Don’t worry, Xbox remains in the hardware game
Somehow, it’s been a little over three years since the Xbox Series X launched. But here we are! Unsurprisingly, Microsoft is already looking ahead to its fifth-generation console; These things take a long time to develop. But the company officially acknowledged the development on Thursday in its official Xbox Podcast, which Xbox is president of Sarah Bond said Microsoft focuses on “the biggest technical leap you’ll ever see in a hardware generation, making it better for players and better for creators and the visions they build.”
She continued: “We have also invested in the next generation roadmap.” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer also spoke to The Verge in an interview published alongside the podcast, in which he teased the “unique aspects” of future Xbox hardware.
“I’m very proud of the work the hardware team is doing, not only for this year but for the future,” said Spencer. “(We’re) really thinking about making hardware that sells to gamers because of the unique aspects of the hardware. It’s kind of unleashing the creative capabilities of our hardware team that I’m really excited about.”
Microsoft increased the timing of a series of announcements after reports and rumors emerged about the future of Xbox exclusivity and consoles. With little information available, the public began to speculate, and eventually some discourse got to the point where people thought Microsoft might stop making hardware altogether. Microsoft Gaming is the company’s third largest thanks to its merger with Activision Blizzard. according to recent financial reports, but it lags far behind Microsoft’s server and office divisions, both of which include cloud services. Console hardware is just one part of Microsoft’s gaming strategy, and it will clearly still be an important part of the brand.
Yet the cyclone discussed last week became so large that Complex wrote an article speculating whether it was Xbox shut down completely.
Unsurprisingly, Microsoft hasn’t shared anything else on Xbox’s fifth-generation console, but it did tease a hardware announcement coming “this holiday.” It will be part of what Microsoft called its “robust and innovative multi-year hardware roadmap.”
We have an idea of what’s in store because in 2023, Microsoft leaked its own confidential documents related to the Federal Trade Commission case. One of those documents, a presentation called “Roadmap to 2030,” outlined Microsoft’s hardware lineup for 2024. The documents were older, but outlined innovations to the Xbox Series X. Those documents also include specifications for a new Xbox controller.
What’s still missing from the picture is an Xbox handheld, which has been rumored for a while. Spencer told The Verge that he’s a big fan of handhelds, but there’s nothing to announce.