A new store and possibly a cloud streaming service might debut alongside the new operating system in 2015

Oct 1, 2014 14:04 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 was officially revealed by Microsoft yesterday, and while a few details were confirmed by the corporation about the new operating system, a lot is still a mystery, including what sort of changes it might bring to the Xbox One console and gaming in general across platforms that will receive the OS.

Microsoft has confirmed that its next big operating system will be Windows 10 and that, once it launches next year, it will be available, in one form or another, on all the platforms the large corporation currently owns or produces software for, from the Lumia smartphones to the Surface tablets, PCs, and even the Xbox One.

Not a lot of details have been shared by the Redmond-based company, but some have pretty deep implications for gamers in general and Xbox One owners in particular.

The "One Store" policy means the Xbox Live Marketplace is changing

First up, as you can see in the promotional image above, one of the key policies for Windows 10 is the "One Store" and is placed right below a TV running an Xbox One console and a Kinect peripheral.

The implications are pretty clear, as it seems that, after seeing rumors appear ahead of the Xbox One's actual launch last year, Microsoft is finally going to bring together the stores of its different platforms, from the Xbox Live Marketplace to the Windows 8 App Store and the Windows Phone marketplace.

While this is still speculation, it's possible that Microsoft might also roll out its much-rumored cloud streaming system, so that all Windows 10 platforms can play Xbox One or PC games in the cloud and receive the gameplay on the user-owned devices, similar to OnLive, for example.

Expect a major overhaul of the Xbox One with the fresh OS

One thing is certain, however – the current Xbox One firmware is going away, as it will be replaced eventually by the Windows 10 operating system. As such, expect to see way more features in the software.

It will be tricky, though, to see how Microsoft handles the update process for the new operating system. While the desktop software receives patches every week, the Xbox One firmware has been updated every month in recent times, so a schedule and a non-cumbersome way of delivering the new features needs to be found.

Microsoft is set to launch Windows 10 next year, and for the gamers’ sake, let's hope it has big ideas in mind in order to further improve the Xbox One but also other platforms like the PC, smartphones, or tablets.