The next Xbox console is a ‘premium’ system which shares some of ‘the thinking’ behind the ROG Xbox Ally, Sarah Bond says
Reports have suggested the next console could be a hybrid system which also supports PC games
Xbox president Sarah Bond has suggested the next Xbox console will share some of the “thinking” behind the recently released Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handhelds.
In an interview with Mashable, it was put to Bond that the next Xbox console is rumoured to be a hybrid system capable of playing both Xbox console games and PC games.
While Bond wouldn’t be drawn into confirming or denying this, her reply did suggest that the next Xbox system will have a high price point and will share at least some things in common with the ROG Xbox Ally devices.
“Well, I can tell you you’re right, that the next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” Bond replied.
“You’re starting to see some of the thinking that we have in this handheld, but I don’t want to give it all away.”
It’s not clear whether this is the “thinking” that Bond is referring to, but the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds – which are essentially handheld Windows PCs – offer players the ability to not only access the PC version of the Xbox store, but also other stores such as Steam, the Epic Games Store and GOG.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer discussed something similar in an interview last year, before it was publicly known that the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds were in the works.
In an interview with Polygon, Spencer said he would like to see other digital storefronts appearing on Xbox consoles in the future, and that he’d like to break down the walled gardens that limit players to only buying console games through that console’s official digital store.
When asked if this meant he could see a future where other third-party stores like the Epic Games Store or itch.io could end up on Xbox, Spencer said he could, citing the way Microsoft handles Windows as an example.
“[Consider] our history as the Windows company,” he explained. “Nobody would blink twice if I said ‘hey, when you’re using a PC, you get to decide the type of experience you have [by picking where to buy games]’. There’s real value in that.”
Back in February 2024, Xbox promised that its next console would be “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”.
Further reading
Earlier this month, tech YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead posted a video showing what he claims to be the main processor for the next Xbox console, stating that he too believes Microsoft is reportedly positioning the next Xbox console to be a hybrid system capable of not only playing games on the Xbox Store, but also PC games on other stores.
“It should be stronger than the PS6, but at the same time, it will also be more expensive because of this larger size and its use of bridge dies and likely a larger RAM capacity compared to the PS6, at least if it wants to work well as a PC console hybrid,” he explained.
VGC’s Asus ROG Xbox Ally X review suggested that should the next Xbox console move to a similar multi-store system, it could provide the “change in direction Microsoft needs to differentiate its product from PlayStation consoles.
“If this is indeed the next step in Xbox’s journey, then it’s certainly a positive one, and if the speculation that the next Xbox console will be a console/PC hybrid turns out to be true, if it’s handled as well as this then I’ll be all for it,” we concluded.
