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

So if the next Xbox is a PC, why wouldn't everyone just buy their games on Steam?
It depends on the way it's implemented but my guess is they are hoping a large portion will be casual users who don't give a shit about that kind of stuff and will just stick to the Xbox store. Similar to how Android works. Sure you can install other stores but not many people are doing that.
 
I have.

It's speculation and not announced by Xbox.

I don't think it will run MS Office.

Im guessing it will be an xbox ui. That can switch to some kind of windows, steam, epic etc? From rumours and people saying it will run windows, other saying steam and epic
 
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Closed system, closed OS, closed ecosystem with whitelisted stores.

What does white-listed stores even mean when they've included Steam on their list?

As it's been said a bunch of times, Steam and every other store downloads games that need further installation quite often, including installing launchers, anti-cheat, custom DRM, etc. It's not just a bunch of downloaded files that can be securely stored somewhere w/o breaking a ton of games.

MS has no control over the software on Steam, and Valve barely controls it lol
 
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It depends on the way it's implemented but my guess is they are hoping a large portion will be casual users who don't give a shit about that kind of stuff and will just stick to the Xbox store. Similar to how Android works. Sure you can install other stores but not many people are doing that.
Casual users aren't going to buy a $1200 "console"

This is what I mean. This thing is incoherent.
 
What does white-listed stores even mean when they've included Steam on their list?

white-listed stores -> included on their list

As it's been said a bunch of times, Steam and every other store downloads games that need further installation quite often, including installing launchers, anti-cheat, custom DRM, etc. It's not just a bunch of downloaded files that can be securely stored somewhere w/o breaking a ton of games.

MS has no control over the software on Steam, and Valve barely controls it lol

According to Epic, they would need to work with Microsoft for this to work so I assume that would be the same for Valve.
 
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white-listed stores -> included Steam on their list

I was merely saying white listing stores is rather meaningless if you include stores that have thousands of games from the last 2 decades all designed around a fully open Windows.

According to Epic, they would need to work with Microsoft for this to work so I assume that would be the same for Valve.

That's not really true, the person from Epic clearly didn't know.. they just guessed they'll have to make an app.
 
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I was merely saying white listing stores is rather meaningless if you include stores that have thousands of games from the last 2 decades all designed around a fully open Windows.



That's not really true, the person from Epic clearly didn't know.. they just guessed they'll have to make an app.

And I'm just saying Microsoft is going to decide what stores are allowed in this multi-store console and which are not. Is there a lot more to it than that? I'd say so, sure. Wasn't suggesting otherwise. Either way, nothing I'm saying here is anything other than pure speculation.
 
And I'm just saying Microsoft is going to decide what stores are allowed in this multi-store console and which are not. Is there a lot more to it than that? I'd say so, sure. Wasn't suggesting otherwise. Either way, nothing I'm saying here is anything other than pure speculation.
Fair enough. At this point we have no idea if they will "decide" what stores go on it all though lol

It's interesting to talk the various possibilities but the rumor from this thread is that it runs "full Windows" so shouldn't really have any restrictions at all, if that ends up true.
 
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Well I mean at this point we have no idea if they will "decide" what stores go on it all lol

It's interesting to talk the various possibilities but the rumor from this thread is that it runs "full Windows" so shouldn't really have any restrictions at all, if that ends up true.

I think we agree. I was trying to reply to the question of this in the context of a console with multiple stores. We have some competing theories going around here from what Jez is describing as a "full bore Windows" PC and what K KeplerL2 and HeisenbergFX4 HeisenbergFX4 have said about this being a console. Obviously you are correct that it isn't up to Microsoft if it is truly an open Windows 11. Everyone can do what they have always done in PC land.
 
For the most part yes you are correct. This thing isn't meant to sell mass market though and I could see them teaching 10 mil max lifetime.
...but how will they sell gamepass en masse with only 10m boxes in homes?

My 2 cents. Gamepass for PC and gamepass for console will see a unification in 2027. PC gamepass prices go up and Microsoft starts to try to entice PC users on to gamepass.

The issue is that PC gamers and console gamers aren't fungible, their behavior will need to be unified as well.

