Microsoft may be taking a major step toward unifying its gaming ecosystem. According to journalist and insider Jazz Cordain, the company is rumored to be developing an emulation system that would allow some Xbox games, including the recently released ROG Xbox Ally, to run natively on Windows devices. Cordain discussed this potential development on the latest episode of the Xbox Two podcast and further elaborated on it in the Xbox Era Discord community, suggesting that this technology could make the Xbox Ally experience "closer to a real Xbox" by late 2025 or early 2026. ,

In the Xbox Era Discord channel, Cordain stated, "Those who claim that Xbox Ally doesn't run real Xbox games and therefore isn't an Xbox device will likely be disproven next year." He added, "I've heard they're working on an emulator that would allow at least some real Xbox games to run on Windows PCs, similar to the Xbox 360 backward compatibility emulator." Cordain also noted that Microsoft needs to obtain authorization from publishers and developers before making specific games compatible, meaning not all Xbox games will be supported at launch.

This discussion originally took place on the Xbox Two podcast, where Cordain discussed the ROG Xbox Ally user experience and its potential for future improvements. "When we talk about the console experience, it's all about click-to-play. And Xbox Ally doesn't deliver that right now," he explained. Cordain described existing devices as "still essentially PCs that require manual optimization," but hinted at changes coming: "I've heard there will be some exciting updates to Xbox Ally over the next year that will bring it closer to the Xbox experience."

When asked whether this evolution would occur through Microsoft's "Play Anywhere" initiative or emulation technology, Cordain explicitly stated, "Emulation technology." He clarified that the company appears to be exploring solutions similar to backward compatibility, allowing more Xbox games to run directly on Windows. While Cordain emphasized that his comments should be viewed as rumors rather than official confirmation, his comments suggest Microsoft may be developing built-in emulation technology similar to Xbox 360 compatibility.

If these reports are true, this would be a major milestone in Microsoft's cross-platform strategy, potentially integrating devices like Xbox Ally into the Xbox family. However, Cordain urged caution, emphasizing that "this is still speculation, not confirmation." Nevertheless, his comments have reignited discussions about the future direction of Xbox in areas such as portability, compatibility, and the integration of console and PC gaming.