Overview
- Microsoft’s new GameInput API unifies keyboard, mouse, Xbox gamepad, and custom controllers under one low-latency interface with full Windows parity.
- PlayFab Game Saves enters Preview to sync progress between Xbox and Steam, handling conflict resolution and offline play through PlayFab’s Game Manager.
- Cross-Platform Gaming Runtime lets titles on other storefronts call Xbox authentication and social features, enabling cross-platform invites and sessions.
- Xbox Game Package Manager consolidates XVC and MSIXVC packaging with validator auto-updates, and Microsoft is consolidating tooling under a modular PlayFab Unified SDK.
- The GDK now supports ARM64 and x64 attributes in a single build, while reporting notes slow adoption of Play Anywhere and visibility issues for some developers, and describes the Windows-based ROG Xbox Ally as a test bed for Microsoft’s PC-leaning direction.