Xbox promise ‘largest technical leap’ for next gen console as it confirms handheld-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro

Xbox’s next console might only be a few years away (Microsoft)

Microsoft has made some big promises for its next generation hardware, which looks set to include an Xbox handheld.

Between mass layoffs and poor sales of the Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft hasn’t exactly had the best time in the current console generation.

The company has been saved from disaster by the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which has boosted Xbox’s overall profits as the company shifts its strategy towards multiplatform releases and putting its subscription service Xbox Game Pass on other devices.

With the Xbox Series X/S firmly behind the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch in the console race, Microsoft has already started to publicly speak about its next generation plans, which seem to encompass more than one piece of hardware.

What has Xbox said about its next gen console?

Xbox president Sarah Bond has repeatedly promised the ‘biggest technological leap ever in a generation’ when talking about the company’s new hardware, without giving any specifics as to how that could happen.

‘We’re also invested in the next generation roadmap and what we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you’ve ever seen in a hardware generation,’ Bond said earlier this year.

While there’s no details about the hardware in question, Microsoft has established a team dedicated to game preservation, indicating any future console will be backwards compatible.

The Xbox Series X and S have not been very successful (Microsoft)

Will Xbox’s new console be a handheld?

One big question is whether Xbox’s next console will include the company’s plans for a handheld device. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed the company is working on handheld prototypes in an interview with Bloomberg, but stated the device will be a ‘few years out’.

Considering the next Xbox was rumoured for around 2026 or 2027, this would line up with Spencer’s comments above. It’s unclear though if it will be a streaming-only device, like the PlayStation Portal, a hybrid console like the Switch, or something entirely separate like the Steam Deck.

While Microsoft hasn’t confirmed either way, early rumours (and leaked internal documents) suggest the company is – or at least was – looking at developing a hybrid device.

In an interview with The Verge, Spencer also said Microsoft was ‘learning’ from Nintendo when asked about the handheld rumours.

‘I’m a big fan of handhelds,’ Spencer said. ‘I’m a big fan, but nothing to announce.’

He added: ‘Obviously we’re kind of learning from what Nintendo has done over the years with Switch, they’ve been fantastic with that. So when I look at Steam Deck and the ROG and my Legion Go. I’m a big fan of that space.’

If this handheld is a ‘few years out’, it’s likely that it will tie into Xbox’s next main console in some way, but it remains to be seen if it will emulate the Switch approach or do something entirely new.

With the launch of the Switch 2 expected next year, it’s possible Microsoft is simply waiting to see what Nintendo has up its sleeve, so it can offer something different, or try to improve upon it, further down the line.

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle is Xbox’s next big exclusive – for now (Bethesda)

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