Xbox has been turned upside down in recent weeks and communication has been slow to arrive, but it is there. While some fans of the brand feared the disappearance of Xbox consoles, Microsoft reminded that this was not planned. Yes, Xbox will continue to develop hardware.
Xbox will continue to create new consoles
It's confirmed, Xbox will continue to manufacture and sell consoles. For how long, we don't know, but new hardware is well planned.
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This is not at all a surprise since the leaked documents on Xbox strategy already mentioned a new Xbox Series X without a drive and a new Xbox in 2028 on a “hybrid” model. Of course, the plans have undoubtedly been modified since the leak of the documents.
It was Sarah Bond who took the floor to confirm that the brand ultimately wanted to be accessible on as many screens as possible.
Other new features are coming. There are some exciting things coming in the hardware space that we'll be sharing over the holidays. We are also investing in the next generation roadmap. What we're focused on is delivering the biggest technical breakthrough ever seen in a generation of hardware, making gaming better for players and for creators and the visions they build.
Sarah Bond confirmed that information on new hardware will be shared at the end of the year and that her teams are also “investing in the next generation roadmap”. In other words, a new mid-generation console will certainly be at the center of conversations at the end of the year, and a powerful next-generation console is also in the pipeline.
Xbox consoles and physical games: what's next?
The big question that remains unanswered and that Microsoft is careful not to comment on despite players' fears is whether future Xbox consoles will abandon physical gaming or not.
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At this stage, nothing is yet confirmed for the next generation of consoles which is not expected before 2026, according to leaked documents from Microsoft and recent rumors. We just know that the brand will continue to offer new hardware for its customers and release its games on it.
It was certain that new Xbox consoles would be offered in the future, although some fans feared a breakaway from Microsoft following the release of several of its games on competing consoles. It remains to be seen whether future machines will be equipped with a disk reader or not, but the fact remains that owning your own machine has some advantages.
The most convincing advantage for Microsoft is that having its own console allows the group to control the entire value chain, from the game to the final machine. Also, it can collect a significant amount of data on the use of its console. We think, for example, of gaming and entertainment habits, links between players via groups of friends, etc. This data can then be used by the brand's various strategic departments for its future directions. When we see Microsoft's appetite for data, and even more so in recent years with massive investments in AI, it would be incomprehensible today to do without a console.