If that behavior ends up more on the PC side of things like I'm sure many assume it will, then that is not good for gamepass which delivers new slate releases as a rental, when the PC crowd prefers older and/or f2p content. If f2p why gamepass(I'm aware there are f2p cosmetic+ and I would guess currency style rewards via gamepass for many games)? Turning all their console people into PC people will not be profitable for them, it will hurt.

This hybrid computer they are building will teach people how to leave them.
 
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...but how will they sell gamepass en masse with only 10m boxes in homes?

My 2 cents. Gamepass for PC and gamepass for console will see a unification in 2027. PC gamepass prices go up and Microsoft starts to try to entice PC users on to gamepass.

The issue is that PC gamers and console gamers aren't fungible, their behavior will need to be unified as well.

If that behavior ends up more on the PC side of things like I'm sure many assume it will, then that is not good for gamepass which delivers new slate releases as a rental, when the PC crowd prefers older and/or f2p content. If f2p why gamepass(I'm aware there are f2p cosmetic+ and I would guess currency style rewards via gamepass for many games)? Turning all their console people into PC people will not be profitable for them, it will hurt.

This hybrid computer they are building will teach people how to leave them.
They won't, those subs will slowly bleed out from the Series S/X/One owners as they migrate away from Xbox.

Phil is giving up 'Online' gold sub money, likely a lot of gamepass subs, but trading that for no hardware losses. The result is that Xbox becomes ABK+Bethesda, software publisher.
 
I think we agree. I was trying to reply to the question of this in the context of a console with multiple stores. We have some competing theories going around here from what Jez is describing as a "full bore Windows" PC and what K KeplerL2 and HeisenbergFX4 HeisenbergFX4 have said about this being a console. Obviously you are correct that it isn't up to Microsoft if it is truly an open Windows 11. Everyone can do what they have always done in PC land.
I will add maybe things have changed within castle green and this thing could come out as a full bore windows 11 PC but as of a few months ago being a fly on the wall hearing the very top dogs still at Xbox/MS talk about these machines I heard them talk about Xbox console and Xbox PC as being separate entities

Not to mention having 2 different codenames for both machines within Xbox
 
I will add maybe things have changed within castle green and this thing could come out as a full bore windows 11 PC but as of a few months ago being a fly on the wall hearing the very top dogs still at Xbox/MS talk about these machines I heard them talk about Xbox console and Xbox PC as being separate entities

Not to mention having 2 different codenames for both machines within Xbox
Yeah things can change that's fair.

Jez is an idiot but these articles he writes that read like Microsoft themselves wrote them tend to be correct. He's a shill who isn't told everything and makes a fool out of himself at times but he keeps just repeating roughly the same thing with MS-marketing-like fluff intertwined into the articles.

I also can't personally make heads or tails of why anyone like Valve would create a store for a closed-platform console. I think it's more likely that Microsoft is just loosely using the term "Console" when the reality is this thing will support Steam because of course Windows 11 supports Steam. Epic would do that because they are Epic and would just create a store for Fortnite alone as we've seen them do on other platforms but Valve?

MS Marketing magic trick.. your next console supports 3rd party stores, because...uh... it's Windows!
 
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Those would be apps in the MS store. How does that not make sense? If W11 is locked down then you've got to have a repository of approved apps to install.
Right. But then those would be apps that could install apps/games. Thus why "apps can only come from Microsoft store" isn't compatible with it.
 
I wouldn't be so sure. If this is just a PC then allowing third party stores is effectively the same as allowing piracy economically. What I think will happen is that Xbox backwards compatible games will run under a protected mode where modifying files is disallowed, much like how UWP games worked.
I think It's like what Epic got google to agree to for android. Make it easy to install multiple official stores, But greatly disallow installing from outside of them.

This would require Valve/Epic/etc to work with Xbox. Epic would. Valve won't.
 
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They won't, those subs will slowly bleed out from the Series S/X/One owners as they migrate away from Xbox.

Phil is giving up 'Online' gold sub money, likely a lot of gamepass subs, but trading that for no hardware losses. The result is that Xbox becomes ABK+Bethesda, software publisher.
That will not make up for mass bleeding of the loss of MTX and sub revenue, at all.

