Next Xbox Console: Everything We Know So Far About Microsoft's Next-Gen System

Nothing. Nothing is known.

Nah nah nah.... Sorry but I do not wanna hear about next gen for at least another couple years.... Plenty of life left in the X, not to mention we're still waiting for that absolute killer of year - Doom, Avowed, Fable and hopefully GoW E day and Perfect Dark on their way; Maybe, just maybe it's this year when Xbox finally gets it's day in the sun 🙂

All I want to know is whether or not it will have a disc drive. I’m not spending $300-$600 or whatever it will cost on a digital only paperweight that takes control away from me and gives it to Microsoft.

This gen is only really starting to get going now two years were basically lost over COVID look how much the Indiana Jones game raised the bar for what is possible in terms of graphics for series x!

Next gen... And here I am, still happy with Switch, hoping it gets just faster loading. What would a Series X2 machine change? Graphics have been serviceable for 10 years!

2026 Feels far to early and imo would be a kick in the teeth for anyone who bought into the series ecosystem expecting the standard generational cadence, especially when you factor in the diminishing returns of each generation.

Q4 2027 ready for christmas would be the earliest they should release imo.

I am glad to be an owner of an Xbox Series S, an it has outstanding performance for such a small Xbox. Small, but mighty. I've been wondering about Game Pass Ultimate. I mainly use Xbox Game Pass to play EA games like Star Wars Battlefront and Madden 22, but since I play those so much I am considering actually buying the games outright instead of renewing Game Pass, but it seems like even if I buy the game digitally, I still need Game Pass to play Online Multiplayer. Is this true? I need to know before I buy, because then I might as well just get Game Pass alone.

Great move to skip the mid-gen and release the next-gen in 2026 for the 25th anniversary of Xbox! With plenty of exclusive games at launch, and many titles that could be released during this period like Gears, Perfect Dark, Blade, it could be a hit. Especially if this console also allows playing games from other stores like Steam.

The first Xbox was released on November 15, 2001, which would make the next Xbox release in November 2026, just in time for the Christmas holidays and almost in 2027! So, in a little less than 2 years, it doesn't seem shocking to me since there hasn't been a mid-gen between the two!

It's not too early as some say, 6 years after the release of the Xbox Series X. which is already a lot. PS can afford to wait since they recently released a mid-gen.

I just don’t know why Microsoft are considering releasing another console since they are advertising that EVERY devise is an Xbox. It’s more than likely just so that they can tick the box for the Gamepass model, but I just don’t feel like it is going to be a good idea considering everything they are releasing is going to PlayStation in the future and that would make it extremely difficult to justify to users that they need an Xbox Console. I’ve bought every Xbox console up to now, but more and more it just feels like that ship has sailed.

The only way it's going to sell meaningfully is if it can play Steam games. If it's a traditional console in any sense, there's no reason for the current hardware and subscription numbers divebomb to stop thanks to their stated future of no exclusives, it will be DOA.

Thankfully, this isn't totally pie in the sky as Phil Spencer has directly floated the idea - something he absolutely would not say randomly.

@UserTK-421 Yes you will need gamepass In some form to play those games online.

@Bionic-Spencer An Xbox console is still an Xbox, why abandon it? And where did you see that everything was going to be released on PlayStation? Haven't you noticed that Xbox has more exclusive games than PlayStation? Just look at the lineup for 2024 and 2025. Xbox Everywhere mainly concerns PC, TV, cloud, handled consoles and mobile, but obviously not other consoles! Did you see a PlayStation in the "This is an Xbox" ad? No! Well, there's your answer! It's just the fanboys of the blue brand who hope that everything will be released on their beloved console, but the reality is quite different!

And the reason is very simple, Xbox has a real interest in releasing its games mainly where there can be Game Pass! No Game Pass on PlayStation, no Xbox games, it's simple. 99% of the games on PlayStation are mostly already multiplatform games, nothing more, and it'es already very profitable, and 99% of exclusive games have remained exclusive. Even Indiana Jones was planned to be multiplatform before the acquisition, it was Xbox that insisted with Disney to have at least a temporary exclusive.

