Microsoft took advantage of its great publicity to meet with gamers at the end of the year for news on the hardware side. What to expect ?
This Thursday, February 15, 2024, Microsoft broadcast a special episode of its official podcast. A direct response to the growing rumors around the brand and its future strategy, particularly in terms of exclusivity. The American publisher has finally confirmed the arrival of several games from its catalog, but affirms that this does not mean that all of its in-house games will benefit from the same treatment. The brand ultimately sticks to its famous “case by case”. It was also during this same speech that the Redmond firm confirmed that it would make important announcements at the end of the year in terms of hardware. Phil Spencer had always been very clear about the arrival of a potential “Xbox Series Pro”: it would not happen. Has he finally turned around?
Towards an Xbox Series Portable?
In a meeting with employees ahead of the podcast broadcast, the head of the brand explained that he wanted to create a future where “every screen is an Xbox”. Not surprisingly, coming from a company that invests massively in the Cloud and spares no effort in this area. If a new version of the current console is obviously not to be ruled out, it is perhaps towards an Xbox Series Portable that we should turn. In an interview with The Verge, Spencer explained that the hardware teams were working hard “not only for this year, but for what comes after.” We really want to create hardware that doesn’t sell to gamers because of its unique aspects. It’s a kind of creative freedom for our hardware teams that really excites me. »
And it could well be an Xbox Series Portable. Spencer says he sees more opportunities in different types of devices. The guy also had fun liking numerous tweets about a possible portable console in recent days. “ I’m a big fan of portable consoles. A big fan, but I have nothing to announce », he added to our colleagues. He admits in this same interview that Windows still has a lot of work to do on the laptop side, pointing out that it is precisely this OS which constitutes the biggest weaknesses of the ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion GO.
A new version of the Xbox Series had leaked
A new version of the Xbox Series is also a possibility. Documents on the brand’s strategy, which leaked last September, indeed hinted at a version of the console without a disk drive. It would not be so much a “mid-gen” machine since it would offer a new design, 2 TB of storage and some additional features, but similar power. The documents in question mentioned Wi-Fi 6e and Bluetooth 5 compatibility, as well as optimizations in terms of energy consumption. A release at the end of 2024 was then envisaged.
A huge technical leap for the next generation
One thing is certain, Xbox does not intend to abandon the console market, far from it. Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, president of the brand, were both particularly enthusiastic about the future of Xbox in this sector. They are already announcing the color: the next Xbox console will be more powerful than ever. We know, incredible right? Bond goes even further by promising that Microsoft will deliver “the greatest technical good” we have seen with the next generation of Xbox, no less.
Other new features are coming. There are some really exciting things coming up in hardware that we’re going to share at the end of the year. We have also started our investments for the next-gen roadmap. We’re really focused on creating the biggest technical breakthrough ever between two generations, which is always better for players as well as game creators and their vision.
Sarah Bond