Xbox has teased its work on a next-generation console.
During the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Xbox president Sarah Bond said the company is “invested in the next-generation roadmap” in addition to continued support for the current-gen Series X and S consoles, which launched in November 2020.
“What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions that they’re building,” said Bond.
Bond also teased that the company has “exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday.” While this definitely won’t be this next-gen console, it may be one of the mid-generation hardware refreshes that was leaked last year. The most notable of these devices was an upgraded cylindrical Xbox Series X. However, Bond didn’t mention any of this during the podcast.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer also maintained that “hardware is a critical component” of “putting Xbox in the best position.” In a separate interview with The Verge, Spencer also alluded to its goals for upcoming hardware.
“[We’re] really thinking about creating hardware that sells to gamers because of the unique aspects of the hardware,” he said. He also played coy about whether Microsoft is working on a gaming handheld, following its support of mobile devices like smartphones and the Legion Go through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Spencer was even recently seen liking posts on X (Twitter) about a hypothetical Xbox handheld.
“I’m a big fan of handhelds,” said Spencer. “I’m a big fan, but nothing to announce.”
Xbox’s comments come amid concerns from fans that Microsoft was abandoning hardware amid rumours of its multiplatform game releases. While the company did confirm in the podcast that four of its games would be heading to other platforms, it also maintained that it’s not going to do that for every title.
Therefore, the company is teasing new hardware to reassure people that it is committed to releasing consoles. The only major change, according to Spencer, is that the idea of games being exclusive to single pieces of hardware has become far less important in recent years. “Over the next five or ten years, exclusive games, games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry,” he said.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Xbox confirmed that Diablo IV will be the first Activision Blizzard game to come to Xbox Game Pass.
Update: 15/02/2024 at 3:34pm ET — Added more details from the podcast.
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