Pc Version Through Xbox/microsoft Store, Help And Advice Regarding Switch From Console

As someone with a lot (too much!) money invested in Xbox DLC, it seems my best bet as and when I get totally fed up with the limitations of the console version, is to switch to the PC version via the Xbox app.

In theory this seems great, as I purchased all my content through Microsoft store and so it can all come with me across platforms, but I wanted to figure out in my mind exactly what this means.

I assume I then have the PC version of the game and all the DLC, but how does this differ from the versions you can purchase from Steam etc, or does it?

Am I losing any functionality (from Steam version), what are the pros/cons, is modding still possible using the same mods (I guess the destination paths would be slightly different), do you get the same patches on the same schedule as the Steam version etc...

Any info from those with experience in this would be much appreciated.

 

MS Store, Epic Store, and Steam versions of the game are all functionally the same.

Some file structure details may differ in where precisely it puts stuff, but you should still be able to use all the same mods, as long as you know where to put the files.

As an XBox Play anywhere title, your owned DLC, saves and profiles will carry over from your XBox version (this works both directions as the game essentially becomes cross-platform between the two with shared save functionality).

Patches will be on the schedule of the storefront in question, validation processes can differ between them.

 

Thank you.

Any pros and cons you can think of other than the obvious ones of already owning all the content with microsoft?

 

Steam seems to have more sales for future purchases which could be a pro depending how deep invested you are in xbox. But switching also means losing all your progress which is a big con if you care about that. Would be great if DTC implemented cross progression to remove that negative. Also instructions for mod tend to be designed for steam players but as said above you can usually make them work through some experimentation

 

I switched from Xbox console to Xbox PC version. It works fine and most mods work.

However ultimately I switched to Steam and abandoned my Xbox investment. The reason being, more sales. By buying Steam Keys (from Instant Gaming and CD Keys) for older versions and waiting for sales, I was able to replace most of my DLC pretty cheaply.

I will say though that this was back around TSW 3 time. So I didn't have so much to replace. With the amount of DLC out there now, I would probably just stick with the Xbox version.

 

Yeah, how much you've spent/are willing to is a big factor. Though you can slowly build stuff up to restore what you had on another store at £5/route over time with steam sales being what they are vs other platforms.

 

Put it this way.

My current investment in TSW for Xbox, is a fair bit more than the console itself cost!!!

 

The only difference is that the Steam version can be run in DX12 mode. This improves performance slightly and reduces stuttering.

 

Isn't the xbox app version DX12 by default?

*Edit* Seems that it's no longer supported

 

You can try contacting Microsoft to report the game not launching with the -DX12 flag. Other flags work (for example -HTTPAPI or how it is written to access the API). It's possible the issue is with the client, as Steam and the Epic version launch without issue with the required flag.

 

With Microsoft moving away from Xbox consoles as we know now, I'm in the same boat. Moving to PC with the Xbox app would be the cheapest option to keep al my TSW content. However most of my other games are not Play Anyware, so if I want to play those games, I need to rebuy them anyway. For sure this will not be on the Xbox store for PC, as Microsoft is very good at giving their customers a slap on the face and also buying on Steam has more advantages over the Xbox Store.

Besides this, I also hate Windows because of bloated, resource hungry and slow. So switching to Linux for gaming is in my mind, using Steam and Proton. I'm already a Linux user, so not a big step for me. Other option is to give up on gaming as I do now (Xbox connected to a monitor) and switch to something like a Steamdeck or even a Nintendo Switch. I'm also a Farming Simulator player, with FS25 coming to Switch, this is also an option for me. Yes I will loose my access to TSW, but I even don't know what the future of TSW is.

So there seems to change a lot about gaming for me in the near furture and I don't know yet what it's gonna be for me. With Microsoft pulling the plug of consoles as we know now, it's a slap in my face after investing in a game libary. This is making me not wanting to invest in any Microsoft product or service at all. In the past they pulled the plug from Windows Phone/Mobile which I was using, this was the first slap in my face from Microsoft. So with this second slap from Microsoft, I don't trust them anymore at all, what is next, pulling the plug from the Xbox Store too, because no one want to buy games on there?

End of rant on Microsoft.