the Xbox

In other words, the Xbox One already is a Windows PC -- it just doesn't have PC apps yet. (It's never had PC apps, even though Microsoft originally marketed the Xbox as a Windows computer back in 2013.) When Microsoft unifies the Xbox and Windows app stores this summer, users will finally be able to download those apps -- including new arrivals Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram, also announced Wednesday at Microsoft's developer conference. (Microsoft will also finally let developers use the Xbox One as a devkit this year, fulfilling another long-standing promise.) Who would actually want to use an Xbox One as a regular Windows computer? That's an open question. But Microsoft seems to believe video games could help bridge the gap. Earlier this month, Microsoft committed to start bringing new games to Xbox and Windows simultaneously, instead of picking one or the other. That could mean gamers with powerful PCs won't need to buy an Xbox to play the latest Halo. But it could also mean those gamers will get used to buying their games from the Windows Store, at long last.