Officially, we don’t have a concrete idea of what the next generation of console hardware will look like from either PlayStation or Xbox. Unofficially, at least on the Xbox side of things, we’re seeing plenty of hints that what’s in store for the next-gen Xbox is a sort of PC/console hybrid, a device that will try to take the flexibility of PC when it comes to having your gaming library from multiple launchers and digital stores available, with the ease-of-use that comes with a console.
Spotted by Windows Central, the new features added to the Xbox Game Development Kit (Xbox GDK) point to Microsoft and Xbox preparing for that rumored future device, with a few standout features which, if you think about how developers and players would use them, you’d end up asking yourself, ‘why add this feature if not to prepare for a future where the next Xbox is essentially a PC?’
A nearly 10-minute video from the Microsoft Game Dev YouTube channel goes into great detail on the key features in the October 2025 GDK update, which you can check out below.
Some of the key features highlighted in the video include PlayFab Game Saves, which is a feature that lets players access their game save files between Xbox and Steam. Yes, individual games already support cross-progression between PC and consoles, but those all use their own individual systems. This is closer to an extension of Xbox’s Cloud Save solution, but including game saves from Steam as well, with plans to add more platforms in the future.
Xbox Game Package Manager is another noteworthy feature, because it is intended to help developers streamline the process for supporting Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere initiative, which is a key element to Xbox expanding its reach to let players play their games where they want, whether through Cloud Gaming, PC, console, or PC handheld devices like the recently released ROG Xbox Ally.
Another new feature, Cross-Platform Gaming Runtime, is specifically meant to make it easier for developers to let players send game invites through Xbox’s social features while playing games on other platforms. Essentially, letting someone on Steam send you an invite through your Xbox invites. Lastly, GameInput is a feature intended to unify controller models from your controller, keyboard and mouse under one interface, and featuring full parity with PC.
Again, none of this necessarily confirms that the next-gen Xbox will be the PC/console hybrid that’s been rumored, but features like PlayFab Game Saves and Cross-Platform Gaming Runtime lead you to wonder why they’d be implemented at all if not for this next-gen Xbox/PC.
New Features In The Xbox Game Dev Kit Further Point To Next-Gen Xbox Being A PC/Console Hybrid
