Next-gen Xbox described as a “gaming PC” based on Windows 11, just like the Xbox Ally handhelds
It seems the next-gen Xbox console will be more akin to a Windows 11 “gaming PC”. At least, according to reports from Windows Central, which claims the machine will be able to run “anything Windows can throw at it” while upholding backwards compatibility with Xbox games, stretching back to the Xbox One and older legacy titles.
It’s not completely out of the question for Microsoft to go in this direction. After all, the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X handhelds run on Windows 11, with the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) installed on top of it to provide a much more console-like user interface. Once you’re out of FSE, however, the handheld functions as a full-blown Windows PC.
Could the next Xbox essentially be a Windows PC?
“I reported last year that the next-gen Xbox is essentially going to be a Windows 11 gaming PC, albeit with the capability to run existing Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and legacy backwards-compatible Xbox games. The new box will be capable of running practically anything Windows can throw at it, in essence, although by default, it will have a TV-first console-like interface.”
Jez Corden, WIndows Central
If Microsoft does choose to go in this direction, it wouldn’t be a far cry away from what Valve has already done with the Steam Machine, currently slated to launch in the “first half of the year” despite storage and memory-fueled delays. The Steam Machine is a mini PC that you can install whatever you like on it, but it ships with a gaming-first operating system, SteamOS.
Much like Valve’s Linux-based operating system, the Xbox Full Screen Experience aims to optimize the device for gaming. Corden says, “Microsoft’s Windows and Xbox teams are collaborating harder than ever to get the OS into shape for a polished, console-like experience on Xbox”. Xbox Sarah Bond has previously stated the next-gen machine will retain backwards compatibility.
The latest official news we’ve heard regarding a next-gen Xbox actually came from AMD, which will be supplying the semi-custom SoC for the console. In its recent earnings call, CEO Lisa Su claimed the company’s system-on-a-chip is “progressing well to support a launch in 2027”. This doesn’t confirm a release during that year, as Microsoft hasn’t given anything away yet, so treat the 2027 window as a best-case scenario.
