As expected, Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that its upcoming Xbox One game console will have a version of the Windows 8 kernel installed, alongside a version of the Xbox OS plus a "bridge" operating system that helps the other two work together.
So does that mean that any and all apps made for Windows 8 could run on the Xbox One? Sadly, that does not seem to be the case. ZDNet reports, via unnamed sources, that Microsoft will have to invite apps to be part of the Xbox One family, just like they are on the current Xbox 360. That means app makers can't simply upload and submit their software to an "Xbox One Store" as they can with Windows 8 or Windows Phone platform.
Some Xbox One apps, such as Xbox Music and Xbox Video, are based in part on their Windows 8 counterparts, but ZDNet.com claims their source says the Xbox One versions will be customized so they can also work with the Xbox One controller and the Kinect sensor, along with the Xbox One UI.
The Windows 8 kernel on the console is considered to be a "shared" partition that can run multiple apps at once on a custom virtual machine. The Xbox OS also has its own partition but it is only for games and can only run one game at a time.
One more interesting thing is that the API for the Windows 8 core of the Xbox One is called WinXRT internally at Microsoft. The PC version of Windows 8 uses the WinRT API and the Windows Phone version has the WinPRT label.
Source: ZDNet.com | Image via Microsoft
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