"Prime X" sounds much better.

Also, Xbox seems to have the same silly naming problems that Nintendo is famous for. They pick confusing names that mom and dad consumer don’t recognize. Series S or X? Xbox One? I know it’s boring how Sony does it, but even Grandma knows that PlayStation 5 is better than PlayStation 4 (theoretically) and is the new one to get. XBOX should just stick with a easy numbers system.

Since they skipped mid gen refresh, it makes sense to capitalize on that and release earlier than ps6. Ps6 rumored to be 2028, so that leaves 2026-2027 for next xbox.

I am 90% certain a traditional home xbox coming, a successor to xbox series X. Any PC hybrid or else would mean HUGE hit on GP subs count and revenues (GP core is not needed for PC at all, GPU will be downgraded to PC game pass by many due to pricing) along with hit to 50M MAU they have now and a hit to “clean revenues” on the xbox stores as they dont pay valve and PS store cuts.

Since they had so many troubles with series S, they wont be launching a weak system. Handheld does not necessarily comes with next xbox and if its PC-based it could be not connected to next xbox generation games directly and will be its own generaration. We dont want parity between next xbox and handheld.

If thats all true, I am totally getting it. Even with 0 exclusivity. GP itself and MS ecosystem + my library is good enough.

I actually suspect BOTH traditional console by MS and PC-xbox hybrid from partners sich as Asus and MSI could be coming at higher price point. Fully exiting console market seems like a bad move financially right now for them.

@Balaam_ i would bet they go sony way and sell drives separately. Main console will be discless a 100%.

Maybe they launch sort of a galaxy edition with both disc drive and more storage at a heftier 200 more. I am sure they want more people on digital so price difference between revisions will be noticeable

@Ilyn i dont think 1 year will matter that much. And I am sure cross gen period will be even longer anyways. It was good 3 years this gen where you could comfortably play on last gen

Due to all the constant issues, which seem to be on weekly basis, hopefully Microsoft are smart enough know what a huge mistake Series S, is and was, never to release another abomination like that, ever again.

@Bionic-Spencer because despite lower sales, they still have good 50M MAU across xbox one and series generation where people pay direcrly in the xbox stores and where 80% of the GP count sits.

People confuse that they want to grow other markers does not mean they want to abandon current playerbase.
Seems like even 20-30M is enough to keep going with consoles. Maybe if in 3 years they sell less than 10M they call it a day. Will see next gen.

It's funny that Sony marketed PS5 as the true next generation, compared to Microsoft's announcements about supporting Xbox One and the budget-friendly Series S (that Sony mocked), yet Sony has released so many paid remasters this generation.

The last true generation was Xbox One/PS4, but the current generation has given us the best quality of life features, performance and backwards compatibility. From now on, we are going to get optimised pieces of hardware to play PC/console games, exactly what Xbox One and PS4 started with their PC architecture. I think it's completely fine. The next Xbox will be a wonderfully engineered console that just plays games efficiently and will include the beloved controller with updated features. No need for anything else.

@Jenkinss the point of next xbox is to keep current xbox console userbase. Despite being 3rd place its still a big pie and billion revenue market. Also GP is mostly on consoles and thats not changing anytime soon.

@fatpunkslim true but seems like GP is not main focus right now and clearly they can just sell more on PS and switch 2. I would not bet on a much exclusivity down the road.

@Millionski Right but both hardware and gamepass numbers are rapidly falling in a world where the only thing that matters is growth, and that trajectory will continue without a major change. The Xbox userbase you're talking about keeping is currently fleeing.

@Millionski I am in agreement that 1year won't make much difference from a technical point. On that ground for me 2028 should be the next generation of consoles for both parties.

I do however think it makes a difference from an emotional standpoint. MS cutting their losses and trying to jump start the next generation early because they failed to meet expectations is a kick in your bits for customers who put faith in the series only for it to be cut short.

pc, xbox, cloud user base is already much more and will be even much more than playstation userbase. there are pros and cons on pushing games on other consoles, that's why Xbox don't push their games on other consoles, only already mulitplatform games basically. I would not bet on seeing fable, gears, halo, perfect dark, etc.... on other consoles anytime soon, not after a long period of exclusivity.

