Microsoft “Accidentally” Unveils Xbox Interface Prototype Featuring Steam Game Integration

Xbox is making significant strides to enhance its PC app by integrating additional features, and it seems they might have inadvertently revealed a surprising one.

We’ve recently uncovered Microsoft’s “Project Kennan,” a collaboration with ASUS to create a partner handheld device. This marks a new venture for Xbox, partnering with OEMs traditionally linked with Windows PCs, to shape the future of gaming hardware on Windows.

If you’ve ever used devices such as the Lenovo Legion Go or ASUS ROG Ally, you’re probably aware that their interfaces differ significantly from something like the Steam Deck. Windows hasn’t been tailored for such an experience, but this is slowly evolving.

Microsoft has introduced new functions to the Xbox Game Bar, including a compact mode, and recently enabled the use of Windows’ on-screen keyboard with a controller. However, this recent “leak” appears to be a major leap forward.

The Verge spotted an intriguing image on a now-removed Microsoft blog post, which showcased Microsoft’s efforts to attract developers into a multi-platform gaming ecosystem. With a closer look, you can spot a potential Xbox app feature yet to be released—a Steam filter.

Currently, the Xbox Game Bar allows you to launch recent Steam titles when using compact mode. It already recognizes installed Steam games and can launch them. For instance, I’ve been playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake this way on my Lenovo Legion Go. However, the Xbox app itself doesn’t yet have the capability to identify your entire Steam library.

This could very well be an oversight or perhaps a designer’s ambitious vision. Alternatively, it could indicate a larger, potential partnership between Microsoft and Valve to bring platforms like Steam to Xbox consoles. The presence of Xbox consoles in the graphic strongly suggests Microsoft wants users to associate this interface with Xbox, although it might just be a misstep.

Interestingly, The Verge reported that Microsoft took down the image after being questioned about its implications.

So, what does this mean? I suspect Microsoft is gearing up for a revamp of the Xbox app’s library section on PC. Currently, it’s a weak link, featuring defunct Windows Phone games under the “owned” category and lacking options to hide outmoded beta tests or demos. Microsoft has already started integrating Steam compatibility into the compact Xbox Game Bar. Xbox head Phil Spencer has mentioned in interviews his vision for partner devices like Kennan and the ROG Ally to closely resemble the Xbox console experience.

Microsoft is clearly dedicated to more seamlessly melding Xbox and Windows game development moving forward. Sources from Windows Central suggest that the preferred development environment for upcoming Xbox consoles will be traditional Win32, with the Xbox One/Series X|S “ERA” environment gradually being phased out. How this will impact the existing library of ERA games is uncertain, though emulation is reportedly a method Microsoft is exploring for backward compatibility and game preservation.

Will this enable those games to function on devices like Kennan, ROG Ally, or standard gaming PCs? It’s difficult to predict due to legal constraints concerning what Microsoft can do with third-party titles in its store.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment, but regardless, developments in this space are poised to get quite interesting.