Microsoft shows off the gaming experience in Windows 10 with Goat Simulator (Update)

Microsoft showed how the gaming experience will be like in Windows 10 with its Xbox app during the Game Developers Conference this week with the assistance of the PC version of Goat Simulator.

The "Gaming Consumer Experience on Windows 10" panel from GDC 2015 was posted on Microsoft's Channel 9 developer website. The speaker, Bill Schiefelbein, goes over how the Xbox app in Windows 10 is meant to be the social networking center for gamers so they can communicate and connect with their friends. Users can find gamers across all of Windows 10 devices, including smartphones and the Xbox One, or can they filter their friends to concentrate on a particular platform.

While a version of the Xbox Windows 10 app is available to check out in the current technical preview, the video shows off some features that have yet to be added to the public app. One of them is the Game DVR feature, which is similar to the one that is already available on the Xbox One. That feature was shown with a live demo of Goat Simulator, as users can record a snippet of gameplay and then upload it to the Internet so others can watch the hijinks. Keep in mind the Game DVR feature is only for the PC version of the Windows 10 Xbox app. The smartphone version of the same app won't have this feature at first, although its possible it might include it in a future update.

Another feature that was demoed in the video is the Game Bar, which can appear inside any Windows 10 PC game. It will allow the user to quickly take a screenshot, record a video clip and show notifications when a video recording is completed. The entire video is well worth checking out to get a feel of what the Windows 10 Xbox app will be like.

Update: This article previously said that the demo used a Windows 10 version of Goat Simulator when it fact it was using the current Windows version of the game running on Steam. Microsoft used this demo to prove that all games played on Windows 10 can use features such as Game DVR in the Xbox app.

Source: Channel 9; Thanks to Chris for the tip!

John Callaham