- Steam could soon appear in the Microsoft store, claims a rumor
- A delicious says apps’ compatibility is tested internally
- It backs up the idea that future Xboxes will be more like PCs than consoles
For years, players have suffered from the problem of platform fragmentation: with so many competing digital stores, from Steam to Epic to GOG and more, it is not uncommon for users to maintain a huge slate of lifts and libraries to keep track of all their titles.
But things could be getting better in a small way, according to a recent leak from @extas1stv on X. The poster claimed (via a machine translation) that “Xbox has confirmed the internal tests to add Steam to Microsoft Store.”
In an affiliate video on YouTube, @EXTAS1STV claimed that “Microsoft has just added the Steam application in support -software to its devices, which appear under the name ‘Steam Developer Beta’.”
The delicious added that “this logically is only available to certain employees and people working with Microsoft,” though they said it would be added to Microsoft’s insider programs over time.
They also said, “This integration allows users to run steam more smooth and directly from Windows environments.”
Interestingly, @Extas1stv thinks that future Xbox hardware will be more like a PC than a console and that “everything is going to be developed around PC environments” -an idea we’ve seen before.
These environments need steam integration, @extas1stv thinks, and Steam will be available in the Microsoft store in these upcoming devices. The Epic Games store could also appear in Microsoft Store, according to @EXTAS1stvs video.
The sense of synchronization
However, we only have really @extas1stv’s words that steam is being tested in the Microsoft store and we have not been able to get any direct proof that can confirm the claims made on X and YouTube. So if Steam really wants to be integrated into the Microsoft store, how would this work?
An option has been floated by notebookcheck, which is through backend linking. This would basically involve connecting your Steam account to the Microsoft store without the two platforms that merged in any way. This is currently already used to connect Steam with things like the EA app and Sony’s PlayStation platform, and this helps sync results and game programs.
If there is any emphasis on @extas1stv’s claims and Microsoft really tests this with its insider program, we could see some evidence coming in the coming weeks and months. Keep an eye on updates.
