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[Windows Central] EXCLUSIVE: New details on Xbox's next-gen console(s) — and Microsoft's most ambitious gaming plans ever

The Office Glasses GIF by nounish ⌐◨-◨


Why cant you answer like an adult?
 
Piecing together that various things said about the next Xbox (first party console) by those in the know, including our very own @KeplerL2 and HeisenbergFX4 HeisenbergFX4 (and some assumptions).

  • Small form factor, designed for entertainment center
  • Relatively powerful in context of today's systems
  • Unsubsidized, exspensive
  • Locked down Windows 11. No ability to install other operating systems. Only apps available from the MS store. Crucial distinction in determining if it is a PC or a console
  • BC. Needs console status to be able to bring forward Xbox games due to licensing.
  • No online paywall. Doesn't make sense to keep this around if it wants any chance to appeal to PC gamers
  • Only approved mods can be installed, if they are even allowed. Possibily monetized a la Bethesda
Seems Microsoft is definitely straddling the fence between PC and console, but more on the console side due to BC. The more I think about it the more I see the online paywall going away. Removing the last remnant of XLG will cost MS a good bit of revenue and quite a few GP subscribers. Obviously, the price will limit appeal quite a bit, but unsubsidized means lower production numbers and costs. Said before but this looks like a bridge device to move gamers away from Xbox console and more towards Windows gaming.
This would be even worse, if you ask for that much you cant lock down the os completely imo, give the people the options they want, if installing other os, you will loose every benefit of the console side. nice summary.:messenger_ok:
 
How is it ambitious? It's a PC and they hope to sub-contract out the production to OEMs.

At most this is a fork of their old Surface strategy. Except it has a gamepad.
 
A lot.... :D
Seriously i dont know what his issue is, he is here since 2007 so hes in my age bracket i suppose. but is behaving like a 12 year old, but oh my i will just ignore it. i only asked a simple question, hes behaves like people from resetera exactly as immature and personal attack on a simple question, which is extremely telling. nevermind :)
 
This would be even worse, if you ask for that much you cant lock down the os completely imo, give the people the options they want, if installing other os, you will loose every benefit of the console side. nice summary.:messenger_ok:
Considering that the device will not be subsidized and will be sold at a premium, it will be in the price bracket where consumers are likely hardcore enough to build their own PC and make customized tweaks to their hardware (i.e. undervolting, overclocking, etc.) and software (i.e. debloating Windows, install Linux, etc.).
 
Oh, I am not saying this thing is going to be a success. It might sell 5 million units. I am just saying there will be people who will want it and buy it. If its 1299 and sells 10 million units I think thats insane. I could see 5 million.
I honestly think 10 million is guaranteed. I would be kind of surprised if it sold less than that. They have like 30 million people plus more on Xbox one. To not even get 10 million I think it would be an under performance.
 
Yes, it is also a market with less risk for both the user and Microsoft itself. They don't need to sell at a loss, and if they only sell a few units, they will continue to receive games until the end as part of a more open platform.

Another closed platform like the Xbox Series without exclusives, with the poor sales of the series and the need to port and launch games, would be a bad bet.

This will kill GamePass numbers though. And that won't be good for Microsoft.
 
I honestly think 10 million is guaranteed. I would be kind of surprised if it sold less than that. They have like 30 million people plus more on Xbox one. To not even get 10 million I think it would be an under performance.
10 million at 1,299 or 1,499 would be an amazing achievement imo. Gotta start somewhere i suppose lol
 
This will kill GamePass numbers though. And that won't be good for Microsoft.
I think they are relying on people not moving over as quickly and the new system slowly growing as people slowly move over. I also think MS in general might be ok with the revenue of the whole division slowly dropping more and more as long as they can increase the profits.
 
I don't think you're correct on the last point but from rumours flying about Microsoft are not expecting to sell as much as a traditional console, hence the expected high price tag.

That would probably mean the unit would be selling at a break even at launch (most consoles are sold at a loss at launch). Obviously building in-house maximizes profit and insures build quality.
Most consoles are sold at a loss on launch because you know you'll make that money back on your closed ecosystem of software sales.

But if this next Xbox is just a Windows PC, with access to third party storefronts.. It's not a closed ecosystem.. you can't sell it at a loss. What's to stop a business from buying a bulk order of them and using them as general use PCs? This is the same reason the Steam Machine can't be sold at a loss.

They have to sell at normal PC profit margins, making them no different really from OEM. I look at this more as the Microsoft Surface strategy, which itself has downsized remakably in recent years.


