The next-gen Xbox console may not be designed by the team behind the Series X, with one industry insider claiming that the project has been reassigned to Microsoft's Surface division. The purported move implies that the next Xbox console could be released much later than the PS6, depending on how close to the drawing board the project returned as a result of the design team switch.
Microsoft's current-generation console hasn't been doing too well relative to the PS5, and the worst may be yet to come, as the Redmond-based tech giant expects Xbox hardware sales to keep declining over the course of 2024. While the company stopped reporting its concrete console sales figures in 2015, it broke its radio silence on that front in mid-2023, when it revealed that the Xbox Series X and Series S sold a combined total of 21 million units, roughly half of what the PS5 had achieved at the time.
It would appear that the company opted to shake up its console department as a result of those challenges, as implied by a recent claim from industry insider Nick Baker. During the February 10 episode of The XboxEra Podcast (around the 1:57:45 mark), Baker said he heard that Microsoft had reassigned the task of designing the next-gen Xbox console to the Surface team. The project was previously led by Jason Ronald, Microsoft's VP of Xbox gaming devices and ecosystem. Over the course of his 17-year stint at the company that's still ongoing, Ronald also helmed the development of the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One X.
Even if the Series X was selling much better than it currently is, the notion of Microsoft assigning its successor to the Surface team would not be completely out of the left field if the recent rumor suggesting an Xbox handheld console is in the works has any truth to it. After all, high-performance portable devices are precisely what the Surface division specializes in. Whether such a radical paradigm shift would even be on the cards if the current-generation console was doing well is a different matter.
Baker's latest podcast appearance also saw him reflect on those handheld rumors, the latest of which was started by the Xbox News Cast Podcast, specifically by its co-host MAGG. To that end, the insider said he couldn't vouch for the veracity of the original report but claimed he was fed similar information from a source who assured him he was not the one behind MAGG's purported leak. But while the first report implied the handheld would be cheaper and less powerful than the next-gen Xbox, essentially serving as the Series S successor, Baker's source claimed it would have identical specs and be more expensive.
Given the recent influx of Microsoft leaks, there is always a chance that the company is currently trying to run
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Xbox console exclusive Killer Instinct: Anniversary Edition has received another comprehensive update that introduces gameplay improvements, visual refinements, and a plethora of bug fixes, among other novelties. This patch arrives nearly 11 years following the original release of Killer Instinct.
Today is the last day to play Soul Hackers 2 via Xbox Game Pass. The popular Atlus RPG has also been treated to a hefty 70% discount to commemorate its departure from the service, with that limited-time offer even extending to those without an Xbox Game Pass membership.
Xbox Game Pass is scheduled to add Space Engineers to its content catalog later today, February 29. This will be the final February addition to the platform and the 14th new title overall to reach Xbox Game Pass during the shortest month of 2024.
Fantasy RPG Indivisible is now available on Xbox Game Pass. This release brings the total number of February 2024 additions to Xbox Game Pass up to 13.
The Xbox Game Pass catalog has expanded to include Maneater, a highly chaotic ARPG about disrupting the food chain in the bloodiest manner imaginable. This is the 13th title to reach Xbox Game Pass in February.
Xbox wish lists have stopped working for some users, according to numerous online complaints that have emerged online in late February. The problem appears to affect the last two generations of Xbox consoles and has also been observed by PC users, although Microsoft has yet to officially acknowledge the situation.
Age of Mythology: Retold has been confirmed for a day-one release on Microsoft's consoles, whose owners will be able to play it via Xbox Game Pass or purchase it digitally. This development marks a notable improvement in how Microsoft's first-party RTS games approach consoles, which have previously been more of an afterthought for them, with that strategy standing in stark contrast to most other types of Xbox Game Pass releases.
World of Goo 2 is set to debut as a Nintendo Switch console exclusive on May 23. Its release date and Switch console exclusivity have both been revealed during the latest Nintendo Direct, which also featured new gameplay footage from the sequel to one of the highest-rated Wii games ever made.
Xbox Cloud Gaming should start allowing users to stream their own games sometime in 2024, according to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. Streaming enthusiasts have been waiting for this feature to be added to the Xbox service since its earliest days, back when it was still called xCloud.
Some Xbox games and services are currently down on PC and consoles. The Xbox outages began on Friday and are yet to be fully resolved as of the early afternoon hours ET on Sunday, February 18.
PS2 and Xbox racing classic FlatOut is currently free to claim on GOG as part of an extended Valentine's Day promo that runs until Saturday, February 17. The limited-time offer is geared toward promoting a newly launched GOG sale that includes thousands of deep game discounts.
More details about an internal Microsoft meeting, held in the run-up to its upcoming Xbox multi-platform event, have leaked online. The newly emerged report even includes a description of a peculiar Palworld presentation that the company is said to have held for its employees, which may or may not make it to the public Xbox event scheduled for February 15.