In case you haven't been checking out what Microsoft has been up to on the gaming front, the company has been hard at work turning everything you love into an Xbox. To achieve this, it uses a combination of methods to allow people to game on pretty much any device they want. The most obvious method is getting games on disks and in a downloadable format for PCs and consoles, but when it comes to things like phones and tablets, Microsoft set up an Xbox Cloud Gaming service that streams the game to your device. It's a handy way of playing games on weaker gadgets that don't have the processing power to render triple-A games at good framerates (or at all).

However, it seems that Microsoft is going a little further than just allowing you to stream your games onto any device. In fact, with its recent announcements, it seems more so that the Xbox brand is beginning to change into something different. In a few years' time, I won't be surprised if the term "Xbox" is no longer a reference to a console, but more like an experience.

The Xbox brand is already beginning to move past the console

It's not just an "Xbox" anymore

So, when you think of playing a game on a Nintendo or Sony system, you usually think of Switch 2 and PS5, right? I mean, what else are you going to game on? These two companies usually only have a console or two on the go, and if you want to play their games, you need to own one.

However, gaming on a Microsoft system isn't so cut and dry. Sure, you have the Xbox Series X and S, but people on PC have been enjoying games based on the Xbox brand, too. All you need to do is grab the Xbox Game Pass, and you can play games on both your console and your PC. And then, when you bring Xbox Cloud Gaming into the mix, now any supported device, such as a phone, a tablet, or a TV, can stream Xbox games.

The Xbox ROG Ally changes things up even more

Other storefronts are entering the mix

When Microsoft revealed the Xbox ROG Ally, it wasn't a total surprise. I mean, it was still cool to see that Microsoft was not only getting into the portable gaming business but that it wasn't too vain to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it used business ties with Asus to get the job done using the ROG Ally blueprint. However, we had heard rumblings of a Microsoft handheld for a while before the announcement, so it was a welcome addition, but not a total shocker.

However, the real kicker for me wasn't the hardware, but the software. To keep everything under one banner across all these new devices, Microsoft is creating what it calls an "aggregated gaming library." The idea is that you could be playing a game on your Xbox, then shut off the console and pick up where you left off on your phone using a library that "remembered" what you were playing a few minutes ago. It's like all your devices are connected to one big virtual console.

If we piece this information with the little nugget of info we reported on during the Xbox ROG Ally announcement:

During the presentation, it was claimed that the console will work with PC game stores like Windows PC, Battle.net, Steam, and GOG.

...now we're onto something much bigger. We're no longer looking at a library that just stores all your Xbox games for all your devices to use. Now we're stepping into the potential of having your Steam library on your Xbox Series X or S.

And if that's true, then what's stopping the reverse from happening? What's preventing Microsoft from taking all of its Xbox games and moving them onto PC via this new aggregated library system? That way, there are no more barriers between those on console and those on PC. Buy a game on one system and play it on another, no matter what they are.

Xbox isn't just a console anymore; it's Microsoft's entire gaming division for every device

We're going to see the word "Xbox" pop up a lot more

If the developments we learned from the Xbox ROG Ally mean what I think they mean, we're not going to just see hardware with an Xbox sticker slapped on it. There's a good chance that, if you want to game using Microsoft's systems, you'll have to go through some kind of Xbox-branded system.

Let's face it. Now that Microsoft is bringing all of the common storefronts under one banner, we will see an update to Windows 11 where the Xbox app becomes your one-stop shop for all of your games. Instead of opening Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG separately, you'll instead just open the Xbox app and load your games through that. Microsoft is going to bring all of these stores under a single banner, and if you don't want to use it, Microsoft is going to insist you do, because, I mean, this is Microsoft we're talking about. Of course, they're going to pester us about it.

Xbox is no longer just a box

The Xbox ROG Ally is a cool insight into what Microsoft wants to do with its gaming, but I think the truth goes a lot deeper than just asking third-party manufacturers to make a console with the word "Xbox" on it. I think that "Xbox" will stop being a predominantly hardware experience and will simply become a brand name associated with "gaming via Microsoft," whether you're booting up a console or just want to kill time with your Steam games.