When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
However, it’s also been the subject of much criticism.
Microsoft has also shipped new features toboost its usability on PC handheldslike theASUS ROG Ally.
The Xbox app on Windows 10 and 11 gives you access to the broader Microsoft Gaming ecosystem.
Perhaps Microsoft has telemetry data suggesting people love this feature, but I doubt it.
It would be nice to have at least the option to remove it.
Even below that, the library section itself isn’t instrumental either.
The Xbox app’s “library” is desperately missing the usability of Steam.
Differentiation and sorting games are a general issue within the app.
It’s an absolute nightmare trying to figure out which games actually sport cross-progression features, for example.
However, games thatdosupport some form of cross-progression are often missing the tag.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 supports cross-progression, but there’s no mention of it under the games “capabilities” section.
However, a genuinely irritating experience is around the corner for anyone who tries using this feature.
On Steam and other platforms, a visual indicator denotes when a cloud save has fully synced.
Xbox has no such feature.
If you want updates from the developers about your favorite games, you won’t find it on the Xbox app for PC.
There’s no cloud sync icon on PC, cloud, or Xbox consoles.
Game Pass is great for my mood swings.
pic.twitter.com/MNoDBYLbekNovember 2, 2024
Many other, more minor irritants are peppered throughout the Xbox app experience.
You can’t change your profile picture on the Xbox app for Windows 11, for some reason.
Some of it is relatively minor, amounting to polish issues.
I wilfully installed and ran the game.
Why is Microsoft asking me for permission?
The Xbox app has improved a lot in recent years, although it could be far better still.
Furthermore, why is it calling my game an “app” like some mobile shovelware?
But, I suspect the lack of social features is at least part of the issue.
Not that it matters since they haven’t had updates in a million years, either.
One game I’ve enjoyed recently isFrostpunk 2,although it runs pretty poorly on my gaming PC.
I’ve been patiently waiting for optimization updates to come through to see if my experience improves.
On Frostpunk 2’s Steam page, developer 11 bit can directly engage with its user base.
Why, why, why, why isn’t this absolutely BASIC feature available here for PC-only users?
It offers a poorer social experience for gamers versus Discord.
It offers a weaker PC experience than Steam.
It offers an inferior console UX to PlayStation.
Where Xbox competes well is on value.
Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are the best deals in gaming, without a doubt.
Right now, I’m not sure.
