Xbox's Best and Only Move Left Is to Become a PC
The next Xbox console will not be 'tied to a single store or device' and will probably be designed around Windows.
Your next Xbox device, whether it's a console, handheld, or some other strange, eldritch device with a glowing green 'X', may be a PC in everything but name. Xbox President Sarah Bond told the world this week that it was working on a sequel to the Xbox Series X console. Hell, there is a whole extended 'family' of devices bearing the Xbox name currently in the works. The announcement implied more than just new hardware. Microsoft's whole brand could shift to being more PC-like with a game-themed version of Windows at the helm. If you're anything like me, getting to play my Steam games on a custom console may be enough to make Xbox seem exciting again. As for Microsoft, the move may be the company's hail mary to stay relevant in today's shifting games market.
This new selection of hardware will all include processors designed by AMD. That's not surprising, considering the current Xbox Series X and S have a chip based on the company's Zen 2 microarchitecture—equivalent to the PlayStation 5. It implies AMD may make a whole family of chips for Xbox devices, but more likely they will be derivative of the company's current Zen 5 CPUs. AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme is a primary candidate, at least for any device that—in Bond's words—is 'always with you.'
Xbox's next generation of consoles is going to be a more open environment than it has been before, at least according to Microsoft. We still have yet to see any new Xbox-branded hardware other than the Asus ROG Xbox Ally. Instead, Bond said Microsoft wants a whole 'family' of Xbox devices that are still compatible with existing Xbox titles. All of them will offer 'an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device.' Wait, what? Does this really imply that we'll be able to use our Steam library on Xbox?
Such a move would be a big shift, but one that seems like the company's best bet going forward. Microsoft is planning to make the Xbox experience uniform across all the devices bearing the big 'X' logo. Microsoft already detailed how the new experience on Windows-based handhelds would be gaming-centric. This new version of Windows 11 dials back a whole slew of background tasks that would normally hinder gaming performance and puts the games front and center—all revolving around the Xbox app. If Microsoft wants to make everything continuous, where your Xbox experience is the same from handheld to console to PC, then everything would need to use Windows and allow for all the major third-party game launchers, from Steam to Epic Games Store to GOG.
This is a big change from what users are used to on Xbox Series X and Series S. That custom UI was built upon a legacy of console design dating back to the Xbox 360 'Blades' dashboard. Everything was specifically designed to be operated by a controller. The Xbox app, on the other hand, was first designed for mouse and keyboard, then modified to a small degree for thumbsticks and face buttons. It works, but it's not the kind of precise interface you should be able to find on a 7- or 8-inch display. Valve had several years to fine-tune its UI, and SteamOS with its horizontal-based layout is easier to navigate.
Microsoft spent the last five years relegating its hardware to a secondary status. In the time since the launch of the Series X, the tech giant has focused on building Game Pass up and positioning itself as the Netflix of video games. Microsoft dropped $69.8 billion (you can't possibly overstate how much money that is) to merge with Activision Blizzard—a strategy that, on paper, seemed to place way too much importance on getting Call of Duty onto its subscription service. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has constantly reiterated the company would focus on getting Game Pass onto other companies' consoles. Over the last few months, Microsoft allowed several once-exclusive titles onto PlayStation 5, including Forza Horizon 5 and upcoming titles like The Outer Worlds 2.
Xbox can't rely on software alone. The console maker reportedly hit more than 35 million total subscribers, though data from analyst firm Omdia from 2024 suggested subscription growth has slowed dramatically in recent years. Microsoft hiked Game Pass prices earlier this year, which likely won't help inspire growth. Beyond updated consoles with more storage, Microsoft didn't offer a peep about that cylindrical Xbox Series X pro-level device to compete with the PS5 Pro. Whatever comes next, it won't be pure competition for Sony or Nintendo. It's going to be a software-first vehicle with the game-centric version of Windows in the driver's seat.
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