One way or the other it’s been simply over three years for the reason that Xbox Collection X launched. However right here we’re! It’s not stunning that Microsoft is already trying forward towards its fifth-generation console; these items take a very long time to develop. However the firm formally acknowledged growth on Thursday in its Official Xbox Podcast, the place Xbox president Sarah Bond stated Microsoft is focusing on “the most important technical leap you’ll have ever seen in a {hardware} technology, which makes it higher for gamers and higher for creators and the visions they’re constructing.”
She continued: “We’re additionally invested within the next-generation roadmap.” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer additionally spoke to The Verge in an interview printed alongside the podcast, the place he teased the “distinctive elements” of future Xbox {hardware}.
“I’m very pleased with the work that the {hardware} crew is doing, not just for this 12 months but in addition into the long run,” Spencer stated. “[We’re] actually desirous about creating {hardware} that sells to players due to the distinctive elements of the {hardware}. It’s form of an unleashing of the inventive functionality of our {hardware} crew that I’m actually enthusiastic about.”
Microsoft bumped up the timing on a sequence of bulletins after reviews and rumors got here out about the way forward for Xbox exclusivity and consoles. With little data obtainable, the general public began speculating, and ultimately, some discourse landed in a spot the place individuals thought Microsoft may cease making {hardware} altogether. Microsoft Gaming is the corporate’s third largest enterprise because of the Activision Blizzard merger, per its current monetary reviews, however it’s effectively behind Microsoft’s server and workplace divisions, each of which embody cloud providers. Console {hardware} is simply part of Microsoft’s gaming technique, and it’ll nonetheless clearly be an necessary a part of the model.
However nonetheless, the cyclone that was final week’s discourse obtained sufficiently big that Complicated wrote an article speculating whether or not Xbox was shutting down utterly.
Unsurprisingly, Microsoft didn’t share the rest on Xbox’s fifth-generation console, however it did tease a {hardware} announcement coming “this vacation.” It’ll be a part of what Microsoft known as its “strong and modern multi-year {hardware} roadmap.”
Now we have an concept of what’s to come back as a result of again in 2023, Microsoft leaked its personal confidential paperwork associated to its Federal Commerce Fee case. A type of paperwork, a presentation known as “Roadmap to 2030,” outlined Microsoft’s {hardware} lineup for 2024. The paperwork had been older however outlined refreshes of the Xbox Collection X and Xbox Collection S — probably the most dramatic of which was the disc-less Xbox Collection X. These paperwork additionally included specs for a brand new Xbox controller.
What’s nonetheless lacking from the image is an Xbox handheld, which has been rumored for a bit. Spencer advised The Verge he’s an enormous fan of handhelds, however that there’s nothing to announce.
