Key Highlights:
- Microsoft’s Xbox division is set to launch a new console soon.
- However, there is little reason to be excited for its eventual release.
- Coupled with recent layoffs and Game Pass price hikes, it does not paint a favorable outcome for team green.
Xbox has been making the rounds lately, and for all the wrong reasons. The company recently unveiled its plans for the future, which included a controversial decision to hike Game Pass prices across the board. This was met with severe criticism and a series of mass cancellations/refunds from angry players.
However, it’s not just software that Xbox specializes in, and the gaming division of Microsoft also detailed the designs of upcoming consoles, including what appears to be a next-gen Xbox, set to compete with the PlayStation 6. That being said, it’s going to be a rough next generation for Xbox, with a good chance that it might be its last.
The Next Gen Xbox Is Going to Be a Disappointment, but Not for the Reasons You Think
The current state of affairs at Xbox really makes you wonder whether the gaming giant still has some life left in it. Xbox has been on a downward spiral since the release of the often controversial (and definitely mediocre) Xbox One series, being entirely unable to catch up to its competitors.
This resulted in the rather recent Xbox Game Pass price hike, and a series of rather unfortunate mass layoffs across major Xbox first and third party studios. However, Microsoft does seem eager to get back into the ring with AMD in tow once again.
The next generation of Xbox is expected to have a sizable performance bump when compared to the current gen Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft has confirmed the same to Windows Central.
While the presence of a next gen Xbox console is nice to hear, it is far from comforting. Xbox has almost entirely detached its console exclusives, opting to release them across all platforms, removing the entire reason why anyone would like to buy a console – for its exclusives.
Without any major first party games to sell these consoles (coupled with the severe price hike for Xbox Game Pass), there really isn’t a good reason to purchase an Xbox console anymore.
Storefronts seem to be acknowledging the same too, and major retailers such as Costco have entirely removed Xbox consoles from their lineup. It’s a depressing situation for Xbox and the gaming industry as a whole.
This May Be the Last Xbox Console We Ever See
Rumors have started to pile up, indicating Microsoft’s eventual exit from the console hardware space. Xbox might entirely detach itself from the console hardware business, choosing to focus on software and services instead, it’s believed.
While this rumor might seem unfounded at first glance, Xbox’s recent decisions seem to point toward the trend already taking place. Xbox is heavily investing in its ‘play anywhere’ campaign, which aims to launch Xbox as a hardware agnostic games service.
Also Read: Minecraft Server Banned From Seven Countries, Here’s Why
It won’t be long before Xbox starts to double down on Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Streaming services, with recent rumors pointing toward an ad supported, free tier being made available quite soon.
With that in mind, this might just be Xbox’s final mainline console release, set to compete against the PlayStation 6 – and funnily enough, even Windows PCs. After all, the upcoming console is rumored to have dual boot functionality, being able to switch between Windows and Xbox’s own operating system quite seamlessly.
However, this is another case of ‘too little, too late’, and Microsoft really should have released this version of the console years ago, when it would have been an actual killer feature.