They're not a charity, despite some of the goofies we have on here and abroad try and insinuate.
 
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...but how will they sell gamepass en masse with only 10m boxes in homes?

My 2 cents. Gamepass for PC and gamepass for console will see a unification in 2027. PC gamepass prices go up and Microsoft starts to try to entice PC users on to gamepass.

The issue is that PC gamers and console gamers aren't fungible, their behavior will need to be unified as well.

If that behavior ends up more on the PC side of things like I'm sure many assume it will, then that is not good for gamepass which delivers new slate releases as a rental, when the PC crowd prefers older and/or f2p content. If f2p why gamepass(I'm aware there are f2p cosmetic+ and I would guess currency style rewards via gamepass for many games)? Turning all their console people into PC people will not be profitable for them, it will hurt.

This hybrid computer they are building will teach people how to leave them.

Well as we are already seeing with PS4 and Xbox one millions of people are fine staying where they are. I suspect that issue will be even bigger this gen. I don't think they are under the impression that gamepass will sell in mass though.

This PC to me is more of an off ramp. Get as many of their users on PC as they can instead of going to PS. DeepEnigma DeepEnigma suspects they have a plan to sue Nintendo and Sony to allow third party stores so maybe that's the plan. I've seen Jeff Grubb predict the same but who knows.
 
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I will add maybe things have changed within castle green and this thing could come out as a full bore windows 11 PC but as of a few months ago being a fly on the wall hearing the very top dogs still at Xbox/MS talk about these machines I heard them talk about Xbox console and Xbox PC as being separate entities

Not to mention having 2 different codenames for both machines within Xbox

Completely fair. Plans change and you've already said that many times. Honestly, a full bore Windows 11 PC makes a lot more sense to me except for the BC part. That's really the crux of the problem I think. How to have a console with multiple stores vs how to have PC with Xbox BC. We are all dancing around that line.
 
Ahh, so Xbox admits it has given up on appealing to the mass market with "their" hardware. About time. Now it's just a matter of when they go strictly software. I see no reason why any niche consumer would choose this over a PC or Steam Machine...but who knows, maybe they will surprise us.

Have you seen the prices for SFF prebuilts?

Why would YOU choose a Steam machine over this when the Steam machine is significantly worse in every performance metric, and lacks compatibility with many popular MP games?

Not saying that it will be the case, but historically? That goes up to $300.

Yeah, but Sony is a long way off the launch PS3 days. That falls squarely within the 'never again' period of their history.

Launch PS4 was basically being sold at BoM prices and PS5 supposedly had a $50ish subsidy.


This ignores the fact that Xbox app is irrelevant and Steam has a de facto monopoly on the pc games space.

That is the entire difference. In every single "Magnus" thread, all I read is people wanting to run Steam on it. Valve sells devices so people stay on Steam, Microsoft is going to sell this device to... get people on Steam.

Has someone told the folks at Samsung that they're misguided because they're selling phones that most folks will use only with Google's Play store?
 
Yeah, but Sony is a long way off the launch PS3 days. That falls squarely within the 'never again' period of their history.

Launch PS4 was basically being sold at BoM prices and PS5 supposedly had a $50ish subsidy.
While something as extreme as $300 may likely never happen, I wouldn't count out over $50 if they need to meet an affordable price point. Sony today is a completely different beast to Sony in 2006 in terms of the money they make. I don't think a PS3 type loss would even result on operating loss for them nowadays.
 
How are they gonna implement the BC Part?
Special Hardware which will be exclusive to Xbox / OEM Variante and Boot into console Mode?
Or a emulator/Software unlocker which is included in the next Xbox and Ideally can be unlocked on normal PCs too?
The HW required for BC is now part of standard Radeon gfx IP going forward. BC will likely remain exclusive to 1st-party Xbox devices for legal reasons.
 
The HW required for BC is now part of standard Radeon gfx IP going forward. BC will likely remain exclusive to 1st-party Xbox devices for legal reasons.

So if some in the Xbox ecosystem wanted to carry over their library presumably they would have to pay the for more expensive 1st party device than the entry level OEM devices?

