Microsoft wants to build 'complete gaming ecosystem' by uniting PC and Xbox One

Microsoft wants to unite its PC and Xbox One platforms under one banner by using Universal Windows Applications (UWAs) to level the playing field. 

Speaking at a media event in San Francisco last week, as reported by The Guardian, Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, told onlookers that the company was now focused on "building out a complete gaming ecosystem for Universal Windows Applications.”

The Universal Windows Platform is a common development platform that lets apps run across any Windows 10 device - be it a PC, Xbox, tablet, or smartphone. By using the platform to create UWPs, Microsoft hopes to bridge the gap between its console and PC ecosystems. 

"In other [consumer technology] ecosystems you get more continuous innovation in hardware that you rarely see in consoles, because consoles lock the hardware and software platforms together at the beginning and they ride the generation out for seven years or so,” said Spencer, as reported by The Guardian.

"We’re allowing ourselves to decouple our software platform from the hardware platform on which it runs."

By decoupling its software platform, it's possible that the Xbox One could become more PC-like in nature, with Microsoft regularly updating the hardware without having to worry about how its software - built on the Universal Windows Platform - will be affected.

Reiterating its commitment to that cause, Microsoft went on to reveal that there'll be plenty of big hitters, such as Dark Souls III, Quantum Break, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition launching on Windows 10 later this year.

Interestingly, the company also unveiled Forza Motorsport 6: Apex, a free, specially "curated" version of the Xbox One racer that'll be arriving on Windows 10 in spring. 

"At Xbox we believe gamers should be able to play the games they want, with the people they want, on the devices they want,” added Spencer, speaking at the event. 

“Making more of our popular games available for gamers to play on either Xbox One or Windows 10 is another important step towards this vision."