So again I ask, if you already have loads of partners that can make and distribute PCs, what benefit is there to Microsoft and the Customer of having a first party Xbox device? I don't see it.

Frankly Dell for example can make devices faster, more regularly, and can ship and support hardware in far more regions than Xbox is currently available in. For Microsoft you have to consider Support Costs, Warranty support, Manufacturing and R&D. All of this could be outsourced to their partner OEMs if they wanted.
 
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Seriously i dont know what his issue is, he is here since 2007 so hes in my age bracket i suppose. but is behaving like a 12 year old, but oh my i will just ignore it. i only asked a simple question, hes behaves like people from resetera exactly as immature and personal attack on a simple question, which is extremely telling. nevermind :)

I don't know what to say if you think a dwight shrute gif is a personal attack, lol. In general, you have occupied around half of the posts encompassing this very topic with the same two, three repeated sentences over and over. It's not hard for anyone to assume you're having a moment here. 🤷‍♂️

Also, my man M MisterXDTV finally removed me from his ignore list, the forbidden apple is too hard to resist afterall.
 
I think they are relying on people not moving over as quickly and the new system slowly growing as people slowly move over. I also think MS in general might be ok with the revenue of the whole division slowly dropping more and more as long as they can increase the profits.

The problem with this is the price though. How can people move over from a $300-$500 device, to a $1,200 device? Especially when we know Steam's Gabecube will be less than $1,000.

Have people forgot that device will be directly competing with Xbox Magnus?
 
they wont, a very small percentage at best. steam machine will flop too, due to pricing issue. but steam could easily sell it for a good price they just decided not too, steam machines apu is likely very very cheap, but they already said even before the ram price explosion this thing will not be priced like a console. they make so much money from sitting on cs go 2 alone, they really could but also its specs are just very subbar for 2026, i mean its not even a base ps5 which is ancient by now especially compared to pc hardware.

but interesting where this will lead :)
 
they wont, a very small percentage at best. steam machine will flop too, due to pricing issue. but steam could easily sell it for a good price they just decided not too, steam machines apu is likely very very cheap, but they already said even before the ram price explosion this thing will not be priced like a console. they make so much money from sitting on cs go 2 alone, they really could but also its specs are just very subbar for 2026, i mean its not even a base ps5 which is ancient by now especially compared to pc hardware.

but interesting where this will lead :)

Valve has already said they intend to sell the Steam Machine at an equivalent priced PC, i-e there will be little to no subsidizing on hardware on their part this time around.
 
The problem with this is the price though. How can people move over from a $300-$500 device, to a $1,200 device? Especially when we know Steam's Gabecube will be less than $1,000.

Have people forgot that device will be directly competing with Xbox Magnus?
Xbox machine will run circles around the Steambox and play the same games
 
This will kill GamePass numbers though. And that won't be good for Microsoft.
Not necessarily. Microsoft's commitment to a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games, which only they offer at the moment, means that if they continue to offer a good catalog, I don't see why people can't combine this with Steam.
The problem with this is the price though. How can people move over from a $300-$500 device, to a $1,200 device? Especially when we know Steam's Gabecube will be less than $1,000.

Have people forgot that device will be directly competing with Xbox Magnus?
Because it offers you access to multiple stores with diverse offerings and a huge game catalog instead of a completely closed platform. And the Gabecube is a device with entry-level performance at best, while Microsoft is betting on a truly powerful APU.
 
who doesnt knows that? it also will be much more expensive.


Absolutely. Its 15% below a SX if we go by what we know about that Gpu. But far above a Series S which gets trumped by an Rx 590 from the polaris generation.
More than that. Series X has sufficient ram, bandwidth, games optimised for it.

Steam machine has single channel ram stick, only 8 gb vram, 30 watts cpu that will likely cause stutter etc.

Thats why I called it beefed up Series S. it will play games at 1080 but at 60 fps.
 
More than that. Series X has sufficient ram, bandwidth, games optimised for it.

Steam machine has single channel ram stick, only 8 gb vram, 30 watts cpu that will likely cause stutter etc.

Thats why I called it beefed up Series S. it will play games at 1080 but at 60 fps.
optimised for it? then why was it only rarely faster or even slower than a ps5 which is 20% slower on paper?

steam machine gpu 7600m around 20% slower than 7600 desktop but steam machine will be not be as gpu power limited as a laptop gpu so lets put it 10% faster than a 7600m = overcklocked 2070 = current gen consoles(depending on the game) circa but average it fits, a bit more a few %.

that should come out plus minus 5% as linux is often slower than windows 11 despite the myths.
 
