This was another rumor for a long time Xbox There will actually be some sort of PC-console hybrid – a move that will continue Microsoft's visual shift away from traditional, dedicated console gaming. It also makes sense for Microsoft's apparent PC integration, which makes it “play nicer” with the PC crowd. Furthermore, it tracks with the recent release of the ROG Xbox Ally, which is little more than an Xbox-branded handheld PC.
Besides being heavily hinted at by Xbox leadership, the notion of Microsoft making a PC-console hybrid is supported by Windows Central, which claims to have confirmed such plans with its sources.
It is debatable whether this is a smart move by Microsoft, but if it is really the company's leadership, it is clear that it will not be alone. Fellow PC-focused games company and emerging hardware juggernaut Valve recently announced a new Steam Machine, which is essentially everything the rumored PC-Xbox hybrid console is intended to be: a Steam Machine is a compact, prebuilt PC running SteamOS for a console-like experience. In essence, Steam Machine presents itself as an accessible gateway to PC gaming, further blurring the lines between PCs and consoles. Unfortunately for Xbox, Valve may be in a very good position to execute this kind of strategy, leading to some unexpectedly stiff competition.
Steam Machine could spell trouble for Xbox's next console
That's what Xbox's next console has going for it
Let's try to be fair and evaluate this alleged new Xbox-PC machine as a whole. The most obvious boon in Microsoft's corner would be its already existing Xbox ecosystem: By marketing its next home console as a comfortable stopgap between Xbox and PC gaming, Microsoft could attract more gamers from within its own install base. These customers can be lured in by the promise of keeping their digital Xbox library, but with the added benefit of gaining access to PC-only games. Of course, this means that these Xbox loyalists will also gain access to a number of first-party PlayStation games, as Sony ports many of its titles to PC after their initial console launch.
Put another way, an Xbox-PC hybrid console could give long-time Xbox owners the best of both worlds: they could keep their Xbox libraries and accounts while enjoying the PlayStation exclusives they missed from the past two console generations. By doing so, Microsoft can quickly and efficiently address its most persistent weakness: the lack of competitive niches.
Steam Machine is still in a better position than Xbox's next console
Unfortunately, the above benefits only really apply to those already entrenched in the Xbox ecosystem—a demographic that continues to shrink as Xbox loses more market share to PC storefronts like Sony, Nintendo, and Steam. Xbox breaking down the divide between its consoles and PCs might be a net positive, but that's something Steam already did years ago with the Steam Deck. In the same vein, consumers may trust Steam's hardware more given its emerging popularity and visibility, while the recent ROG Xbox companion is largely perceived as underpriced and overpriced; One company has left a bad taste in consumers' mouths with its PC offshoot hardware, and it's not Valve.
From an optics and branding point of view, Steam is currently doing much better than Xbox, boasting a more competent public image. The Steam Machine will likely manage to run all the games Xbox's rumored console will, as Xbox launches most of its games on Steam as well; In terms of content, Steam Machine and the reported Xbox-PC are pretty evenly matched, but Steam Machine is coming off the back of a very successful consumer PC effort at Steam Deck, while Xbox has struggled to prove its hardware's value for years. The launch prices of both these machines (especially when factoring in the Xbox Game Pass), could be the deciding factors in this upcoming console bout.
- brand
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Microsoft
- Original release date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499
- operating system
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Proprietary (Windows based)
- processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz
- resolve
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720p – 4K UHD
Microsoft's ninth-generation console, the Xbox Series X is a powerful machine that can support 4K resolution and 60 fps, depending on the game. Released alongside the Xbox Series S, the Series X features a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, custom RDNA 2 GPU, and 16 GB of RAM.
