Update [Tue 13th Feb, 2024 06:30 GMT]:
Windows Central's Jez Corden has chimed in on this latest rumour, claiming it's not true. You can learn more in our latest story:
Original article [Mon 12th Feb, 2024 11:00 GMT]:
We're all caught up in a mad swirl of Xbox rumours at the moment, especially as we await Microsoft's big update on the future of the platform moving forward. Perhaps unsurprisingly, another major rumour started doing the rounds on social media this weekend - one about who's in charge of building the next Xbox console.
According to Xbox Era, the Microsoft Surface team could be in charge of creating the next Xbox. If this is the case, that'd be instead of the Xbox Series X|S hardware team - a team that was headed up by Microsoft's Jason Ronald ahead of the current-gen launch back in 2020. Here's a clip of the Xbox Era crew discussing this rumour:
As is normally the case here, we'd recommend taking this rumour with a decent amount of salt. Ronald & co. seemed to do a great job with the Xbox Series X|S hardware lineup, and we can't see why a similar team wouldn't be working towards the next generation of Xbox.
There is one interesting wrinkle to all of this though. Another rumour started doing the rounds last week about a 'Switch-like' dockable handheld coming from Xbox - and that rumour also suggested that the Microsoft Surface team was in charge of creating this handheld device. Could this be the same console? Maybe, but we're still cautious about both of these rumours at the moment - and we wouldn't put much stock in them at present.
What we do know is that the future of Xbox is going to be very interesting indeed - and we're keen to hear from Phil Spencer & co. on where things are going moving forward.
What do you think to this latest Xbox rumour? Tell us your initial thoughts down below.
Comments 32
I'll wait for official sources. Surface devices are excellent but so is Series X. The perfect scenario would be a dockable handheld made by the Surface team and a next-gen console made by the Xbox team.
The xbox series is great hardware....but that wont sell it...try making exclsuives
Plot twist at the business development update… the next Xbox will be more like a fixed hardware PC and will play PC games including any PlayStation games on PC. Spider-man, God of War, The Last of Us and more all playable on Xbox.
Will also have a lower resolution mobile version so you can continue to play on the go. Like Switch and Steam Deck.
I’ll take my consultancy fee in Lifetime game pass Microsoft 😂
@Banjo- I agree. I've had several Surface products & also said when these rumours started that Microsoft could make a range of products like the Surface brand so make sense. My only issue with the Surface team is they mostly deal soley with Intel. So would make sense why AMD hasn't heard from Microsoft.
As long as it is powerful and the price is good i dont care who is in charge.
@cragis0001 Right, Surface is more about Intel and Xbox about AMD. It makes perfect sense to make a handheld like Valve and Asus when they make Surface devices every year. They have the hardware, the OS and the game studios. If Series S is popular, a handheld Xbox will be even more popular, with ABK added to the mix and the portability factor.
Phil also stated that they are working on a next-gen console, but it could be that the next Xbox has also an Intel chip and becomes the powerful home version of the dockable handheld. That would also make perfect sense for the traditional console market and the loyal Xbox users/subscribers.
Interesting. I did see a rumour that they want intel running inside the next Xbox instead of AMD.
If they went Intel it would allow for an Nvidia GPU you'd imagine (rather than using Intel's GPUs which are still new and not really well-supported by drivers etc.) - which would be ideal allowing for the latest DLSS which is currently far beyond anything AMD can do.
If Nintendo have stayed with Nvidia for the Switch 2 we could see it using DLSS when it's docked to handle the larger image - and it's possible the work carried on by Nvidia for that console could help inform their approach with an Xbox handheld / next gen...
Yeah "team specialiseling in portable hardware making portable hardware" makes way more sense than "portable specialists making home console"
@themightyant I love this haha imagine the scenes
@abe_hikura Except Surface lineup covers powerful desktop PCs, dual-screen smartphones and everything in between.
@Widey85 There are some pros to using Nvidia instead of AMD like DLSS, but you might also lose direct backwards compatibility depending how custom the current AMD silicon is.
That MIGHT force them to have to employ a similar solution to what they did with OG Xbox and Xbox 360 which isn't full backwards compatibility. It is effectively running a custom emulated version of the game you download when you insert a disc or download it from your account. But that is a LOT of work, requiring each game being built and tested, and currently only about 20% of those libraries are backwards compatible. Pros and cons.
@themightyant The AMD custom APU in the Series X is very similar to the G Ryzen chips they do for PC.
Intel also does integrated graphics a lot for PC and laptops, and between both of them and Nvidia they all generally stick to certain standards.
In addition, both in the Xbox and on PC, much of the workload in making them all run together well is handled by Direct X and other Microsoft software (including the OS) - so it would be very unlike the PowerPC / Cell structures when it came to backwards compatibility, and much more like someone upgrading their PC.
That said, yes we could potentially lose FSR optimisations made by AMD and have to hope Nvidia had DLSS available for that game - but according to PC Gamer Microsoft are unveiling their own upscaling / frame generation tech in the next Windows update
@Widey85 I agree they are similar but we also know it has some custom silicon on the chip. My point was it MIGHT not be as easy as people think. I don't know for sure, it's just a possibility.
Series x is a great build console but the power not used much really.
The only thing I would have changed is the split RAM, also it has two different clock speeds. I would have gone a unified one single total RAM pool, same speed. It’s a little thing but developers prefer this for allocation reasons.
Also maybe the PS5 fast ssd.
What next gen hardware? According to last weeks rumours, they are abandoning Xbox hardware and going the way of Sega as a publisher only....Can't both be true 🤔 Proof if it were needed that most of these 'rumours' and 'leaks' are, in fact, nonsense.
