Rumor: Universal apps coming to Xbox One in November

Microsoft plans to give developers the option to publish universal apps for the Xbox One from the end of this year: apps that also run on Windows 10. In May, the group would release a preview of the SDK for this.

Microsoft will reveal details of the combination of universal apps and the Xbox One at its Build conference in April. That claims The Verge based on sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans. A preview of an SDK for app development will be released in May and developers can get started with it in the summer.

This concerns all developers, while now only a select group of developers are allowed to make apps for the Xbox One. Those current apps will continue to run on the console, but Microsoft will switch to a platform for universal apps in November, which can therefore also run on Windows 10 platforms.

The developers are given the opportunity to have their apps tested. In addition, Microsoft will allow the development of apps that run in the background, such as music apps that continue to work while a user is gaming. It is still unclear what role Kinect will play in the arrival of universal apps.