Control is the name of the game! The newly refreshed Microsoft Store may have been adding new features constantly, but the repository still had some major restrictions.
Redmond eased some of them for developers recently, and now the company is doing the same for users as well. More specifically, players who buy and download games from the Microsoft Store are about to get what they have wanted for ages.
That means full control over the directories where the games are installed and support for mods.
Xbox chief Phil Spencer promised these abilities several years ago, but we are only now about to receive them.
That’s because, according to The Verge, Microsoft is internally testing, giving users complete control over the directories where their games are installed. Meaning, users will be able to move game to any folder of their choice, or even mod them without a fuss.
As Jason Beaumont, partner director of experiences at Xbox, put it:
“With great PC games like Back 4 Blood, Age of Empires IV, Forza Horizon 5, and Halo Infinite on day one with Game Pass, we wanted to provide players with more options to customize their experience in the Xbox app. We’ll continue to share updates as we launch additional features.”
Players will be allowed to choose custom installation folders and drives and even back up their games.
This freedom will be enabled through an update for the Xbox app for the PC and goes for games installed from both the Store or via Xbox Game Pass for PC. Once implemented, these customization options would make the platform comparable to apps like Steam that already offer such freedom.
Not yet clear when these new capabilities will be rolled out for gamers who utilize the Microsoft Store, but it should not be far off.
Not when we already got our hands on titles like Age of Empires IV and Forza Horizon 5, with a blockbuster in the form of Halo Infinite on the horizon.