A new Xbox console is on the way, and while we don’t know when it’ll be released, we’re being promised something pretty ambitious; with Xbox president Sarah Bond saying that we will be witnessing “the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.”
The Xbox Next was finally announced during a special episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, which was hosted by Bond, Head of Xbox game studios Matt Booty, and Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer.
Bond also teased that there is “some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday.”
But what is this about?
Many are speculating that it might be a handheld Xbox console to compete with Steam Decks and the Nintendo Switch, and Bond definitely built the hype by promising during the podcast that the “next-generation” of Xbox hardware is on the way.
“We’re also invested in the next-generation road map,” she added. “What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap that you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.”
Xbox remain committed to hardware
In a tweet on the official Xbox account, the company reiterated its commitment to hardware, adding that “Xbox hardware will also continue to be a flagship experience for players and for game developers to launch games on with a robust and innovative multi-year hardware roadmap, including more console and controller options for you this holiday.”
This all means that the biggest games in the world will be available on Xbox, with continued Game Pass day one releases, a multi-year hardware roadmap, and a commitment to a player-first platform. We are here to help game creators reach the largest audience possible. The biggest…
— Xbox (@Xbox) February 15, 2024
This comes after Spencer reiterated the company’s commitment to hardware in an interview with The Verge, adding that he was “very proud of the work that the hardware team is doing, not only for this year, but also into the future. “[We’re] really thinking about creating hardware that sells to gamers because of the unique aspects of the hardware. It’s kind of an unleashing of the creative capability of our hardware team that I’m really excited about,” he added.