Microsoft has updated the Windows Xbox app with a new feature, one that fans of the app have been looking forward to, the Aggregated Gaming Library.
Basically, the Aggregated Gaming Library, is fancy way of saying that the Xbox app is now a launcher for dozens of other PC gaming storefronts and libraries. Games installed via Steam, Battle.net (I thought this was going away?), GOG, Epic Games Store and PC Game Pass titles will now show up in the Xbox app.
As you can see in my screenshot, you can see that the Xbox app is showing all of the games that I currently have installed on my PC (don’t judge, this is my work PC, not my gaming PC).
And even though I haven’t launched any of these games via the Xbox app, on the left-hand side of the screen, it will also display the last time any of game from the supported libraries have been launched.
From there, you can click on the game and then you’ll be taken to another screen where you can press play, see the game in its native storefront or launcher, and even manage extensions.
The last part is important, as this allows you to enable which apps will actually show up in the Xbox app. So, if you don’t want Steam or Epic Games Store showing up, you can disable them. There’s even an option to have your installed Windows apps to appear, not that I can fathom why you’d want that.
However, there’s more. With the updated Xbox app, you can also drill down into filters, such as what drive you want to see, which game genres, co-op and single player games, keyboard and mouse or controller, Xbox Play Anywhere, and Xbox Play Anywhere.
Honestly, it’s an interesting update and I can see this being useful for those who aren’t fans of having to open multiple launchers or using a program, similar to Playnite, and only having the Xbox app handle launching the games. But I can really see this being useful on handheld gaming PCs, such as the ROG Ally X, Legion Go, MSI Claw, and the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally line-up. Which is likely why we’re seeing this being launched now. I’ll give it a try on my PC, but likely many, I’ve swapped from a Window OS to Bazzite. So, if I want to give it a try on my handheld PC, I’ll need to reinstall Windows first.
The updated Xbox application is currently available to download right now, and if you already have the Xbox app installed, chances are that it’s already been updated to reflect the changes.
With this now out, Xbox is working on the next piece of the puzzle, cloud-playable games that will follow you across all of your Windows’s gaming and Xbox devices.
Source: Xbox
