Xbox'According to company president Sarah Bond, the next-generation console will offer gamers a “very high-end” experience. Not much is known about the next-gen Xbox console at this early stage, but according to Bond's recent statements, the development of a ROG Xbox companion could be the key to understanding Microsoft's mindset in building its next console.
It's been nearly five years since the Xbox Series X and its more budget-friendly counterpart, the Series S, made their global debuts, beating the PlayStation 5 in the race by just two days on the market. Estimated sales figures for the Xbox Series X|S from this February, released by publisher Take-Two Interactive, came in at around 30 million units sold, putting it behind the PS5 and only a fifth of the Nintendo Switch's sales. That third-place showing and some other business decisions at Microsoft led to rumors that the Xbox console was poised to exit the market.
Xbox president says next console will offer 'premium' experience
But those rumors were dismissed after reports from October 20 in which Bond confirmed that Xbox's next-gen console is in development. A day later, Bond appeared on Mashable's YouTube channel. His appearance seemed to be mainly intended to discuss the ROG Xbox Ally, but the conversation also touched on the development of the next-gen console. When asked if she was able to provide any additional information at this early stage, Bond was reserved in her response but responded that the upcoming console will offer players “a very premium, very high-end curated experience.”
Bond also hinted that Xbox's current strategy with console development may be hidden in the design of the new handheld gaming computer. Promising a handheld that can run both Xbox and PC games on its portable screen via cloud gaming and let gamers pick up where they left off on their non-mobile devices, the ROG Xbox Ally went on sale within hours of opening its pre-orders. While it has been a very popular purchase, it has faced criticism in categories ranging from performance issues to difficulties managing Windows 11-dependent gaming systems.
The ROG Ally X is priced at $999, and the interviewer expressed concern that Xbox's recent pricing moves could potentially restrict access for some gamers. Bond tried to calm concerns that the ROG Xbox Ally is priced $400 less than the Ally X, saying that Xbox still wants to offer options for gamers of different budgets. Still, with the recent $10 monthly price increase on Game Pass Ultimate and increased prices for the Xbox Series X and S, Bond may have more work to do to attract budget-conscious gamers.
- brand
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Xbox / ROG
- operating system
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Windows 11 Home
- processor
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AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor
- Performance
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7” IPS, 500 nits, 16:9, 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC anti-reflection
- resolve
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FHD 1080p
- Original release date
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2025
Source: Variety