It's been 2 years that rumors have been saying that, and what has happened? Nothing except 4 small games! Just look at the reality instead of listening to rumors, 99% of multiplatform games were already multiplatform and 99% of exclusive games have remained exclusive. There are even multiplatform games that have become exclusive like Hellblade 2, which totally contradicts your point.

The level of engagement of the PlayStation player base is very low, just look at the poor sales of Final Fantasy or even Astrobot. They are mostly casual gamers who play one or two games a year. PC gamers, on the other hand, are much more active, as are Xbox gamers who have a higher level of engagement.

I’m amazed so many voting for 2026.
Let’s see what happens, but it needs to better than PS5 Pro performance and at what cost I might add.

Then again I’m still on the fence even with rumours and stuff, if they will release a next gen Xbox home console, especially after seeing Nov 2024 sales.

They probably will but only because they have over 50% GP subs on Xbox console and are sort of forced into another console and if they didn’t those GP subs will probably go.

The trouble with Microsoft and Xbox is they need to understand in the current status those that want an Xbox console about 30 million have one and there are not many sales left to gain and those that want GP have it as well, never mind terrible cloud gaming and adding it to all devices. There are billions of devices that you can have GP on and taking Xbox consoles away about 15 million subs if lucky on billions of other devices. Terrible attachment rate.
This is not for now cloud gaming and stop pushing cloud crap gaming down our throats.

What they need to get is more console sales and GP subs is amazing exclusive games and some out of this world advertising and PR.

Else console sales will sink lower and so will GP subs. Mark my word and watch it happen.

@OldGamer999 "it needs to better than PS5 Pro" loooool, It's not going to be very complicated given the disaster of this mid-gen.

You're wrong about the consoles; the big difference is that the Xbox ecosystem is much closer to the PC. They can easily attract PC gamers who might consider an Xbox console or a portable Xbox as a second gaming option. This is not the case with PlayStation, which is in a much more closed environment.

Moreover, you shouldn't focus on console sales; you should look at the MAU (Monthly Active Users), and the MAU of PlayStation players is very low in comparison. Many people buy a PlayStation out of habit but end up playing very little on it.

I've been saying 2026 for over a year now, as you well know, @OldGamer999. What I have also said, since the release of the Pro, is that the 'Prime' needs to be better, in every regard, than that console is, and that means that the 'Prime' will be an premium product, not intended for the majority of Xbox gamer to buy.

Let's face it, the Series X is a very, very capable console, and for the vast majority, that will suffice. That is why I think that Microsoft will release the 'Prime', but also continue to make the Series X. Games will play best on the 'Prime', but perfectly well on the X. The 'Prime' will only ever be intended for the true enthusiast. It won't be about the number of consoles sold, but about having a console that truly defines the very best place to play games.

I also think that Sony will not seek to better the 'Prime', and instead they will look to develop the PS6 with the intention of outperforming the Pro (and of course the X), but whilst keeping the cost at, or just below, the cost of the Pro.

I think with Microsoft pursuing a much more multiplatform approach, that consoles are no longer their primary objective. I think they will see all bases covered by having a premium console ('Prime') for the enthusiast, a more mass-market console in the X, which will be where most gamers play within the Xbox ecosystem, and then a handheld.

When it comes to games, Microsoft will probably say that as a new generation has started, that the parity clause between the S and the X is no longer applicable, effectively leaving the S behind, and that games will have 'Prime' enhanced logo if they feature elements such as 4K, 120htz and Ray Tracing etc.

Too many gamers will have built up a large library of games for them to now swap to the other side, and Microsoft know this (and indeed have said so). Thus, Microsoft know that the best thing they can do is hope to retain their console userbase, and to offer them a console that really differentiates itself from any competition that Sony might offer...

@Jenkinss not releasing console at all = lose all 50M and market share at all along with 80% of GP subs in a matter of several years as people will switch to other platforms.

There is no point in not releasing console financially and MS knows how to count money.
Its selling enough to keep going as they greenlit next gen xbox when sales were even less than 30M.

