If rumors are true, the next-generation Xbox will behave more like a PC than any of its predecessors have.
What’s the sitch?
According to a Windows Central report, the next Xbox will run full Windows and have a TV-optimized console interface. Players will reportedly have the choice to either remain with the Xbox interface or exit out to Windows for games normally not available on Xbox.
In that vein, the next-gen Xbox will reportedly support other stores. These could include Steam, Battle.net, and Epic Games Store.
The report also claims the new Xbox will be backward-compatible with all current and future Xbox Series S/X titles. It wouldn’t be through emulation, either–the console will reportedly run the games natively.
Finally, the new Xbox will reportedly remove the paywall for multiplayer.
Microsoft already confirmed it’s working on the new Xbox, but don’t be surprised if the company takes its time. Eight years passed between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and another seven years passed between the Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X.
Our take
There is a decent amount to dissect, so let’s begin with the software.
Microsoft has been working on the idea of a PC in your living room since the original Xbox in 2001. That said, the report makes it sound as if the company will finally execute on that vision.
It has been a long time coming for Microsoft. The current Xbox software in place since 2013 is based on Windows NT, but it’s very much a gated experience. The ability to play Steam titles on the next Xbox is an enticing proposal to many.
Helping matters is the supposed drop of the paywall for multiplayer. This is a no-brainer–PC players do not pay to play multiplayer, so it would be weird for Microsoft to force that cost for the next Xbox.
However, it seems all of this will come at a cost.
Xbox president Sarah Bond warned the next Xbox would be a premium experience. Microsoft can eat some of those costs due to its economics at scale, but with console prices increasing instead of decreasing, the next Xbox could be a pricier endeavor.
That is where Microsoft is taking the biggest risk, though the Xbox itself sounds like a risky endeavor.
No one has yet to make “PC in the living room” work. Several other companies have tried to no avail, in part because Windows still heavily depends on a keyboard and mouse for input.
Then there are the intangibles. Due to its thousands of layoffs and price increases for its Xbox hardware and Game Pass subscriptions, Microsoft is seemingly running out of goodwill. Whether people will continue to take a chance on the company remains to be seen.
Leave a Reply