For your mass audience who buy 1.2 games a year this device for them. For those that bought the series S I don't believe these suite of devices will offer price to perform that the PS6 will. Those games will be lost to other ecosystems.

That leaves around 15 million of the most dedicated console owners. These devices are cost prohibited a not so insignificant amount of the buys will be leave for other ecosystem.
 
Yeah, but Sony is a long way off the launch PS3 days. That falls squarely within the 'never again' period of their history.

Launch PS4 was basically being sold at BoM prices and PS5 supposedly had a $50ish subsidy.

Can you please link to your source for that information.

That is incorrect PS4 was not sold as BoM. Sony stated they loss they in incurred could be cover by the purchase of a game and accessory.

PS5 was again subsidise quite a bit as well as we know at in the first year of the hardware cycle PS5 with a disc drive were profitable at one point but supply side shortages due to COVID meant hardware turn into loss making quite quickly after that.

The digital PS5 has never been profit making so how is the subsidy only $50 when the price between the disc and digital was $100 and the disc sold at a loss at launch?
 
I'm 100% sure it will. But if one is $900 and runs Steam and the other is $1,200 and runs Windows 11......this feels like a problem, no?

$900 to $1200 doesn't exactly sound like a lot when you look at the supposed hardware spec comparison. The extra $300 is worth less than just the RAM differential.
 
Has someone told the folks at Samsung that they're misguided because they're selling phones that most folks will use only with Google's Play store?
Samsung is a hardware company. and they don't just sell phones they sell the components in the phones to other companies.

Microsoft is a software company. Microsoft is not good at hardware in general and they normally use it as a Trojan horse for their software (eg Xbox, Surface for Office). What you are saying is that they should now transition to a low margin hardware maker, without using it to sell software (because people will all be on Steam). So they are like, I don't know, Lenovo or Dell, selling low margin hardware, except without the volume that makes the business worthwhile to Lenovo and Dell.

This is just more stupid the more I read peoples' arguments for it.
 
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$900 to $1200 doesn't exactly sound like a lot when you look at the supposed hardware spec comparison. The extra $300 is worth less than just the RAM differential.

I didn't realize the gulf in specs earlier. Now seeing the GabeCube will be a Series S on steroids, makes me think it might sell for $800 (was probably going to be $700 before memory prices got out of control).
 
I didn't realize the gulf in specs earlier. Now seeing the GabeCube will be a Series S on steroids, makes me think it might sell for $800 (was probably going to be $700 before memory prices got out of control).

Right, based on whatever's online, roughly speaking the Magnus device will have a two generation better CPU (Zen 3 vs Zen 5), two generation better GPU architecture (RDNA 3 vs RDNA 5), double the memory (16GB+8GB on Steam Machine vs 'up to' 48GB on Magnus).

If these devices ship at $800 versus $1200, at that kind of $300 to $400 differential, Magnus seems like a massively better offer. Especially considering they're gonna be running the same Steam library.
 
Right, based on whatever's online, roughly speaking the Magnus device will have a two generation better CPU (Zen 3 vs Zen 5), two generation better GPU architecture (RDNA 3 vs RDNA 5), double the memory (16GB+8GB on Steam Machine vs 'up to' 48GB on Magnus).

If these devices ship at $800 versus $1200, at that kind of $300 to $400 differential, Magnus seems like a massively better offer. Especially considering they're gonna be running the same Steam library.
It's roughly 2x CPU perf and 4x GPU perf (raster), not including massively improved RT and AI performance, new features, etc.

Even at 2x price I would say Magnus is a much better deal.
 
Have you seen the prices for SFF prebuilts?

Why would YOU choose a Steam machine over this when the Steam machine is significantly worse in every performance metric, and lacks compatibility with many popular MP games?
I mean unless these "Xbox" OEMs are aggressively priced I don't see a reason Why I would pick it. Because it can play 360 and OG Xbox games? Yea you can do that now already on PC. I dont care about performance if its "good enough" and priced right. Thats why I said we'll see.

MS has to price this thing competitively because power alone isn't going to get anyone to pick it up over a cheaper Steam Machine or just going full PC for a similar price point.
 
