Xbox President Sarah Bond has confirmed that Microsoft's next-generation console is in development. There's been no shortage of rumors and speculation surrounding the company's future console plans, especially amid recent pricing controversies and the launch of its ASUS-made handheld. Many details about the next-gen Xbox are still a mystery, but fans now know that something is up at Microsoft after all.
Gaming hardware as a whole has struggled to sell as well as in the past, apart from a few notable exceptions like the Nintendo Switch 2. Tariffs and other macroeconomic factors have also cast doubt on affordability, leading some to believe that big changes are in store for future systems. Some have even claimed that the next-gen Xbox was no longer a certainty, although Microsoft has denied these rumours. Now players have some additional clarity from the company.
Xbox president Sarah Bond confirms that Microsoft is currently developing its next-generation console
In an interview with Variety, Bond said “we have our next-generation hardware in development,” while outlining some of Xbox's plans beyond its recently released handhelds. While she didn't go into specifics, she did mention that the company has at least begun designing and creating prototypes. Bond also said that Xbox is partnering with AMD on the project and will make an announcement about that partnership shortly. Big AMD-related news would be in line with a previous leak that claims AMD is making the biggest APU ever for the next-gen Xbox, which will help the console surpass the PlayStation 6, which will also run on AMD components.
During the interview, Bond also hinted at future hardware beyond the successor to the Xbox Series X and S. The Xbox boss said the company has recognized an opportunity “to give gamers another choice, apart from our next-gen hardware.” This could refer to an in-house produced handheld, although Xbox is rumored to have scrapped its first-party handheld after AMD wanted a staggering production target to make SoCs for the system. Of course, these are just rumors, but there are also many ways the company could offer gamers more choices outside of another portable console. Fans will have to wait for more official information to know for sure what Bond was proposing.
Whatever the future of Xbox consoles looks like, the company has an uncertain road ahead. On the one hand, Xbox Game Pass set a new revenue record in fiscal 2024, but hardware revenue fell 22% over the same period. Microsoft is also facing public backlash over price increases for both its hardware and subscription services, so it will be interesting to see if and how these trends affect the launch of the next-gen Xbox and whatever else might come with it.
- Stamp
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Microsoft
- Original release date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499 USD
- Operating system
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Proprietary (Windows based)
- Processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz
- Resolution
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720p – 4K UHD
Source: Variety
