Xbox PC app is testing an aggregated gaming library to access games from other stores
Microsoft is testing an aggregated gaming library in its Xbox PC app for Windows 11. Users will be able to access games from other storefronts through the app.
There are a handful of video game library managers, the most popular ones are GOG Galaxy, Heroic Launcher, Playnite, to name a few. Such apps act as a frontend to access multiple storefronts from a single app, i.e. you can use them to sign in to your Epic, GOG and Amazon Prime Games account, and browse their respective libraries, download and install the games, etc. It's quite convenient to manage all your games from one place.
This is exactly what Microsoft is doing with its Xbox PC app. Players will be able to launch games from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net and other leading PC storefronts from a single library. Microsoft says it will add support for more PC storefronts in the future. While it doesn't mention Steam or other third-parties by name, one would expect the app to support the biggest PC game store.
Games that are installed from other PC storefronts will appear in the "My Library" section of the Xbox PC app. They will also be listed in the "Most Recent" list, so you can go back to your games quickly. This makes it sound like you may need the other store's app installed too, hopefully this isn't the case.
Xbox President, Sarah Bond, recently announced that Xbox consoles would soon not be tied to a single store. This aggregated gaming library could be the first step towards that goal.
Xbox Insiders can test the new library in the Xbox PC app for Windows 11 PCs and handheld devices. Microsoft says that it will bring the feature to the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X during the holiday season, with support for the new Xbox full screen experience.
So, yes this is a Rog Xbox Ally or Rog Xbox Ally X, anyway xbox app can run in full screen mode with some code from powershell and other methods, anyway all this is the Xbox App running on windows 11 25h2 on a mobile device, its not a real xbox as you cannot play all your Series X or disc based games on this system, unless you own them all digitally and all of them are cross compatible titles, as those are the only ones which will work on it, so them charging as much as a real console for it doesn’t make much sense does it. Otherwise I love, the idea of this device, if only those EPic game store titles had working icons under xbox app, their is a lack of quality to the images that launch and require you to have epic games launcher installed for all those free titles, this would be a great thing, if you don’t mind its limited to 1080 and cannot do games in 4k at all.
Requiring “the other store’s app installed too” is already the norm.
Many games sold on steam require you to install other game launchers.
Why would you think those developers would let M$ bypass this requirement?
Because Steam, GOG, etc., are not available for Xbox consoles. Take Heroic Launcher for example, it can install games that you own without having GOG Galaxy, Amazon Games, or Epic Games launchers installed. If Microsoft wants Xbox to have access to all stores, it needs to do something like Heroic Launcher.