Xbox Ones will soon turn into Windows 10 dev kits

Today Microsoft made good on a promise that's been three years in the making: all Xbox Ones will soon transform into fully-fledged Windows 10 UWP devkits.

At Build 2016, Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced Dev Mode, a new free Xbox One function that allows devs to smoothly switch between coding on console and PC. The idea behind Dev Mode is to allow developers to make a single game that's compatible with Windows 10 PC's and Xbox Ones, thereby freeing up devs to focus on quality. Forza Motorsport: Apex is the first game to be build in the Xbox One UWP Dev Mode, and a single version can run on both PC and Xbox. "Windows 10 provides the most productive and efficient development platform for developers of all sizes," said Phil Spencer.

Dev Mode is currently available for members of the Xbox Preview Program to test out, but it won't be launched to the public until summer. Although it's free to download the Windows 10 Anniversary update to your Xbox One and enable Dev Mode, users will need to pay $19 to unlock the full suite of features. So essentially you're getting a "lite" version of Dev Mode for free.

If you plan to try out the new Dev Mode, be aware that you won't be able to use any apps or play games while the mode is running, but you can disable it. Plus it can even screw up your system: "Dev Mode will change the way your console operates and, at this time, may remove content you currently have downloaded."