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Xbox is not exiting the hardware market anytime soon, as the company announced that it has a multi-year roadmap that includes a next-generation Xbox in the future.
During the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast focusing on the future business of Microsoft's gaming arm, Xbox President Sarah Bond addressed the role hardware plays in Xbox's future. Bond concurred with an earlier statement by Xbox head Phil Spencer that Xbox hardware would remain the flagship experience for players despite the company's plans to go multi-platform moving forward.
Bond teased Xbox has "some exciting stuff coming out in hardware" that the company plans to share this holiday. More interestingly, Bond teased a roadmap focused on next-generation hardware.
"And what we're focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions they're building," Bond explained in the recent episode of the Official Xbox Podcast.
Although Bond did specify what this hardware news would entail, leaked documents published last year revealed that Microsft is planning to launch hardware refreshes for both the Xbox Series X and S this year.
The mid-gen upgrade Xbox Series X, codenamed Brooklin, is supposedly more compact than the original mode and lacks a disc drive with 2TB of internal storage and 16GB of RAM. In contrast, the updated Series S, codenamed Ellewood, will include 10GB of RAM. However, pricing for these rumored consoles will remain the same.
Yet the announcement of a next-generation Xbox console is the first time Microsoft has publicly announced that it is working on a new generation system since the court document leaks were published last year. According to one leaked document, Microsoft planned to release a next-generation Xbox console in 2028.
However, the hardware tease could also mean something entirely that is not a mid-gen refresh of its ninth generation of gaming consoles. Microsoft has clarified that it wants its games to be experienced across various devices, such as streaming sticks. Yet, the court document leaks also revealed that Xbox was exploring concepts for a few different devices, from a one-hand controller and, most interesting of all, a handheld device, though whether it is a device focused more on cloud gaming akin to the Logitech G Cloud or something more of a handheld gaming PC like the Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally, it's not entirely clear.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
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