a unified library in the Xbox App for Insiders

In a blog post on the Xbox Wire, Microsoft explains what's new for the Xbox App on the Insider branch. The company is introducing what it calls the "aggregated gaming library," and the goal is to bring all of your titles across every one of your devices into one place for easy access.

Here's how the company describes it:

With the aggregated gaming library, players can conveniently launch games from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net and other leading PC storefronts from a single library within the Xbox PC app. Whether you’re on a Windows PC or a handheld device, your Xbox library, hundreds of Game Pass titles, and all your installed games from leading PC storefronts will now be at your fingertips.

Microsoft goes on to explain that, if you install a game from a "supported PC storefront," the game will automatically add itself to your Xbox PC app's library so you can play it again later. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't go into much detail as to what currently counts as a "supported PC storefront," so we're unsure as to whether this will include Steam and the Epic Games Store just yet. However, the company does say it wants to "continue rolling out support for additional PC storefronts over time," so even if the big leagues haven't been added yet, there's a chance they will be in the future.

It's probably for the best that Microsoft is breaking its games out of the confines of the Xbox consoles. After all, some would argue that Xbox's recent price hike makes the console an impossible sell. And with game and console prices on the rise worldwide, shedding the exclusivity deals and getting titles on as many devices as possible may be the correct play. We'll have to see.