MAGG made it seem like the surface team was only working on the handheld device while xbox team would still handle the Series x type device.
I do hope they find a way to bridge the gap between xbox OS and windows or open the devices up so tech savvy people can get windows running on the devices if they choose to. With windows we could play playstation games on them and that whole discussion would be over.
@cragis0001 there’s a lot of talk about the surface shifting to ARM, well the surface Pro. Interesting to see how it all plays out
@TakeItEasy
They are but unlike 3 Spiderman games in 5 years, or a God of War Sequel that is barely a bump up from it's last title they are trying to set the gears in motion to have meaningful exclusive titles.
@Banjo- I agree 👍.
@MrN0vmbr yeah the new Snapdragon X elite chip is meant to be on par with Apples M1 processor.
@cragis0001 I don't find it useful nor enjoyable anymore, but I remember you from EG, a long time ago 👍🏻. Me: VanillaLake.
@Banjo- I agree this would be the best scenario!
@Savage_Joe well Microsoft screwed up there vision for ARM. Not surprising. As they were designing a modern OS that stripped the legacy software called Windows 10X & it was meant to be used for there flagship Surface device the Surface Neo but got scrapped & instead focused on Android on the Surface Duo & Windows 11.
@Banjo- EG? Haha a long time ago. My wife & kids, have slowly distroyed my longterm memory through lack of sleep so you'll need to help me.
@cragis0001 🤣 at that and yes, you're right, the ARM model was a single attempt and I remember even at launch it was met with scepticism. Then they put the focus on regular Windows on AMD and Intel chips and more recently, Intel. Android OS only on Surface Duo as it's impossible to compete against Google in the mobile market.
I like how all the recent rumors are basically everything I already predicted as a given, like 4 years ago while everyone freaks out over it.
Maybe I should get an "Insider" badge or something?
Maybe they’re planning to take on the Switch next? I would love an AMD powered Surface.
Ugh. So tired of the "rumors" and fake outrage. I'll reserve opinion until action news is released. 🙄🙄
This would be a shame, because honestly the Series X is probably the most badass system I've ever owned. Super fast navigation, loading, saving. Switching between apps quickly and seamlessly. Beautiful controller. I've been impressed with the graphical fidelity, optimized backwards compatibility and on and on. I've been a Nintendo main through every generation, and I've owned a 3DO/PS1,2,3,4/Saturn and Dreamcast over the years but man I have loved my Series X. Now I feel like the major AAA exclusives have been hurt by the focus on engineering them for a "modern audience", but the system itself, and the abundant access to past titles, I have loved.
Could go either way. Surface hardware is fair but expensive. The hardware may be fine but I do have questions what they could be preparing 'if true' I don't know.
Heck Windows/Xbox teams don't always see eye to eye on things which with Game DVR or the Xbox app wouldn't be surprised. So Surface team making hardware choices hmm I do wonder when other teams get involved.
Also Surface Duo? Handheld maybe not but Dual screens? Sony wouldn't with Portal so I lost hope there. I doubt Microsoft would. Even if SmartGlass/other second screen apps by third parties were a thing 10 years ago alongside Vita/Wii U.
Whatever standard hardware they offer. I assume not likely gimmicks just because it's a rumour of the Surface team. Would be cool though whatever Surface has to see with the Controller/Console. Or just forwarding cloud and other things sigh.
AMD for compatibility would make sense though. Among other parts and code.
I still hate the last few Xbox OS navigation/looks though so like I'll be impressed. 360's last one was the last one I actually liked as someone who hates flat design I didn't mind the Windows 8 approach, everything since on any devices are just eh. Still prefer Blades, PS3/PSP or others. PS4 I love those folders, hate PS5's 'we moved everything out now and groups into the library'.
Thanks so that's why Xbox ruined things with groups (they work but not the way I want things to be presented), Switch (12 games/apps before using come on)/PS5 tagged along, go away I want to hide things visibly so it runs better and shows what I need when I need to in view big or small contented folders. I want organisation on a particular level. Not filters and 'folders in groups'.
Booted up my Xbox One X yesterday, so much internet connected garbage, thumbnails, games, ads, achievements, and more slowing it down and that's just on the main page. It's disgusting OS design.
That's from it still being connected not unplugged (meaning it should be fine, I may not have put it in the quick boot state sure but even if it skips the logo/boot up sequence when you unplug and on connected it doesn't need to it is just hilarious how much garbage and how slow the console is, I can take disks and menu jumping a lot for 2hr+ to put everything in groups making it slow, that's on me cataloguing and how I went about it, but just booting up. XD
Like come on) as I sometimes do to move the power cable to another console that supports that power cable (which as all PS consoles do I swap it to a PS2 or 3 besides my TV stand briefly).
It's like streaming services UI design, showing so much trash thumbnails and videos/visual noise I hate it.
Just give me what I need, not what you want to sell me even more or tell me everything all at once like just go away.
We have flat design/fluent design of menus (the fact the PS3/PSP kept to that makes it more visually interesting of icons and less garbage thumbnail selling/tell me things only icons of what I need to see) but we still have high quality or too many images and links to things and it's just a joke.
I prefer good programming/navigation and design. The average person or business wanting so much noisy websites and menus makes me just disappointed. 'Sure we can do this sort of stuff now' yeah but doesn't mean we should I don't need a powerful console/computer to run a webpage because they want high quality noisy images and videos everywhere.
Only the necessities, size, visual information not stuff everywhere, big presentation meh no thanks.
Hell no anything Microsoft makes is slow af I remember window phones with the stylus pen was so damn slow and outdated
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