Microsoft's UWP: The End of Console Wars?

As with any large community, there is bound to be disagreement, and the gaming community is no different. For gamers, the term "console wars" is one likely to make blood boil in defensiveness or heads shake in annoyance. This so called war is really just a dispute over which of the two popular consoles is better: Sony's Play Station or Microsoft's Xbox. These two consoles often have exclusive games and similar new hardware developments that compete for a spot in the homes of gamers around the world. The war, as silly as it may seem, represents the competitiveness (or not lack of competitiveness if you consider only two companies are truly competing) of the industry.

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However, on the sidelines sits a different kind of system, the PC, that is more flexible and able to play most console games. Because of its open capabilities, PC gamers have coined themselves the "PC Master Race," a term used both jokingly and seriously by Internet users. 

Steam has been the most commonly used PC gaming application, gathering all of the game launchers in one library for easy access, and allowing users to easily find and purchase games and items through the store.  Run by Valve, the application is the hub of PC gaming, acting as both as a gaming access point and social media where users can create profiles, add their friends, join groups, and create discussions. 

Microsoft, which has largely focused on console gaming with the Xbox, has decided to step into the PC gaming world by using its new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) to combine Xbox One and PC experiences. According to Keith Stuart from the Guardian, head of the Xbox division Phil Spencer claimed two weeks ago that the UWP would allow crossplay between the console and PC and that the company had plans to create an Xbox app for Windows 10 users to do just that.

However, Spencer stated that the UMP technology is not necessarily meant to "unify", but to allow Microsoft to get a foot into the PC gaming industry. With the UWP, users could have access to titles through Microsoft's Window's Store, and developers could create UWP compatible titles to be distributed by Microsoft. The Windows Store is seeking to become a competitor of Steam. 

Despite Spencer's statements, the platform does allow for greater interaction between PC and the Xbox, which could be a good thing for console gamers seeking greater flexibility when it comes to their game play. Developers too will have an easier time porting games between console and PC, so long as they are designed to be UWP compatible, perhaps ending the competition between consoles and PC's. 

But not everyone is thrilled about the new software. The CEO of Epic Games Todd Sweeny criticized the initiative in an article on March 4, claiming it may be "the first apparent step towards locking down the consumer PC ecosystem and monopolising app distribution and commerce." Sweeny expressed worry over the Windows Store; he claimed the default settings for the UWP required that users purchase games and apps through the store and not the developer sites, potentially limiting the direct relationships between consumers and developers. While this setting can be turned off, it is not easy to get to for the average PC user. If true, this could also affect mods, since many are developed by the game's fan base and may not follow the Windows distribution model.

After expressing his concern over the UWP, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Windows Kevin Gallo claimed, "The Universal Windowns Platform is a fully open ecosystem, available to every developer, that can be supported by any store." While this claim contradicts Sweeny's criticism of the exclusivity of the platform, users and developers alike will have to wait and see how the UWP will affect gaming as it develops.