The next stationary next Xbox will be based on the latest handhelds from the cooperation with Asus and will practically become a PC for the living room. A full-fledged Windows runs on it, which can load native games on an adapted Xbox interface, but also titles from other launchers such as Steam and Co. via the Windows desktop.
This is according to a recent report from Windows Central, which links recent public statements by Microsoft executives with insider information available to the site. The successor of the Xbox Series X / S will therefore run with a full-fledged Windows, but Microsoft will give it a TV-optimized interface that should enable a user experience of current game consoles.
Microsoft recently took a first step in this direction with the Xbox handhelds from the cooperation with Asus. The top model Asus ROG Xbox Ally X (review) runs with Windows 11, but starts in a customized Xbox interface in full screen, which is supposed to disguise the substructure. According to the report, Microsoft will also follow this implementation at the next Xbox. In addition, an Xbox handheld is still planned directly from Microsoft instead of a hardware partner.
Full Windows with game launchers and apps next Xbox
The “Xbox Full Screen Experience” of the next Xbox should be able to leave players at any time to get to a full-fledged Windows desktop. From there, users can then download alternative launchers such as Steam, the Epic Games Store, Microsoft’s own Battle.net , run the Riot Client or just anything else that can run under Windows. This also includes full-fledged desktop applications such as the Adobe Creative Cloud or Microsoft Office. Conversely, this means that users will use more mouse and keyboard in some places, instead of traditionally using the console with a controller.
According to the report, Microsoft still wants to make sure that the next Xbox will still feel like a traditional game console, at least at the beginning. The so-called “onboarding experience” for the initial setup of the game console should proceed as users know it from their game consoles today. Users will still be able to use the next Xbox exactly as it is currently the case with the Xbox Series X|S.
The switch to the Windows interface is therefore intended for those who not only want to play the games officially developed for Xbox. PlayStation games on Steam, League of Legends with mouse and keyboard, classic titles on GOG – all this should be possible with the next Xbox as with a PC. Users should be able to install all possible titles that would also run on a PC. This is a game console that wants to be a full-fledged Windows PC with appropriate freedoms and a traditional game console with an easy-to-use interface at the same time.
The hardware is again from AMD
The hardware substructure will again come from AMD. AMD and Microsoft have already officially confirmed this this summer. AMD and Microsoft have entered into a “multi-year strategic partnership” to jointly develop chips for an entire portfolio of devices, including “our next generation Xbox game consoles in your living room and your hands”. CEO Lisa Su later said that not only custom chips for Xbox consoles, but “a whole roadmap of gaming chips” should be created in this way: for consoles, handhelds, PCs and the cloud. All of them should combine the “power of Ryzen and Radeon” and rely on AI to advance the way games are rendered faster.
Fears that there could be a hard break in compatibility, Microsoft immediately put a stop to the announcement in the summer: existing libraries will remain compatible with the next change. This is also clear from the insider information from Windows Central, according to which titles from Xbox 360 or Xbox One, among others, should remain compatible with the new hardware. These titles should still be able to be launched from the native interface.
next Xbox Game Pass without multiplayer paywall
According to the report, there will also be adjustments to the Game Pass – derived from the new, significantly expanded capabilities of the platform. If the new Xbox becomes practically a PC for the living room, does it still need the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for day-One games or wouldn’t the cheaper PC Game Pass, which also contains all Day-One titles, be sufficient? Windows Central also expects adjustments in this context and expects a discontinuation of the PC Game Pass and a merger in the future.
However, something crucial is about to change for players: the multiplayer should no longer be locked away behind a paywall. It simply no longer makes sense to let players pay for a multiplayer function on a “PC”. This leads to the fact that players will switch to the Windows interface and simply use the multiplayer, for example, in Steam, instead of paying for the Game Pass.
