SAN FRANCISCO–Xbox head Phil Spencer revealed a new wireless adapter at Microsoft’s keynote session at the Game Developers Conference designed to make it easier for people to pick up cross-platform gaming with the launch of Windows 10.
The adapter will allow people to use the same wireless Xbox One controllers that they already own to control games on their PC. It’s a shift from the current state of controller use on Windows, which requires people to purchase a wired Xbox controller in order to play a game without using the keyboard and mouse.
The adapter should encourage both players and developers to take advantage of Windows 10’s cross-play functionality, which makes it possible for developers to build one core game and deploy it for both PC and Xbox One.
Developers who are building multiplayer games will be able to segregate players based on their choice of control schemes as well, meaning that they can match controller users with controller users and keyboard users with other players who use the keyboard and mouse.
Of course, there’s a lot we still don’t know about the adapter, like when it’s going to be available, what it will look like, or how much it will cost. But it is an important sign of Microsoft’s push to expand gaming across across Windows 10 devices with the launch of its new operating system.
