Next-gen Xbox console is around the corner, but there’s a catch

After photos of a handheld Xbox console leaked last week, which turned out to be a partnership with Asus for the new ROG Ally, rumors have surfaced that the video gaming giant was also working on its next-gen Xbox home console – but there’s a problem.

As it happens, according to the information Jez Corden shared a few months back, the new Xbox console had passed its early pitch phase and has received full approval and cost-analysis, per his article published on Windows Central on February 13. Furthermore, he explained:

“I doubt we’ll see a reveal of their hardware strategy any time soon, but what is perhaps more interesting to me is how Xbox will seek to entice developers to support its efforts on PC.”

Indeed, Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming, said in an interview in March, during the annual Game Developers Conference, that, in addition to having Xbox games on other consoles, he wanted to allow stores like Itch.io and Epic Games Store (EGS) into Xbox, which could also mean Steam.

Fans are not yet sold on the next-gen Xbox console

However, fans are not exactly sure what to make of this, especially considering the inflated price of Xbox hardware currently on the market. Some have noted that the next-gen Xbox does look like “some kind of PC/Xbox hybrid,” allowing it to run alternative stores like Steam.

Another user stated that, for them, this “actually sounds like quite an enticing package, and I’ve never owned an Xbox in my life.” At the same time, other commenters were a lot more skeptical, arguing that:

“I don’t really see why they would allow third-party stores on Xbox from a business perspective … Why would they allow someone else to take away such a major revenue stream?”

And then, there are some, like Gaming Bible’s Sam Cawley, who has opined that “Xbox needs to go back to basics before it moves onto another console generation,” and that “the only reason I’d recommend Xbox over the likes of PlayStation is Xbox Game Pass, and you can get that on PC as well.”

Earlier, ASUS seemingly teased the 2025 Xbox handheld with a short video of an ASUS ROG Ally-style device alongside an Xbox controller, after which more details have appeared in the form of a couple of leaked photos of the upcoming models, in white and black versions, and some initial details.

Meanwhile, Xbox plans to bring cloud gaming to LG smart TVs later this year as it makes its app available on the TVs for the first time ever, as part of the company’s mission to bring games to more people on more devices, and Xbox President Sarah Bond said players will also be able to purchase Xbox games on Android devices.