Xbox president Sarah Bond suggested that some of thinking behind the next Xbox could be seen in the recently launched ROG Xbox Ally handhelds.
Xbox president Sarah Bond has previously said the next Xbox would not be tied to a single storefront
Photo Credit: Microsoft
Xbox president Sarah Bond has said that the next-generation Xbox console will be a “very premium, very high-end curated experience”. Bond, who previously confirmed that the next-gen Xbox would not be locked to a single storefront, suggested that the next Xbox would be closer in approach to the recently launched Xbox-branded ROG Ally handhelds, that run on Windows 11 with an Xbox interface on top.
The Microsoft executive's comments came in an interview with Mashable on Wednesday, where she discussed the new ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Xbox strategy, next-gen consoles, among other topics.
When asked about the next generation of Xbox, Bond said the console would target premium users, suggesting it could be priced on the higher side.
“The next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” Bond told Mashable. “You're starting to see some of the thinking that we have in this handheld.”
Bond's comments suggest the next Xbox home console will be similar in approach to the ROG Xbox Ally X handheld launched earlier this month. The high-end handheld, which runs on AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, is controversially priced at $1,000. Bond's response could signal a pricier next-generation Xbox home console.
Bond has also previously said that the next Xbox would not be tied to a single storefront, suggesting that the console could be a Windows-based device with an open platform that supports third-party storefronts like Steam and Epic Games Store, just like the Xbox-branded handhelds.
The new ROG Xbox Ally handhelds run on Windows 11, but boot into the Xbox full-screen experience by default. The new Xbox interface keeps certain Windows operations in the background to free up more memory for gaming.
The next Xbox console could also come with AI features. Microsoft debuted AI-powered Gaming Copilot this year, a tool available on Windows PCs and the Xbox app on mobile devices. The tool, which is integrated into the Game Bar and can provide game hints, recommendations, and other information, is available on the new Xbox-branded handhelds, as well.
When Bond announced Microsoft's AMD partnership for the next generation of Xbox consoles in June, she also said that the Xbox team was working closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows was “the number one platform for gaming,” further suggesting that the next Xbox would be a Windows-centric platform.
A recent leak, that claimed that the next-gen Xbox would be more powerful and more expensive than the PlayStation 6, also falls in line with Bond's comments on the next Microsoft console as a “premium” device. According to the leak, both the next Xbox and the PS6 will likely be launched in 2027.
Last year, while teasing the next Xbox console, Bond had said the next-gen device would represent the “largest technical leap” for a new console generation.
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