Microsoft’s initial unveiling of the Xbox One received a fairly polarizing reception due to the hefty price point and disdain surrounding its TV focus. Furthermore, the console’s lacklustre specification resulted in cross-platform games running at a lower resolution than the PlayStation 4. Microsoft also angered their core fan base with plans to block second-hand sales and underestimate the huge number of people who rely on cheaper, used games. Arguably, Sony had similar plans, and cancelled them after witnessing the chaotic backlash. All of this contributed to Microsoft’s poor market share in the current console generation and it looks unlikely that the Xbox One will recover from this poor start.

Perhaps the Xbox One’s situation has made Microsoft more open to PC gaming and cross play between the two platforms. Recently, the company announced it would release Quantum Break on the Windows Store at the same time as the Xbox One version. This is fantastic news for PC gamers, and showcases Microsoft’s new inclusive policy. However, some might argue they are doing this because of the weak market position of the Xbox One. Whatever the case, this new approach is commendable and suggests other key Xbox One titles might come to the PC including Halo and Forza.

According to Reddit, the domain name “xbox.steampowered.com” has been in development recently and fuelled rumours about a very exciting announcement. The most logical theory revolves around the idea that Microsoft is bringing Steam to the Xbox One and allowing its user base to play PC games. This would massively expand the console’s library and might encourage PC players to use the Xbox One as a secondary console. I doubt this move is anything to do with bringing Xbox games to Steam, because Microsoft wants to push their own Windows Store exclusively on Windows 10. Hopefully, the advent of Steam on Xbox is the start of a closer relationship between PC gaming and the Xbox brand.