Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox has an AMD chip inside and is ‘not locked to a single store’
Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox has an AMD chip inside and is ‘not locked to a single store’
DirectX was always about displacing consoles. Alex St. John was talking about it in 1994.
The task is mostly complete. Software has won. The surprise is that Microsoft really hasn't. They assumed they'd dominate whatever computer-ified market emerged... and that assumption is getting shakier every year. Windows suuucks. Linux is already a better way to run most programs and games. Even x86 is not a sure bet, and whatever ARM does to unseat it, that'll transfer smoothly to RISC-V.
Everything old is new again. "The best Macintosh is an Amiga." The best WinTel box might be your phone.
Microsoft: we've given up on consoles and exclusives. But don't tell our investors that we have become a publisher.
I think that’s plain to see by now, even for the investors. They still hold on to saying they’re going to release 10th gen hardware but that could be a PC by then. There are upsides to this for gamers potentially though as I doubt they’ll leave legacy Xbox games stranded and more people will get access to them.
Broadly speaking, what are Xbox looking to do here?
They optimise Windows for gaming and open up the console for other storefronts, then is it just a Steam device? They won't make money from Steam sales.
Is this a cloud streaming device? Can you cloud stream games from other storefronts? It's all incredibly vague to me.
They have no idea what they’re doing.
My guess is that this device will upsell you on GamePass constantly by making everything else possible but slightly annoying. MS might be the biggest video game publisher these days so there’s still plenty of leverage they have (buying ActiBlizz was huge and EA could be in trouble because FC 25 is not selling as well as FIFA). MS „lost” console war but this allows them to keep foot in the door and still exert some power over the platform.
Yeah, maybe. The OS will be built around Game Pass like how SteamOS heavily incentivises you to use Steam. I think they'll have a unified game launcher like Armory Crate on the ROG Ally devices.
That way, it's a PC that you can use steam on, but the choice architecture and UX will be pushing you to the MS store.
Perhaps they're hoping to stop people from going to linux for gaming. PC gaming has certainly not hurt their stranglehold on the top OS spot.
So imagine an Xbox Series X that's also as open as a Steam Deck. Or, to put it simply, imagine a gaming PC with a comfortable couch layout, sold at a much cheaper price point than it'd be as a laptop/desktop because Microsoft can afford to sell it at (or below) cost of parts to push Gamepass subs and adherence to the Windows ecosystem. Mods, your existing Steam / Epic / GOG / pirated libraries. Assuming it's not locked down, it's the first time I've considered owning an Xbox product since the 360.
Don't forget, an Xbox that's just a PC is an Xbox that gets all of Sony's cutscene hallways too. And all of Nintendo's games through emulation. And the entire Steam library, and hell since it's Windows (and thus plays nice with rootkit DRM) it's a console that runs League of Legends. A console that runs world of warcraft if you want. A console that gets day zero access to those cool indie games on Itch. A console that's immune to port beggars every time something like Balatro drops PC-first. That's a console someone's gonna buy, unlike the XSX which is a console with no exclusives (vs PC) and also doesn't have the PC's multiple storefronts and compatibility with your existing libraries and mods.
"why do you have a playstation instead of just a gaming pc in your living room?" Has very legitimate answers other than "i like sony exclusives". More technical setup. Worse controller UI. More expensive. Bigger. Bulkier. Needs research to determine best parts. Doesn't have the seamless ability to boot the system from the couch with a controller. All of these could be handled by an MS-backed PC-in-Xbox-Clothing. Yes, they could also (except price point) be handled by a well-researched custom build, but bringing PC to the living room for the kind of person that doesn't know what an OS is would be a pretty big deal.
That could be compelling. I think they would want to design the OS in a way that strongly incentivises you to buy games through the Microsoft store, like SteamOS with the steam store. If they make it too flexible, they've just sold hardware at a loss to be someone's steam machine as well as making the OS potentially too complicated for a normal person to figure out.
If they can make a windows machine that can play all of the old Xbox games, run other storefronts, and do quick resume/hibernate properly, I'm interested. I was kind of waiting out for SteamOS on desktop to get a console like experience on a PC.
Oh, a Steam Machine?
Steam Machines ran Linux so you were limited to Steam and couple of odd ports pretty much. It was definitely too early and most just installed Windows I think. Mine’s a home server to this day, I love that little gamer coffin (Asus GR6).
There’s much more variety on Windows so this is pretty cool. I think the biggest unanswered question is whether Microsoft pulls off running Xbox games on those.
The big problem with windows handhelds is battery, there is a huge difference in consumption. I highly doubt that "most steam deck purchasers installed windows" (if that's what you meant), you need a high technical level to do so and people are used to being limited to a single store in a console anyway.
And the dirt finally starts getting thrown onto the casket. RIP XBOX, You really weren’t the same after J Allard left.
That was so grim 💀
sure it isn't
We are headed for singularity.
Called it.
No one: Satya Nadella summer 2026: Introducing Microsoft Surface Xbox With Microsoft Co-Pilot laptop and Microsoft Surface Xbox With Microsoft Co-pilot+ X.
If you can install SteamOS on it, it'll probably run better
Don't forget about Xbox Co-Pilot Surface 360 Pro Studio Deluxe Edition AI Agent