A new report has revealed details on Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox console, which is allegedly a console / PC hybrid that will play PlayStation games released on PC via Steam.
That means the likes of Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, and Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and pretty much all other PC games will all be playable on the next-gen Xbox in an industry first.
Windows Central said that while users of the next-gen Xbox can remain inside the Xbox ecosystem if they want, they can exit to Windows, where the console acts like a traditional Windows PC. That means having access to PlayStation games on Steam, and mouse and keyboard games from Blizzard’s launcher, Battle.net (World of Warcraft), and Riot’s launcher (League of Legends).
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Essentially, it sounds like the next-gen Xbox will be as much a PC as it is a console. Perhaps it’s more of a PC than a console.
In truth, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Xbox president Sarah Bond has called out the recently released — and pricy — ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds as pointing in the direction Microsoft is taking with its upcoming console. In an interview with Mashable, Bond talked in vague terms about what Microsoft is going for, but did strongly suggest it will be an expensive device.
“The next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” Bond said. “You’re starting to see some of the thinking we have in this handheld [ROG Xbox Ally], but I don’t want to give it all away.”
The company has confirmed — as recently as earlier this month — that it still plans to follow the Xbox Series X and S with a next-gen console, and has announced an agreement with AMD to make it happen.
Microsoft has promised “next-level performance, cutting-edge graphics, breakthrough gameplay, and unmatched compatibility,” and said everything it’s working on will be “fully compatible” with users’ existing Xbox game library.
Prior comments from Bond have backed the console / PC hybrid suggestion up. “This is all about building you a gaming platform that’s always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want, delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device,” Bond said.
“That’s why we’re working closely with the Windows team, to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming.”
Xbox is set to go up against PlayStation once again, with both Microsoft and Sony reportedly set to release their next-gen consoles in 2027. The next-gen Xbox is taking a different route this time, but the expectation is the PS6 will be a more traditional console, offering genuinely exclusive games — as the PS5 does now.
Speaking of exclusives, Microsoft has well and truly walked away from the entire concept after announcing Halo: Campaign Evolved for PS5 in 2026. Bond had said the idea of a video game exclusive locked to a single storefront has become “antiquated for most people,” so Halo’s jump to what was once considered its bitter rival didn’t come as much of a surprise, either.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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