I don’t think anyone has discussed this, but with the refresh of Xbox hardware being teased by Microsoft now (Summer 2025), it appears Steam content will be accessible on the upcoming Xbox OS, and Asus Xbox Ally handheld. I’m not sure if this is an OS thing that would also work on existing Xbox hardware.
In this clip from the Xbox Youtube Chanel (at 9:22) about the Ally handheld, they say:
What’s so special about the Xbox Ally, is that you can play all of the games that are available on Windows, from whatever storefront or launcher that be [sic]. All of them are available for you on the go. You don’t have to kick out to a bunch of different launchers. You go to one shared library and they’re all there for you.
A few people on Youtube who have tried the “PC Gaming” addon on Xbox (via the Xbox Insider Hub), do show Steam games, but they look like they are just links, and the games can play (I assume via streaming).
And some reporting:
Since Xbox discussed it in the context of the Ally handheld, I assume this means you have to have the steam content installed on a PC, and have a Windows User account that is an online account. I doubt it installs, it likely streams, the question is where is the instance of the game running? Your PC, or a cloud server?
I’d be curious to know if this means people who bought MSFS via Steam on PC, would then be able to switch to Xbox without having to buy via the Marketplace?
Microsoft has hinted that the next Xbox (or perhaps just the Xbox OS?) will be more like a PC (meaning, Windows), I also wonder if that will finally allow addons from outside the Marketplace in MSFS?
So many questions.