With Xbox soon to release a Next-Gen console & handheld where does this leave the state of game development on Series S/X?
- Thread starter onQ123
- Start date
Yes soon if it's coming in 2025 or 2026 game development should be happening now.
Digital-Aftertaste
Member
optional support... hopefully they don't make the same mistake again with the series s and just treat the handheld like the steam deck. If they try to do the same crap we'll be getting a WiiU situation on our hands.
DaleinCalgary
Member
They are a publisher now. But they will release one more console.
Esparadrapo
Banned
There's no indication of a next Xbox, let alone a handheld.
Take your pills, man.
Take your pills, man.
bitbydeath
Member
The rumour is that it will be a PC running Windows. Nothing special will be required.
Quasicat
Member
You can currently play Series S games on an Xbox One through cloud gaming. I think this is the future. We will get one more console release from Microsoft and then they will be completely in the cloud. They did this with Office and at work we even pay for a cloud based Operating System where we can access anything from our desktop at home. This is where they are heading, especially with the cost of hardware going where it is.
coachmcguirk91
Gold Member
The Next Gen console will launch in 2026, but it will have zero exclusives. There is no way Microsoft will abandon the Series X and S generation until at least 2030, probably much longer. There is just too much money to be made on PS5 and Switch 2.The next Xbox will be a glorified version of the PS5 pro, where it will play the same games at a better fidelity with increased FPS. It will be much more niche
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Sarah & Phil already said the devices are coming
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adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
A PC hybrid that has full compatibility with Series content, including X360 BC, would be great imo. Just a handheld probably not too high for me.
FunkMiller
Banned
Is there even such a thing as games development for the Series X? It's been rendered redundant as a development platform by the need to have everything on Series S and PC.
Kacho
Member
I don't buy that if they expect it to sell any units at all. It needs a sleek, Steam OS type of interface.
HeisenbergFX4
Gold Member
EverydayBeast
ChatGPT 0.001
GHG
Member
You'll be lucky.
There's a reason they are going to start allowing you to play your digital libraries via Xcloud.
deriks
4-Time GIF/Meme God
I guess that you're new into this... But let me tell some stuff
1 - game development ALWAYS uses better hardware and then gets downgrades along the way since the dev kits are better machines. Sometimes we see those downgrades, but mostly don't
2 - since ghe XOne Microsoft is just evolving the same hardware, making easier for devs to run on better hardware on the future. Of course it needs adjustments, but way less than a usual port
3 - by now, if Microsoft will really launch a portable console, which I have to remember is not confirmed, chances are that will be a Series S level of hardware, so additional work won't be necessary fom anyone but Microsoft itself
4 - we barely have actual gen games now. Hold your pants for the next gen
bitbydeath
Member
I believe the goal is more about creating a smooth transition from console to PC. The lure will be the branding and Xbox BC App.
ExtendEmbraceExtinguish
Member
Portable = min
Pc/console hybrid = high
Pc/ 6090 = ultra
Ps5/series x = ?
Series s/switch 2 = ?
Remember folks they want their games on all devices
Pc/console hybrid = high
Pc/ 6090 = ultra
Ps5/series x = ?
Series s/switch 2 = ?
Remember folks they want their games on all devices
peter42O
Banned
My guess is that they'll support it for two years and then be next generation only with the option to play those games on Xbox Series X/S via the Cloud if you're a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber. I'm hyped for their next generation console and handheld. Give me a better CPU, more RAM, a 2TB SSD and a better GPU for $800 with the handheld being $500 and im good to go. Launch titles I can see being Gears of War: E-Day, Perfect Dark, Call of Duty 2026 and Halo Combat Evolved Remake which sounds great to me. Hyped!! 
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
If true Microsoft hasn't learnt a thing.
It'll struggle to make an impact against the PS5 and the Switch 2 will outsell it.
After 2 poor years in the market the PS6 will be the final nail.
HeisenbergFX4
Gold Member
Possibly all true but people have been saying they were dead for years now
We simply don't know what they consider acceptable sales figures at this point
I applaud them for trying something different and not launching their next gen product in the same window as the PS6 and just get stomped
Personally if Xbox can align this next gen machine anywhere close to GTA 6 launch window I am all in, I want the best place to play it
If they don't I will pass on this machine but I still know a lot of Xbox people who will buy it
digital_ghost
I am a closet furry. Don't you judge me.