I mean unless these "Xbox" OEMs are aggressively priced I don't see a reason Why I would pick it. Because it can play 360 and OG Xbox games? Yea you can do that now already on PC. I dont care about performance if its "good enough" and priced right. Thats why I said we'll see.

MS has to price this thing competitively because power alone isn't going to get anyone to pick it up over a cheaper Steam Machine or just going full PC for a similar price point.
Its gonna have gamepass.

It will be much better deal in long run.
 
This ignores the fact that Xbox app is irrelevant and Steam has a de facto monopoly on the pc games space.

That is the entire difference. In every single "Magnus" thread, all I read is people wanting to run Steam on it. Valve sells devices so people stay on Steam, Microsoft is going to sell this device to... get people on Steam.
Lack of launcher popularity doesn't make it a different type of device. It's still the same thing, just booting into a different launcher with a different OS underneath.

Microsoft is going to sell this thing so people stay gaming on Windows and Gamepass. That's 100% the reason.

Steam Machine run SteamOS which is competing with Windows on gaming and you can't have Gamepass there.

If you use Steam or not is irrelevant, it automatically add your games from ALL PC stores to the menu once you log in to your store accounts. It's basically ROG Xbox Ally in console format with bonus Xbox console compatibility.
 
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The HW required for BC is now part of standard Radeon gfx IP going forward. BC will likely remain exclusive to 1st-party Xbox devices for legal reasons.
Thanks for the Info.
Starting from RDNA4 or only from newer UDNA/RDNA5 architectures?

I thought so about the exlusivity part for 1st party Xbox devices, but at the same time they would leave out 99,9% of the PC userbase, which is stupid. Not many people would buy a Xbox PC just to havr the BC part..

I would be probably fine, if they could release a one time license fee to unlock the BC part /emulator (like buying the hardware itself), but at the same time compatibility is probably not given with other GPUs except from AMD.

IMO they could have started the BC program with the Xbox Ally and it would sell like hot cakes.


Time will tell what MS will do and hopefully they will do the right thing.
 
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

The base version. Is the base version just like a base ps5 by the sounds of it. But, others will be able to make their own systems of varying power based on the Magnus chip.

I see it like Nvidia with it's GPUs. You will have the founders edition next Xbox and then you will have the AIB xboxs that are over locked and have faster ram etc.

The Asus ROG Xbox Astral etc.

I don't think there's anything gimped about it unless that's the terminology you use for devices. So I guess a base ps5 is a gimped ps5 to you and the pro is the not gimped one?
 
This will kill GamePass numbers though. And that won't be good for Microsoft.

Gamepass is already more or less dead for MS now anyway. They've done the big push as a sales point of why to choose an Xbox and people just didn't want it, for whatever reason.

So, now they are doing their ms thing if they tried and now they will let it organically die and support it as much as they absolutely minimally need to until they pull the plug imo.

It would need a miracle to save gamepass now.
 
It's roughly 2x CPU perf and 4x GPU perf (raster), not including massively improved RT and AI performance, new features, etc.

Even at 2x price I would say Magnus is a much better deal.
Agreed, affordability is important but the difference in architecture is big. 2x price difference would limit it a fair bit despite it being a better deal.

Steam Machine could still find a good niche with those that are happy with Steam Deck and want something a bit more capable for the TV and others that really want to increase the amount of SteamOS / Proton users compared to Windows (some people might find the experience open enough like a PC modding wise yet it could be more polished experience wise, see Xbox Ally X vs Steam Deck). Some people still game on Steam Deck despite there being much faster handhelds… although those handhelds are severely limited by RDNA 3.x. Valve should have waited for RDNA4 or later at least before launching their next product, with how much RT and AI performance improvements RDNA4 and RDNA5 have been pushing for RDNA 3.x is a bit of a dead end and getting outpaced fast.
 
It's roughly 2x CPU perf and 4x GPU perf (raster), not including massively improved RT and AI performance, new features, etc.

Even at 2x price I would say Magnus is a much better deal.

Indeed its way better deal than Steam underpowered device. Magnus will only become dubious value when compared to a much cheaper PS6 with comparable performance.
 
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