The cut-off point where they simply wont make make money back from launching a console is probably way lower. I would guess something like <10M in several years.
Valve sold just several millions of steam decks and its a success. They also sell at a loss like MS.

Nah, the announcement of Everwild, Fable, Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3 etc have "spanned multiple years" lol. The "roadmap" that Xbox fans started clinging to in 2024 after the infamous "business update".

Maybe let slimy Phil try to deliver the games he promised THIS GEN before just cutting ties with current angry Xbox users.
The former "world's most powerful console" Series x has an install base of about 8 million over 4 years later. The "biggest technical leap" means absolutely NOTHING for Xbox.

@fatpunkslim we dont have constant weekly rumours of titles going from PS to other platforms. Clearly they allow enough time for their exclusives to shine on PS and then port to PC.
With MS we see a lot of rumours for older games coming to Ps but MORE importantly we already have confirmation for next year to have 3 first party games available on PS day 1. Its cod, doom and ow2. Yes we can cross off cod as its legally binding due to FTC case but whats the excuse for doom and ow2?
Reality is MS gaming are coming to PS and seems like its getting closer to moving fully to day 1 case for most games. Yes we are not there yet but trend is clear. Satya literally says it every time on the interview.

@OldGamer999 its more than 80% of GP subs on xbox so they dont have a choice if they are interested in GP at all.

They greenlit next gen before even hitting 30M of series sold - clearly thats enough to keep going.

My prediction they never quit traditional console until they can secure 20-30M. If its less then probably not worth developing console.

I do think though R&D and marketing budgets will be cut for next xbox. Probably just a boring power bump with slightly new controller. They wont make a fuss of it like PS does. Less marketing too - kinea people who are with xbox and like it, will buy it regardless

@Millionski They're rapidly losing that 50M marketshare. They will not sell 50M consoles this generation. Series sales were already bad up until 2024, about even with the Xbox One. Then you saw what happened to sales in 2024 after they made it clear they're going multiplatform, right? There is no more "business as usual." Sentiment in this brand could not be lower. Changing to something completely new (PC game support, a handheld, something) is their only chance now.

There is no world where they release an Xbox Series X part2 next gen and it sells over 25 million units.

And while the Series X was sold for massive loss ($200 right from the mouth of Phil Spencer), there's zero evidence that the Steam Deck is sold for a loss at all.

@Fiendish-Beaver i agree on whole parity with series s. Thats probably the reason why they decided to skip mid gen and kick starts next gen earlier. Parity ends the day next xbox is announced.

I dont think though it would be a premium device. It will be a basically series X on steroids with slightly new controller and pricing 599-699 at best. Phil said they cant compete with 1k consoles. Maybe its another lies of P(hill) and it will cost 999 lol.

Maybe the xbox-pc hybrid will also be released by partnerrs like MSI and thise are premium machines for 1k+.

Series X will be definitely supported - crossgen period as usual for 3-4 years. Nothing new here.

Bottom line is they dont see growth in consoles but that does not mean they want to abandon multi-billion dollar revenue market with drastic moves.

@Jenkinss they will still sell like 40M of series. If you take the worst month abd project for 2 more years thats doable. Its 31+ today.

GP is actually becoming stronger, I see people who are already a subscriber abd xbox console user buying next xbox.
For next gen i dunno, could be 25-30.

I think we all underestimating the cut-off point of consoles because we always look at impressive Ps/N numbers. Pretty sure even 20M is enough. It all speculations tho.

Quitting today = lose that big share for sure right away. It doesnt make sense from business perspective. Its not only GP subs but also the COD micro transactions and such, all games sold directly at xbox store, etc.

Regarding steam deck - zero evidence? - Gabe said it himself on the interview. Particularly the base model.

@Millionski loool ! cod, doom and ow2 are already multiplatform for years before the acquisition of the studios, there was nothing new!

I'm right when I say that you're basing your arguments on nothing but false rumors. There aren't more games going to PlayStation, that's totally false! It's just that Xbox now has 3 times more studios than PlayStation, so they naturally have more multiplatform games than before but also more exclusive games than before for the same reasons!