In the hands of DEI developers. Where else would it be?
Esparadrapo
Banned
They are both pathological liars and/or don't know what's going on with Xbox. Sarah seems to be so out of touch she said 34 million GP subscribers would be able to enjoy Diablo IV and someone had to rectify it (of course not revealing the actual amount). Pili had the gall to tell everyone no more games were headed to PS5 only to reveal Indy for Sony's system a few months later. He's known as Philnocchio for plenty of reasons.
ZehDon
Member
i imagine the Nextbox that's a console-PC hybrid would offer Pro-style improvements on current Gen games while also offering up next Gen exclusives and obviously PC support.
Launching next Gen early is a strategy that they need to support developers through. The industry isn't going to move on from the PS5 because Microsoft offers better hardware when a good chunk of the industry still hasn't moved on from the PS4.
Launching next Gen early is a strategy that they need to support developers through. The industry isn't going to move on from the PS5 because Microsoft offers better hardware when a good chunk of the industry still hasn't moved on from the PS4.
HeisenbergFX4
Gold Member
Topher
Identifies as young
I'm not questioning the "when", just the "what".
IntentionalPun
Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
I feel like the handheld is just going to be a Windows PC and they'll use it to show off some new Windows features.
A "portable Xbox" will be kind of annoying branding if that's the case.
A "portable Xbox" will be kind of annoying branding if that's the case.
HerjansEagleFeeder
Member
PauloRoberto
Member
I already said once and I ll repeat (big deal...)
If the biggest game publisher in the world needs to be carried by a third-party game to try to achieve any forms of success... well, i never seen a clear example of FAILURE, because that means US$ 80 bi were simply wasted for NOTHING.
If the biggest game publisher in the world needs to be carried by a third-party game to try to achieve any forms of success... well, i never seen a clear example of FAILURE, because that means US$ 80 bi were simply wasted for NOTHING.
Most of these will be games that will be released on XSeries (and PS5/Switch 2) and then some exceptions that will only be released on the next Xbox and high-end PCs of the moment that use certain technology like new IA, Npu, IO....
Basically what has already happened this gen.
At the same TokioGamesShow Sarah Bond said about working to increase the catalog of XBOX games and
"Bring your games with you with future hardware"
You're not supposed to need new hardware to keep your games with you if the only way is through Xcloud, which is something that already exists.
In any case, the answer to the plans with the BC in its entirety should be known together with (if) the announcement of that XboxNext (whatever that is).
Basically what has already happened this gen.
The creation of a game preservation and BC team ad hoc would not be announced if said BC were only planned via xcloud.
At the same TokioGamesShow Sarah Bond said about working to increase the catalog of XBOX games and
"Bring your games with you with future hardware"
You're not supposed to need new hardware to keep your games with you if the only way is through Xcloud, which is something that already exists.
In any case, the answer to the plans with the BC in its entirety should be known together with (if) the announcement of that XboxNext (whatever that is).
JerryinSoCal
Member
Sadly for them if it's only xbox fans that won't be enough, I also think an early launch may make a few XSX adopters feel a bit burned. When they were technically "the most powerful place to play" they hardly released anything and an "inferior" machine often had the better performing version of 3rd party games. Not a great look for a machine that had a premium price tag at launch.
With all that they've spent I'm sure they know there is no way they are going to build an audience that will be able to feed the beast so to speak and they are stuck being at least a hybrid 3rd party developer from now on. I agree it's smart to not launch up against the next PlayStation again but I also think competition from PlayStation hasn't been their biggest problem, they've lost market share two gens in a row and as much of a pain in the neck the Series S is for devs they've sold more of those than the Series X. Imagine if you took a large percentage of those Series S sales off of the table where they'd be. They haven't given enough people enough of a reason to buy their machine.
