It’s official—after spending pretty much the past year changing the “definition” of what an Xbox could be (as well as new hardware surprises), Microsoft has now confirmed that it’s working on the next generation of Xbox consoles, nearly five years after the launch of its current-gen Series S and X models. While the announcement has certainly generated a lot of excitement, the company has unfortunately not revealed too much info regarding the new system, but nevertheless, let’s go over what we can expect.
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It’s entirely understandable that at this stage, we’re not getting any concrete ideas on what the next Xbox’s design will look like. What we do know however is that Microsoft is working on the console in collaboration with AMD—yes, that AMD. Apparently, the two companies have entered into a multi-year agreement, which includes AMD designing components for first-party Xbox hardware. Microsoft didn’t exactly state if this would only be for consoles, but given that the new ASUS Xbox handhelds also run on AMD processors, the possibilities are endless.
As for specifications, it’s too early to tell at the moment, with the company only saying that it will feature “next-level performance, cutting-edge graphics, breakthrough gameplay, and unmatched compatibility”. Microsoft’s official Xbox YouTube channel did publish a video with Xbox Division President Sarah Bonds stating that the company is investing in its “next-generation hardware lineup across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories.” This is apparent given that the company has only recently announced its new ASUS-designed handheld series, the ROG Xbox Ally.
In case you somehow missed it, the company unveiled its first-ever (and proper) gaming handheld with the ROG Xbox Ally series—there’s the ROG Xbox Ally which comes with modest specs, although you can also opt for a more souped-up Xbox Ally X which supports a higher 1080p resolution display. Both devices do look very similar with 7-inch displays with 120Hz refresh rates, and a design that borrows heavily from ASUS’ “standard” ROG Ally handhelds, albeit with sizeable grips included in the mix. They launch later during the holiday season as well.
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Going back to the next-gen Xbox platform, Microsoft adds that backwards-compatibility will of course be included with the console, stating that it will be compatible with users’ existing libraries. We’re assuming that this also extends to cloud gaming services, as well as platforms such as Microsoft’s Game Pass service. No release date has been mentioned at the moment either, but rumours predict that Microsoft might unveil it sometime in 2027.
