Why ‘Quantum Break’ Hitting Both Xbox One and Windows 10 Is A Great Move By Microsoft

As the Inquisitr previously detailed, former Xbox One exclusive Quantum Break will also be launching on Windows 10 this April. This feels like a long time coming for the title, as Microsoft has previously stated how much they wish to truly support PC gaming. Releasing a major exclusive — the first Xbox One exclusive game, revealed way back in 2013 — is a great step in the right direction.

When Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, took the stage at PC Gamer’s“PC Gaming Show” last June during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), he promised that Microsoft would be supporting PC gamers with real, triple-A quality titles on the platform. While Quantum Break wasn’t in the conversation back then, PC gamers hoped that when Microsoft made that claim, they meant that some of the platform’s major games would also release on PC. While no one has heard anything about Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on PC since that time, Quantum Break is a great step in the right direction.

This isn’t necessarily to praise Microsoft for doing this, per se. Yes, releasing Quantum Break on both platforms is something that Microsoft might have balked at a few years ago — as well as offering both versions for the price of one. However, what this shows is that when Phil Spencer stated that they were committed to PC gaming and its vastly larger player base, he didn’t just mean that games like Fable Legends or Project Spark would make the cut. And the fact that Rise of the Tomb Raider was recently released to universal acclaim on the platform, hoping for a good port of Quantum Break isn’t necessarily far-fetched.

The minimum and recommended specs point to a game that may be no slouch in terms of what it needs to run on PC, as well. Quantum Break may also very well be the first triple-A title on the PC to run DirectX 12 exclusively, meaning it’ll finally be time for gamers themselves to see what improvements to game performance the new API brings to bear. The system specs, provided by Microsoft, point to some powerful hardware needed to run Quantum Break at its peak.

Additionally, the added feature of cross-save is something Microsoft should be doing with every major release on the platforms, especially since Windows 10 and Xbox One are essentially linked thanks to Xbox Live and the shared profile across both platforms. More games that Microsoft launches in the future need to have this basic feature, so players can seamlessly switch between devices and truly “play the games they want, with the people they want on the devices they want.” Quantum Break is a step in the right direction, and hopefully will not be singled out in this case. More games are coming with cross play functionality — not just on Xbox and PC with Street Fighter V looming around the corner on PS4 and PC — and cross-saving is a feature being done already for years via Sony’s line-up of systems.

However, cross buying Quantum Break should be a feature, regardless of whether you pre-order or not. As the Inquisitr detailed, if you pre-order Quantum Break on Xbox One through the Xbox Store or other retailers, you will receive a Windows 10 store voucher for the PC version from now until launch. As Sony has proven with cross-buy between PlayStation 4, PS3, and PlayStation Vita, cross-buy is a feature that works and players love. Rather than being forced to buy a game on all platforms, making Quantum Break fully cross-purchasable can go a long way to building brand loyalty — to both the Xbox One and Windows 10 brand. Whether Quantum Break will also be available on Steam remains to be seen. When I reached out to Microsoft for comment, they simply replied that “Quantum Break is being developed by Remedy exclusively for Xbox One and Windows 10.”

The way Quantum Break is being released is a great sign for things to come, potentially. For Microsoft to truly win the hearts of PC gamers, this needs to be the new norm. Triple-A titles need to consistently be released day-and-date with their Xbox One counterparts. They need to support cross save and (hopefully) cross-buy functionality. And Quantum Break cannot be the most high profile Xbox One exclusive to hit Windows 10. They need to make the major Halo titles also available. Yes, Halo Wars 2 is a thing, but PC players want a true Halo experience. Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo 5: Guardians would be proof positive that Microsoft truly cares about the PC platform and is in it to win gamers over.

Quantum Break will hit on April 5 for both Xbox One and Windows 10. Do you feel today’s Quantum Break news is a good sign for things to come? Sound off with your comments and thoughts below.

[Images via Microsoft, Quantum Break]