Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has provided yet another hint that the next Xbox console will, in essence, be a PC, in a recent interview.
Speaking to TBPN, Nadella spoke at length about the companies’ future plans when it comes to gaming, including the mysterious new console that Microsoft is working on. This includes direct mention of Steam as a competitor platform, and Microsoft’s current significance as a video game publisher.
“To us, gaming on Windows… and of course, Steam has built a massive marketplace on top of it, and they’ve done a very successful job,” Nadella states. “Now, we’re the largest publisher after the Activision [deal]. Therefore, we want to be a fantastic publisher. Similar approach to what we did with [Microsoft] Office. We want to be everywhere, in every platform.
“So we want to make sure, whether it’s consoles, whether it’s the PC, whether it’s mobile, whether it’s cloud gaming, or the TV, we just want to make sure the games are being enjoyed by gamers everywhere.”
Nadella then moved on to future hardware, telling TBPN: “Second, we also wanted to do innovative work in the system side on the console and on the PC. It’s kind of funny that people think about the console-PC as two different things. We built the console because we wanted to build a better PC which could then perform for gaming. I kind of want to revisit some of that conventional wisdom.”
This interview comes shortly after rumours ran amok that Xbox would not be creating another console after the Xbox Series, which was debunked by Xbox president Sarah Bond. She’s also spoken at length about the “premium” nature of the upcoming Xbox, stating it’ll be a “curated” experience, much like the ROG Xbox Ally.
The ROG Xbox Ally that has been met with mixed reception. Eurogamer editorial director Tom Orry described it as: “an impressive handheld PC wearing an Xbox mask“, while editor-at-large Alex Donaldson came away from their time with the console longing for Xbox’s past heyday. Others have found the presence of Microsoft apps like One Drive a hurdle to the gaming experience they could find on a Steam Deck.
Is this the future of an ‘Xbox PC’, a product loaded up with One Drive, Co-Pilot, and other non-gamer focused apps? It remains to be seen.
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