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saintjules
Member
2026 isn't exactly soon.
kevboard
Member
It's a new console gen... it will work the same as it did going from Xbox One to Series X|S
if they release in 2026 as the rumors suggest, it will have been a 6 year long console generation for the Series X|S consoles.
for comparison, Xbox to Xbox 360 wad 4 years. Xbox 360 to Xbox One was 8 years, and Xbox One to Series X|S was 7 years.
so it's a middle of the road generation length for Xbox.
cross gen however will be even longer for that system I assume.
there are still PS4 and Xbox One ports released now after all.
if they release in 2026 as the rumors suggest, it will have been a 6 year long console generation for the Series X|S consoles.
for comparison, Xbox to Xbox 360 wad 4 years. Xbox 360 to Xbox One was 8 years, and Xbox One to Series X|S was 7 years.
so it's a middle of the road generation length for Xbox.
cross gen however will be even longer for that system I assume.
there are still PS4 and Xbox One ports released now after all.
M.W.
Member
Yeah, in 2028.
Topher
Identifies as young
I believe this is all that has been said:
'We are moving full speed ahead on our next generation hardware, focused on delivering the biggest technological leap ever in a generation."
~Sarah Bond
Should be noted that they have been very consistent in avoiding the use of the word "console".
JusticeForAll
Gold Member
Xbox would have to be crazy to launch a next gen console right now, as nobody would buy it.
In a couple of years, maybe.
I sold my launch Series X and I will definitely wait and see if they have any games I need an Xbox for before I commit again.
In a couple of years, maybe.
I sold my launch Series X and I will definitely wait and see if they have any games I need an Xbox for before I commit again.
ShaiKhulud1989
Gold Member
Because it will be a PC with a sticker, even less in-house than Surface. You don't fire Xbox Hardware Design team to make anything meaningful in console space. Let alone you don't close ambassador program, shrink hardware retail network and remove all signs of platforms from your recent announcements like Blade.
I fully believe that we will get re-branded ROG Ally in white-green case and maybe some sort of Mini-ATX Lenovo/MSI with included one year GamePass and with the price sticker well north of $900. Development issues will be soleved by themselves because Xbox will become... Well, a PC. For console library they've just updated Cloud so you can play every game you own. That's compability problem gone out of the window without spending R&D money on compability layer too.
Xbox is on it's steady path of soft unwinding as a hardware player and I think big game now is to put the hardware issue on vendor's sholders and focus on being a big 3rd party player everywhere. And it's not a bad path for current Microsoft tbh.
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digdug2
Member
Xbox needs to cease development effective immediately on Series S and offer in a trade-in program for everyone that currently owns one that allows them access to a heavily discounted brand new Series X or an even more heavily discounted refurbished Series X.
Xbox has already dug themselves a deep hole for this generation, but if they made the Series X the baseline moving forward, it would benefit everyone.
Xbox has already dug themselves a deep hole for this generation, but if they made the Series X the baseline moving forward, it would benefit everyone.
nial
Member
Yeah, that's not happening. The ""backwards compatibility"" will be the PC versions of those Play Anywhere Xbox One/Series games you bought digitally.
Topher
Identifies as young
That's not going to address games for 360 and before though. Or the ton of non-Play Anywhere games that were purchased digitally on Xbox One/Series
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nial
Member
Obviously, but does MSFT even care at this point? The next Xbox not being an actual console is the first red flag, really.
Topher
Identifies as young
Oof.....that's not going to go over well with the Xbox faithful if you are right.
ZehDon
Member
Not likely. One of Xbox's biggest strengths as a platform is its APIs, which date all the way back to the name - Direct X Box. The benefit of this PC-in-console-land approach is clear when we look at Microsoft's emulation and BC efforts. Their work to leverage their legacy APIs provides little incentive to ditch the entire Xbox platform. Instead, their PC-Console hybrid is likely to implement a "gaming mode" / "Desktop mode" similar to the Steam Deck - where there's a clear performance difference - where the system can literally run Xbox versions of older titles. Now, without a shift back to NVidia hardware or an expensive licensing deal I doubt we see full system wide OG Xbox and Xbox 360 emulation, but their current BC efforts making the cut? No problem. The idea that they can't support that doesn't really make sense. The only question mark I see is in how this is implemented at a company level. Microsoft is back in control of Xbox - for better and for worse - so this means the Windows OS team have input here. So, does Xbox's new hybrid devices still get their own customised OS unable in PC land, maybe running Windows in a dual boot? Or, are they just running pure Windows? Or, do we get a Windows Update adding a dedicated "Gaming Mode" to the OS itself, meaning Desktop Windows Machines around the world would become capable of running "Gaming Mode" and thus playing OG Xbox games off the disc? Can't wait to find out.
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