Windows 10 Coming to Xbox One After PC

Microsoft is planning a phased rollout for its upcoming operating system, Windows 10. The new OS will debut first on PC this summer, following by versions for phones, Xbox One, HoloLens, and other devices later in the year. That's according to a new report from noted Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott, who attended a special event at Microsoft's Build conference in San Francisco today where the details were divulged.

Citing a conversation with Windows executive Joe Belfiore, Thurrott that Windows 10 will arrive for those non-PC platforms "according to their own schedules later in 2015."

Microsoft announced back in January that Windows 10 would be integrated into Xbox One by way of a future update. Xbox boss Phil Spencer assured fans at the time that when the Windows 10 Xbox One update arrives, it won't morph the games console into an enterprise-centric device.

How it will operate is unclear, and whether it will come with a dashboard rearrangement is not known.

"We won't see people using Excel on the Xbox, but Microsoft is making it easier to port experiences from PC over to Xbox where they make sense," Spencer said at the time.

Xbox One Preview Program members will get to try the new Windows 10 integration first. Spencer said on Twitter earlier this week that Preview Program members will be able to test it out "at least" a month before general availability. Access to the Xbox One Preview Program is available by invitation only.

When the update is applied, Xbox One owners will be able to stream their games to Windows 10 PCs. And the cross-device functionality doesn't stop there; Lionhead's upcoming RPG Fable Legends is coming to both Xbox One and PC, featuring cross-platform play.

In other Microsoft news this week from Build, the company signed a deal with game engine Unity for HoloLens, released some stunning HoloLens videos, gave its Internet Explorer replacement an official name, and projected that Windows 10 would reach one billion devices by 2018.

For lots more on Microsoft's Build event, which wraps up today, head to GameSpot sister site CNET.