Microsoft is keeping its next-gen Xbox console plans under wraps, however it has suggested it can be ultra premium hardware.
The corporate has confirmed — as recently as earlier this month — that it still plans to follow the Xbox Series X and S with a next-gen console, and has announced an agreement with AMD to make it occur.
Microsoft has promised “next-level performance, cutting-edge graphics, breakthrough gameplay, and unmatched compatibility,” and said all the things it’s working on shall be “fully compatible” with users’ existing Xbox game library.
But how much will it cost, and just how powerful will or not it’s? In an interview with Mashable, Xbox president Sarah Bond talked in vague terms about what Microsoft goes for with its next-gen console, but did suggest it can be a premium hybrid PC and console.
“The subsequent-gen console goes to be a really premium, very high-end curated experience,” Bond said. “You are beginning to see a few of the pondering we’ve on this handheld [ROG Xbox Ally], but I don’t desire to provide all of it away.”
That’s a reference to the recently released ROG Xbox Ally X handheld, which costs $1,000. (In one other interview, Bond said this and the less powerful, $600 ROG Ally are ultimately Asus-made handhelds — and for this reason, Asus set the value.)
So, Xbox fans are actually wincing on the considered how expensive the next-gen console shall be, particularly within the context of recent price rises to Xbox Game Pass and the Xbox Series X and S.
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Xbox Games Series Tier List
The price of being an Xbox fan has been a hot topic in recent months. After announcing a jump to $80 for its games due out this holiday, Microsoft back-tracked to stick to $70 for the likes of The Outer Worlds 2.
But it surely’s price noting how much the Xbox Series X and S cost today, which perhaps gives us an idea of where Microsoft might go when the next-gen rolls around. In September, Microsoft increased the value of the Xbox Series X and S as follows:
- Xbox Series S 512GB: $399.99 (up $20 from $379.99)
- Xbox Series S 1TB: $449.99 (up $20 from $429.99)
- Xbox Series X Digital: $599.99 (up $50 from $549.99)
- Xbox Series X: $649.99 (up $50 from $599.99)
- Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition: $799.99 (up $70 from $729.99)
Earlier this yr, Microsoft was reported to be targeting a 2027 release window for each its next-gen Xbox and a Xbox handheld. On the time, it was said that the next-gen Xbox can be more like a PC than any Xbox before it, and would support third-party storefronts akin to Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG.
Prior comments from Bond have backed this suggestion up. “That is all about constructing you a gaming platform that is at all times with you, so you’ll be able to play the games you wish across devices anywhere you wish, delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to at least one device,” Bond said.
“That is why we’re working closely with the Windows team, to be sure that Windows is the primary platform for gaming.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.