I dont know who this appeals to outside of Xbox fans with large digital libraries who want to shift to PC. And even then in a few years, that will be less relevant as people shift to PC and stop caring as much about their old console games.

If you want a console, this isn't a console. If you want a PC, there are better, more flexible options. I don't see the point.
 
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who doesnt knows that? it also will be much more expensive.
I dunno where prices are coming in at, likely
But you know, when defending your narrative requires showing a biased reality and omitting relevant data because the harsh reality clashes with that narrative or takes away its substance...🤷
My narrative?

He compared the two, he brought up the pricing and asked why someone would pick one over the other, I posed an answer

mckmas8808 mckmas8808 Specifically included the prices for those who didn't see me say that the first time
 
The problem with this is the price though. How can people move over from a $300-$500 device, to a $1,200 device? Especially when we know Steam's Gabecube will be less than $1,000.

Have people forgot that device will be directly competing with Xbox Magnus?

That's what I mean. The people who do move over will either do it slowly cause they have to save up or it wont be so many and the GP subs will remain the same or not drop by much. As far as Steam machine I don't really see it as a competitor. The thing can't even play a lot of the most popular GAAS games. I love Steam but I would never even entertain purchasing that thing and locking myself out of MP games. Which I rarely play but why would I want to remove the option?
 
For someone who doesn't care you sure seem very invested in this conversation

evangeline lilly e evie GIF
again passive aggressive why?

also i said i personally dont care about the device because i see no reason for it. that doesnt mean i dont care for the hardware in it, theres a difference.

Also whats with that homo erotic gif?
 
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I dont know who this appeals to outside of Xbox fans with large digital libraries who want to shift to PC. And even then in a few years, that will be less relevant as people shift to PC and stop caring as much about their old console games.

If you want a console, this isn't a console. If you want a PC, there are better, more flexible options. I don't see the point.

Microsoft will likely roll out the "Xbox" featureset to all Windows devices in due time, with backwards compatibility coming to capable devices. You don't need to buy this machine if it doesn't fit your needs.
 
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But you know, when defending your narrative requires showing a biased reality and omitting relevant data because the harsh reality clashes with that narrative or takes away its substance...🤷
Btw, I am the one who told people this machine would allow other stuff fronts for about 2 years now and I have been warning people it was going to be expensive, anyone who has followed along knows this

Its on you if you think I am defending anything
 
I dont know who this appeals to outside of Xbox fans with large digital libraries who want to shift to PC. And even then in a few years, that will be less relevant as people shift to PC and stop caring as much about their old console games.

If you want a console, this isn't a console. If you want a PC, there are better, more flexible options. I don't see the point.
I'm not interested in Xbox at all because. My largest collection is by far on Steam, and with the demise of exclusives, consoles have lost their appeal as a platform for me. I want my next console to be able to play my Steam library on a compact device in my living room.

And I much prefer hardware that is a well-designed, optimized console-like PC than building a PC in a mini case, which is not only very expensive but also loses many of the conveniences of custom-built hardware, such as silly things like being able to turn it on remotely. And Valve's machine is a potato.
 
I'm not interested in Xbox at all because. My largest collection is by far on Steam, and with the demise of exclusives, consoles have lost their appeal as a platform for me. I want my next console to be able to play my Steam library on a compact device in my living room.

And I much prefer hardware that is a well-designed, optimized console-like PC than building a PC in a mini case, which is not only very expensive but also loses many of the conveniences of custom-built hardware, such as silly things like being able to turn it on remotely. And Valve's machine is a potato.
Finding a market for this thing will be a huge hurdle, but then again so has been finding a market for current series console.
 
For someone who doesn't care you sure seem very invested in this conversation

evangeline lilly e evie GIF

He's very concerned™, you see.

I'm not interested in Xbox at all because. My largest collection is by far on Steam, and with the demise of exclusives, consoles have lost their appeal as a platform for me. I want my next console to be able to play my Steam library on a compact device in my living room.

And I much prefer hardware that is a well-designed, optimized console-like PC than building a PC in a mini case, which is not only very expensive but also loses many of the conveniences of custom-built hardware, such as silly things like being able to turn it on remotely. And Valve's machine is a potato.

On paper, this machine sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

And if it retains 100% compatibility with current Xbox library, including means to get discs running, it's 100% what I'm looking for as well.
 
