Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Xbox gaming chief has sights set on improving Microsoft Store experience

Steven Petite
By
2016 Games You Should Play In 2017
Gears of War 4 Image used with permission by copyright holder

Xbox gaming chief Phil Spencer acknowledged during a presentation at XO18 that the Microsoft Store still has a ways to go to become a solid platform for PC gamers. Thankfully, it sounds like Microsoft is taking fan criticism to heart, promising to make improvements to the experience (via The Verge).

“Windows is something I’m very committed to. I’ve heard the feedback about our Store. I’m going to take a bigger leadership role on what’s going on with the Windows Store, make it really tailored to the gamers that we know want to see the best from what we have to offer,” Spencer said.

Recommended Videos

While Windows 10 is the premier operating system for PC gaming, Microsoft’s own store and client have struggled to keep up with other gaming platforms on PC, namely Steam. As it stands, the process for downloading and playing games through the Microsoft Store is often riddled with bugs, errors, and weird restrictions.

Related

If you’ve ever downloaded a game from the Microsoft Store, there’s a good chance you’ve received a confounding error message or a failed install. The one-click download, which is supposed to make things easy, often isn’t as seamless as Microsoft would probably like it to be.

Sea of Thieves Image used with permission by copyright holder

Some games downloaded from the Microsoft Store don’t support overlays for popular platforms like Discord and certain Nvidia customization options, and you’ll often run into strange bugs while playing games through Microsoft’s client.

While the vast majority of PC games are available on Steam and other more reliable clients, the Microsoft Store is often your only option for first-party titles such as Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 4, and Gears of War 4. Microsoft’s Play Anywhere initiative has been great for combining the Xbox and Windows communities, but at this point, most PC gamers would probably like the option to purchase all of Microsoft’s games through Steam.

It doesn’t help that the store, which fashions itself as a one-stop shop for all your gaming needs, doesn’t feel particularly intuitive. Earlier this year, Microsoft said it was working on a better version of the Xbox app for PC users. While Xbox One users are used to seeing automatic game updates, it doesn’t work the same way on PC. Since game updates go through the Microsoft Store, games aren’t updated each time you turn on your PC, as they would be when powering on your Xbox. Technically, game updates through the Xbox app on PC are supposed to happen automatically, but this doesn’t always happen.

As Spencer said, Microsoft has “a ton of work to do with Windows.” It’s the default destination for playing PC games already. If the Microsoft Store sees improvements targeted at gaming, it could perhaps be a more viable Steam competitor.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Steven Petite
Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
These Activision Blizzard games need to come to Xbox Game Pass this year
Sekiro easy mode mod FromSoftware Souls games gameplay difficulty

In October 2023, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and by the end of the year, the latter company's CEO had departed. Now, this will be the year where we’ll see how Activision Blizzard functions when fully integrated into Microsoft. The most immediate change for those who play games will likely be Activision Blizzard titles coming to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service.

Microsoft and Activision have explained that because of the tribulations the acquisition encountered, it was impossible to have Xbox Game Pass additions prepared almost immediately after the acquisition, as it did with ZeniMax Media. In the coming months, I expect we’ll finally start to see Activision Blizzard games trickle onto the service, even if we shouldn't expect it from this week's Developer_Direct. As Activision Blizzard is one of the oldest game publishers out there, having released hundreds of games, there are plenty of titles to choose from. I’ve cherry-picked the ones I want to see most.
Diablo IV

Read more
Xbox’s first stream of 2024 will include Bethesda’s Indiana Jones game
Harrison Ford holds a sword in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Microsoft announced the first Xbox presentation of 2024 on Xbox Wire: another Developer_Direct meant to provide insight on upcoming first-party titles. Of the four games confirmed for the January 18 event so far, the most surprising of the bunch is the Indiana Jones title from MachineGames.

This Indiana Jones game was announced by MachineGames in January 2021, just prior to the completion of Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media. Bethesda Games Studios' Todd Howard is apparently a big fan of the Lucasfilm franchise and is working closely with the developers of the Wolfenstein reboot games to craft this new adventure. Bethesda has not stated much publicly about it since then, although its Xbox exclusivity came up during the FTC trial Microsoft was engaged in 2023.

Read more
The best co-op games on Xbox Series X
Jack Sparrow and pirate from Sea of Thieves.

The Xbox Series X is home to superb games we'll no doubt be talking about for years to come. The system features RPGs, shooters, puzzle games, survival games, and even competitive experiences that throw you against other players to be the last person standing. Better yet are the games you can enjoy with friends, either from the couch or online. Something about working together with a friend to defeat bosses or tackle objectives is widely appealing, making it easy to see why co-op games are so popular. The lineup of co-op games is constantly growing on Xbox Series X, but there are several you absolutely need to play.

These are the best co-op games on Xbox Series X.

Read more