Microsoft is reportedly working on its next console, although recent rumours of a 2026 release have been dismissed by a couple of industry experts.
It is tipped to be a PC in a "TV-friendly shell" too, which would give it a significant advantage when it comes to games development.
There have been countless rumours on Microsoft's plans for future consoles of late, with some suggesting it'll ditch the home machine and concentrate on a Nintendo Switch 2 / Steam Deck rivalling handheld instead. Some even believe that we'll never see another console from the software giant, with the Xbox brand solely focusing on game releases and the cloud instead.
However, industry expert Jez Corden, of Windows Central, has put forward another theory – that the next-gen Xbox (lovingly called Xbox Next, for now) could actually be a PC in a living room friendly shape.
Speaking on The XB2 podcast, he and host Rand al Thor 19 discussed Xbox's possible future plans and explained that while next year is a target too soon, there's every likelihood that the next Xbox could arrive the following year as part of a strategy rethink.
"I think the next Xbox is coming out in 2027 and devkits will go out next year," speculated Rand.
This was in response to a "leak" posted last week that claimed next year's Call of Duty will launch on a new Xbox console, and that it was being developed using full devkits. However, that's
"There is no Xbox devkit right now," countered Corden. "That developers have already got the next-gen Xbox devkit is just not accurate.
"[But] assuming that the next Xbox is Windows-based, you could spec out a kind-of devkit that targets those specs. The whole idea of the next Xbox is that it's going to be a PC in essence, but with a TV-friendly shell that also has a specific set of specs in mind.
"So developers will be building for a PC in a way, so will know what the specs will be and optimise for it."
Whoever is right, it seems insiders and experts believe there will definitely be a follow-up to the Xbox Series X, even though Microsoft has been trounced in the console wars for the last two generations. And that, if there is an Xbox handheld on the way, it'll be joined by a "TV-friendly" machine.
By making it more of a PC in essence could also ensure third-parties develop for it in significant numbers – after all, they'll likely already be building games for the platform by default anyway.
We might just have to wait a bit longer for it.
