Microsoft 'clarifies' Xbox One Windows app compatibility
October 22, 2013 | 09:39
Companies: #amd #dell #microsoft
Dell made headlines earlier this week when a promotional page for the upcoming Xbox One suggested complete compatibility with Windows 8 applications - but Microsoft has stated that won't be the case.
The Xbox One is the most PC-like console to come out of Microsoft's hardware division yet: as with its rival, Sony's PlayStation 4, the Xbox One is built around a semi-custom version of AMD's 'Jaguar' accelerated processing unit (APU.) The result is a fully-fledged 64-bit x86 computer with DirectX-capable graphics, entirely distinct from its PowerPC-based predecessor. As well as making it easier for developers to port their games from device to device - the Xbox One, PS4 and PC now share a common architecture, leaving only Nintendo's Wii U out in the cold this generation - it opens up the possibility for further compatibility with existing software.
Hints have been dropped that the Xbox One would allow users to run selected Windows applications, but none less subtle than a statement made by Dell in an attempt to flog the console via its consumer site: 'Consider the game officially changed,' the company's advertising blurb began. 'With all your favourite Windows 8 apps able to be run on and synced to your Xbox One, now your phone, desktop, tablet and TV can all give you a unified web and entertainment experience.'
Sadly, just as people began to get excited about the possibility of cross-platform application compatibility, Microsoft stepped in. Responding to a query from Neowin, Microsoft declared the statement null and void. 'The suggestion that all Windows 8 apps run on Xbox One is not accurate,' a company spokesperson told the site.
Microsoft's partial denial isn't a complete retraction, however: Dell never claimed that all Windows 8 applications would run, merely your favourite applications. Likewise, Microsoft doesn't say that no Windows apps will run on the Xbox One, just that not all apps will run. Given the company's attempts to encourage developers to create Modern UI-powered software, which can be quickly ported between Windows 8 and Windows RT, it seems likely that at least a sub-set of these cross-platform packages will make their way to the console.
The Xbox One is due to launch in the UK on the 22nd of November.
The Xbox One is the most PC-like console to come out of Microsoft's hardware division yet: as with its rival, Sony's PlayStation 4, the Xbox One is built around a semi-custom version of AMD's 'Jaguar' accelerated processing unit (APU.) The result is a fully-fledged 64-bit x86 computer with DirectX-capable graphics, entirely distinct from its PowerPC-based predecessor. As well as making it easier for developers to port their games from device to device - the Xbox One, PS4 and PC now share a common architecture, leaving only Nintendo's Wii U out in the cold this generation - it opens up the possibility for further compatibility with existing software.
Hints have been dropped that the Xbox One would allow users to run selected Windows applications, but none less subtle than a statement made by Dell in an attempt to flog the console via its consumer site: 'Consider the game officially changed,' the company's advertising blurb began. 'With all your favourite Windows 8 apps able to be run on and synced to your Xbox One, now your phone, desktop, tablet and TV can all give you a unified web and entertainment experience.'
Sadly, just as people began to get excited about the possibility of cross-platform application compatibility, Microsoft stepped in. Responding to a query from Neowin, Microsoft declared the statement null and void. 'The suggestion that all Windows 8 apps run on Xbox One is not accurate,' a company spokesperson told the site.
Microsoft's partial denial isn't a complete retraction, however: Dell never claimed that all Windows 8 applications would run, merely your favourite applications. Likewise, Microsoft doesn't say that no Windows apps will run on the Xbox One, just that not all apps will run. Given the company's attempts to encourage developers to create Modern UI-powered software, which can be quickly ported between Windows 8 and Windows RT, it seems likely that at least a sub-set of these cross-platform packages will make their way to the console.
The Xbox One is due to launch in the UK on the 22nd of November.
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
Want to comment? Please log in.