Native gaming via Xbox app arrives on Windows on Arm with latest update

A new update for the Xbox app has arrived for the Arm-based Windows devices. One of the key highlights of the latest version is that it allows the compatible Arm PCs to download and run games natively. Before this, these computers were only able to run games locally through other storefronts like Steam.

Of course, the Xbox app for Windows on Arm did offer some gaming capabilities before the update. It allowed users to stream games. Even the official Microsoft Store puts some similar restrictions in place, only allowing cloud streaming for the majority of the games.

Microsoft has also mentioned that it's working to add new features to expand the compatibility of games on Arm-based Windows devices. This expanded support is expected to land in the coming months, and it could finally make the Arm Windows PCs a viable pick for gaming.

With this, Microsoft may also be hinting at a major push in terms of hardware for Windows on Arm devices (8-core Snapdragon X Plus-equipped Asus Vivobook 14 curr. $656.99 on Amazon). Nvidia is apparently working on an Arm-based SoC, which was seemingly spotted on Geekbench as the N1X. Compared to the current Arm offerings, Nvidia's rumored offering is reported to be better-equipped for gaming, matching the exact CUDA core count as the RTX 5070 desktop GPU.

As for the CPU of the Nvidia N1X SoC, it's said to be competitive, but given that the firmware and drivers are in the early stages, the CPU performance is not deemed to outclass the current top-end offerings from Intel and AMD.

Getting back to the updated app that allows native gaming, users need to be enrolled in the Xbox Insider and Windows Insider programs to download it. It can be downloaded through the Insider Hub, where it's available under the "Previews" tab.