I am talking about technical issues here. I am perfectly familiar with them.
The main problem is going to licensing in a "console". To run actual Xbox games and not just PC games, MS will have to satisfy publisher agreements, hence why I think there will be separation.
I highly doubt MS will do anything remotely close to dual booting though. Publishers don't get to decide which OS MS runs on Xbox consoles, as long as the device is Xbox branded and locked down to prevent piracy. MS has the ability to run full Windows 12 Home OS, then lock it down similar to S-mode, remove desktop mode, and load up the Xbox OS Shell while still retaining access to other PC stores.
They will only be running one primary OS, they may run multiple subsystems, like loading Xbox OS as a subsystem if needed. But, it will all be as seamless as things already existing on Windows PCs.
Would you like to guess how quick resume works right now on series X?
My understanding is Microsoft has already solved the virtualization challenge on Xbox OS. The quick resume is basically a suspended VM snapshot stored to SSD. Load it back and the game had no idea it was ever suspended. Without virtualization already in place, all of this would be an absolute nightmare to manage. It's why Sony can never replicate the functionality. PS5 wasn't architected that way.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel and implement all that again in Windows 11. They would just have to extend the existing virtualization features to support a trimmed down, regular windows desktop environment so they can launch a PC game from its respective storefront.
Just guessing as I have no idea how they are actually implementing it. But there is nothing stopping them from taking the virtualization route to achieve their goal for the console. You get the best of both worlds with a secure, closed console that can also play PC games.
Yes, all XDK, GDK, GDKX created games run in a Type 1 Hypervisor (low level VM). What would they be implementing in full windows when those exact mechanisms already exist for 6 years?
You seem to totally misunderstand my point. There is no need to virtualize full windows on a console, lol. Series Consoles already have the windows subsystem, aka the win32 app model environment. GDK and GDKX create MSIXVC packaged Win32 games that run inside the Type 1 hypervisor, on BOTH PCs and Consoles.
Desktop Edge browser on Consoles is a Win32 app. It is running inside a container (another low level VM without OS overhead). Consoles already can run win32 apps and games, PCs already run MSIXVC packaged PC Xbox games.
Simba, everything the GDK
touches creates is an Xbox game. Xbox OS is technically just Windows GameCore OS, it is designed to be modular, MS can add or strip whatever is necessary for it. They don't need dual booting, virtualization, emulation, translation, or porting, in order to run PC games on consoles, or run console (One and Series) games on Xbox PC (with Magnus).
The Windows 11 NT kernel handles multiple types of programming APIs (Win32, WinRT), multiple types of app models and app environments (unpackaged Win32, UWP, MSIXVC packaged Win32 aka GDK), so adding XDK and GDKX games to the same kernel doesn't require separate OS, either virtualized or dual booted. The kernel can handle everything simultaneously and seamlessly, just like it currently happens on Windows 11 Home. MS only runs things in hypervisors or containers for security or abstraction and easy management.
These things need to be clarified, I imagine there could be some restrictions on what you can do, in exchange for more console like experience?
Devs can put Xbox magnus profile in games that automatically load when game detects the hardware, something like that.
Two restrictions are obvious, no Desktop mode and file system access on Consoles.
Magnus profiles in what games, Steam/Epic or Xbox games?