If you look closely, there are more former PlayStation exclusives going to Xbox than the other way around: Crash Bandicoot / Spyro / Death Stranding (the sequel will follow the same path even faster) / Persona 3 Reload / Sifu / Kena / Forspoken / Metal Gear Solid HD Collection /Final Fantasy VII /Kingdom Hearts /MLB The Show /Nioh / etc...

Most of them are third-party games, but most of PlayStation's exclusive games are third-party, and they have fewer and fewer exclusive games because third-party publishers are less and less willing to create games for a single console (except for small studios). And most of these exclusive games are temporary !

Xbox has only sent 4 formerly exclusive first-party games, nothing more! When you look at Death Stranding, for example, there is no Xbox game with that level of popularity that has been sent to PlayStation. The reality is that there are more former PlayStation exclusives on Xbox than the other way around, these are just facts, not rumors, prove me wrong.

That's fine. I've already jumped back to PC where my current build will likely outperform the next two generations.

And my wife gave gave up on Xbox because of the abysmal support and releases since most of the things she likes skips Xbox, or she already played a year or more ahead of the Xbox release, on a different platform.

@fatpunkslim
Microsoft owns Crash and Spyro.

Nothing else you listed is owned by Sony.

None of Sony's first party games, or 2nd party like Helldivers, are coming to Xbox.

@InterceptorAlpha an exclusive is an exclusive ! Death stranding on mind of many players is playstation ! There is no difference ! you mention crash and spyro, and the other games ? So i'm right there are more formerly exclusive playstation games on xbox than the other way around ! You haven't proven the opposite, and it's impossible because it's just a fact and cold truth.

@Fiendish-Beaver
I definitely up for a bit of Prime, possibly.
Let’s see it happen first and finally see their true intensions with multi platform games on PS5/6 and Switch 2.
As for 2026 I still not sure, but hey time will tell.

The issue I see if they go full multi platform on PS5/6 or Switch 2 especially day one, it will definitely cut Xbox console sales which will lead to reduced GP subs and at some point there has to be a point where investment in new Xbox development and start up manufacturing costs becomes a negative to the whole process.

@fatpunkslim ummm you seem to be missing Indiana Jones is going to PS. You know, that 1st party release some consider to be game of the year.

The majority of titles you listed are IP by studios MS bought. None of them compare to the example above or the other examples already given.

@fatpunkslim
I only focus on consoles sales as console development and manufacturing start up costs will be high and at some point in the whole Xbox universe and process there possibly could be negative return on that console investment taking everything into consideration.
Then questions would be asked at board meetings, is this Xbox console really worth the negative return on investment taking everything into consideration.

I for one want Xbox prime but still won’t believe it until I see it.

@Weebleman Still wrong! Indiana Jones was never exclusive; it was already planned to be multiplatform before the acquisition. It was even Xbox that insisted with Disney to have a temporary exclusive, which proves that Xbox wants to maintain a certain level of exclusivity contrary to what some think!

Most of the games I mentioned don't belong to Xbox at all, since when? Kena, Sifu, Forspoken, Death Stranding, etc...

@Fiendish-Beaver
Also why I don’t trust Microsoft with Xbox in the UK right major retailers are running out or very low of series x and s consoles.
Currys UK no stock x or s in store or online.
Smyths toys zero series x stock in store and online. Running very low of series s stock
Argos low on delivery of series x stock
I mean what arse of a company lets this happen and we think they want to sell consoles or even a next generation console.
It’s looks like they can’t manage a bit of stock let alone anything else.
Remember this a trillion dollar company that have let this happen, and definitely intentionally.

@fatpunkslim An exclusive is not an exclusive.

That's why people though Helldivers was coming to Xbox because they didn't understand the concept of first and second party games.

Only 3rd party will ever drop on Xbox.

@fatpunkslim mate, I've seen your nonsense on other sites and I already regret this interaction. Enjoy your day and all the best for the new year.

@fatpunkslim careful with all those goal posts moves now.

@fatpunkslim the argument that they keep multiplat games multiplat after acquisition does not work because hellblade 2 is exclusive while first game is multiplat.