"OEM consoles by manufacturers like ASUS. First Party Xbox serves as baseline, could see more higher end premium consoles from OEMs as well as cheaper slimmed down versions from a variety of companies"

That sounds like a headache for devs to optimize their games, but whatever, not interested in the poor man's version, I want to see how over the top powerful this Xbox-PC-hybrid is gonna be now that I guess they're not trying to adjust to a budget like on a normal console
This is a problem for MS to solve. Evidently there will only be a few hardware configurations of Magnus that MS can create profiles for. Devs can then map performance modes to these profiles for their games.
 
Finding a market for this thing will be a huge hurdle, but then again so has been finding a market for current series console.
While it may not be aimed at the mass market, I'm sure there are many people like me who would like a PC in their living room but don't have one because they are inconvenient. I find the idea of a console with a TV-friendly interface and controller, powerful hardware and a compact design that can run Steam games very appealing.
 
While it may not be aimed at the mass market, I'm sure there are many people like me who would like a PC in their living room but don't have one because they are inconvenient. I find the idea of a console with a TV-friendly interface and controller, powerful hardware and a compact design that can run Steam games very appealing.
I have brought this up before here but like my son who spends most of his work day looking at a PC screen would like to PC game but doesn't really want the hassle of a gaming PC

If they can nail this machine and still have a console like experience where it can go under your TV and you pick up your controller and turn it on and jump into gaming at the right price then maybe
 
This is a problem for MS to solve. Evidently there will only be a few hardware configurations of Magnus that MS can create profiles for. Devs can then map performance modes to these profiles for their games.

The problem is non-existant because no third-party dev is gonna optmize for single PC models with abysmal sale numbers

And to achieve what? Doing MS a favor when it's now a third-party competitor???

It's a product that doesn't make sense from an incompetent company in gaming
 
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I dunno where prices are coming in at, likely

My narrative?

He compared the two, he brought up the pricing and asked why someone would pick one over the other, I posed an answer

mckmas8808 mckmas8808 Specifically included the prices for those who didn't see me say that the first time
Btw, I am the one who told people this machine would allow other stuff fronts for about 2 years now and I have been warning people it was going to be expensive, anyone who has followed along knows this

Its on you if you think I am defending anything

My man Heisenberg, I wasn't referring to you... I was referring to his narrative, and with that irony, I was agreeing with you. In fact, I already liked your post 🤭

I meant that many people need to omit details in their arguments to strengthen their narrative... Like saying that the Gabecube runs the same games and will be cheaper, but they "forget" (as you pointed out) that the Xbox Next would run those same games but utterly outclasses the Gabecube in terms of power.

I thought it was clear that the irony wasn't directed at you, but at the narrative from person you were quoting... I should have emphasized that to avoid confusion. Sorry.
 
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He's very concerned™, you see.



On paper, this machine sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

And if it retains 100% compatibility with current Xbox library, including means to get discs running, it's 100% what I'm looking for as well.
Same for me as well. I've entertained the thought of building a TV pc but never pulled the trigger for various reason (I have a ITX pc already that I sometimes move to the TV, and I have a PS5 Pro/Series X already there so I buy most "tv games" there).

This machine would be the perfect Series X successor and fulfill that TV pc for me at the same time. Plus this would be much better suited as a TV machine due to "console features" like quick resume and turning it on with the controller.

It's just a Steam Machine that runs Windows and will probably cost a lot more. You can hear the collective yawning of the world's PC gamers from here
That solves one of the big problems with the Steam Machine at least for me. I'm interested in the Steam Machine still but it's a device that will not have access to a lot of big multiplayer games unless Valve can get anti cheat working.
 
My man Heisenberg, I wasn't referring to you... I was referring to his narrative, and with that irony, I was agreeing with you. In fact, I already liked your post 🤭

I meant that many people need to omit details in their arguments to strengthen their narrative... Like saying that the Gabecube runs the same games and will be cheaper, but they "forget" (as you pointed out) that the Xbox Next would run those same games but utterly outclasses the Gabecube in terms of power.

I thought it was clear that the irony wasn't directed at you, but at the narrative from person you were quoting... I should have emphasized that to avoid confusion. Sorry.
No worries, misunderstanding on my part

I even thought to myself, I know this guys posts, this doesn't sound right, am I reading it wrong

Guess I shouldn't play games trying to get high marks in World of Tanks and reply to posts at the same since 3 marking tanks puts me in a foul mood :)
 
This is a problem for MS to solve. Evidently there will only be a few hardware configurations of Magnus that MS can create profiles for. Devs can then map performance modes to these profiles for their games.
I'm gonna guess the ones like Asus and other big ones won't bother with a cheaper version and just supply the premium stuff, right? Like MS doing the "base" version, the "gimped" version and everyone else delivering the "premium" version, that way gimped version is something they can handle MS themselves with developers
 
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