During today’s Xbox Business Update, Sarah Bond, president of Xbox at Microsoft, reaffirmed the gaming company’s commitment to hardware. She confirmed that Xbox is already looking ahead to its next console, which she teases will be a major technical leap.
The news came at the end of a 22-minute podcast where Xbox shared its vision for the future. The panel, featuring CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer, Bond, and Matt Booty, president of game content and studios, addressed rumors that Xbox would be bringing its games to other platforms and ditching hardware. While there was some truth to the first point, as four unnamed Xbox exclusives are headed to other consoles, the hardware rumors weren’t correct.
To assure worried fans, Bond explained that Xbox is, in fact, planning to have a console next generation. Not only that, but Bond hyped up the potential machine’s technical power. She says the company plans to deliver “the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.”
That wasn’t the only piece of hardware news. Bond teased that we may see some news on new Xbox devices this year. “There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday, and we’re also invested in the next-generation road map.”
That last bit of news shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who followed Xbox’s battle with the Federal Trade Commission over its Activision Blizzard acquisition last year. During that process, Xbox accidentally revealed unredacted documents showing off its hardware plans for the future. That included a mid-generation Xbox Series X refresh and a new controller with haptics. With Bond’s comments, there’s a good chance we wind up seeing at least one of those this holiday season.