There is currently no logic in how they do exclusivity and that is the number 1 reason why people are not happy. If the logic would be only legacy IP are multiplat and new IP exclusive - that would make some sense. But its not the case as hifi was ported and Indy.

Half of the games you listed are not owned by sony and it was timed exclusivity.

Sorry but you are a fool if you believe its just 4 games. Even if 10% of runours are true, we will see at least some games this year ported to PS.
Moreover Phil mentioned “no red lines” - do you think its for no reason? And satya saying they saw great success on Ps with sea of thieves and they will continue expand.
Like can you connect the dots? No one is saying tomorrow xbox has no exclusives, but the trend and direction is obvious.

Well will see how things going to unfold but I dont see a single reason to keep exclusives on xbox for Satya new strategy

@OldGamer999 i agree. I think it will be slow death over next 2-3 gens rather them quiting all at once. And by then who knows maybe PC or cloud tech will be superior anyways.

They will slowly shift focus from consoles and at some point they can make an upset face and say “no one buys xboxes so we are not gonna produce those, but here is pc and cloud”.
This gen and next gen we are good - so prob we can not worry for 10 years or so

@Millionski
I wish I had your optimism.
But I think maybe another home console.
Remember a real home console with full power on board not some hybrid you need cloud power etc. I still think they might try that on.
I do agree and only due to Xbox console subscriptions they are forced into another console generation.

@fatpunkslim
I used to think like you about major Xbox franchises being Xbox group only.
But I’m not to sure now, but I hope you are correct.

@fatpunkslim its funny that Phil cant guarantee that flagship IPs will be exclusive but you can

Satya for sure said more games coming to PS due to sea of thieves success.

@OldGamer999 phil mr no red lines kinda countered that argument. And releasing everywhere goes exactly as per Satya strategy. Some content will be exclusive for the time being but the trend is clear to me.

Regarding home console, 2-3 gens is enough as there wont be consoles after at all. Cloud prob kicks in and pc-based devices that run everything. And younger gen z and alpha are already today not interested in consoles at all.

@Millionski
What age groups is the gen z and alpha.
I know a very wide range of ages.
Young nephews age 5 to 10 have Switch and PS5 at home.
I know a few 20 to 29 that have consoles Xbox, switch and PS5 my son and daughter and older nephews are a good few.
This is in UK, which is a good console gaming country.

@Millionski Game pass lost 8% of its subscribers from the FTC trial numbers to what Sarah Bond said this year, how is that getting stronger? It needed to triple in size to hit their goal and its already shrinking (significantly).

Link me something with the Gabe interview saying they take a bath on Decks, I'm willing to believe it but I haven't seen anything like that.

@Jenkinss google gabe interview.
Stronger lineup of games. When big hits like doom come in - people will talk more about it. It has a lot of potential

Whenever it does release let’s just hope they only release one console and not include some kind of parity nonsense to tie into the Series generation of hardware

Given the ”Everything is an Xbox” thing MS is pushing I dont really care about the next Xbox as I’ll get to play the games without one and might as well just get a Playstation and a Switch 2.

@8bit4Life
At this point they must be running out of unusual names. Pehaps they could have a total reset and go with... Xbox Six. Then it's clear that it's a gen ahead of PS5. Kinda makes sense too:

1) XBOX
2) XBOX 360
3) XBOX ONE
4) XBOX ONE X*
5) XBOX SERIES
6) XBOX SIX (and maybe XBOX SIX Portable)

*It was almost a generational leap over an underpowered console and came later too, whereas the two Series consoles released at the same time. They managed to skip numbers with Windows by claiming an update to Windows 8 was basically Windows 9, Win 8 was followed with Win10.

Do it MS, make it clear for the parent in the street.

Honestly. Who cares. Spencer has pretty much killed the Xbox brand under his "leadership". His predecessor was incompetent" but Phil... <shakes head>. With no exclusives, buying a dedicated Microsoft console no longer makes sense. Just build/buy a mid tier PC and if you need a 'console', Nintendo or Sony well happily take your money.