Next-gen Xbox preview: everything you need to know about the console and crypto plans

It's been four years since the release of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, a pair of gaming consoles that offered different performance and price options for gamers. But Microsoft is already thinking ahead to the next big thing in Xbox land.

Unsurprisingly, it's the next generation Xbox. Already in development, but what's surprising is that we've heard official details of how Microsoft plans to put it to the documents that were accidentally shared publicly in the FTC case against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision. And there may be a crypto wallet in the mix.

What's more, Microsoft has begun to publicly comment on what it plans to do with its upcoming hardware, promising a big change in performance for the next-generation Xbox.

Of course, things could change in the coming months and years, but if you're looking for the latest hints and reports about the next Xbox console, Microsoft itself was the best possible source. Here's what we know so far, be sure to stay tuned for future updates.

What is Next-Gen Xbox?

The next-generation Xbox will be Microsoft's fifth-generation console, replacing the original Xbox (2001), Xbox 360 (2006), Xbox One (2013), and the aforementioned Xbox Series X and Series S (2020) hardware.

It's reasonable to think that Microsoft will continue to make new hardware in the future, but we got it The first taste of our technological grand plan When he uploads unredacted documents to the FTC's case public repository in September 2023. Microsoft was found guilty, not by the court, but by the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer. He tweeted about the fall..

“We saw the conversation around old emails and documents,” he wrote. “It's hard to see our team's work shared like this because so much has changed and there's so much to be excited about now and in the future. We will share the actual plans when we are ready.

When will the Next-Gen Xbox come out?

According to leaked Microsoft documents, the next-generation Xbox is slated for release in the 2028 calendar year—eight years after the previous console. This marks a longer console cycle than we've seen from Microsoft, which has seen seven years between major hardware launches over the past two cycles.

There's no price estimate yet at this point, the hardware could be five years before it's expected to be released.

How powerful will the next-gen Xbox be?

It's too early to say how significant a power bump we'll see from the new Xbox compared to the Xbox Series X, but it's interesting how Microsoft is approaching the device.

According to the documents released, Microsoft envisions a model where games will run on a hybrid model of local and cloud computing power. We've seen glimpses of this before, most notably with Microsoft's new Flight Simulator game, which runs in cloud-generated real-time weather while the game otherwise runs on your local PC or Xbox hardware.

But five years later, Microsoft seems to think it can pull this off on a larger scale, combining home hardware with remote server support for a more standard hybrid model in Xbox games.

“Our vision: to develop a next-generation hybrid gaming platform that leverages the combined power of the client and the cloud to deliver deep immersion and completely new gaming experiences,” Microsoft documents read. “Optimized for real-time gaming and developers, we enable new levels of performance beyond the capabilities of customer hardware.”

The documents suggest that Microsoft will have to make some key hardware decisions in the first quarter of 2023, such as whether it will decide on CPU makeup and how it will co-design or license AMD GPUs. It's unclear where the company landed on those choices.

Finally, Microsoft wants a device that can handle “next-gen DirectX Ray tracing” and “dynamic global lighting,” “micro-polygon rendering enhancements,” and “machine learning-based super-resolution” for accurate lighting effects.

In other words, yes, the next-gen Xbox will definitely be more powerful, although Microsoft may still be weighing the details. Or they're not all out yet. The documents also outline multiple timelines for hardware, games, and software, providing a detailed map of the various components that make up the Xbox experience.

In February 2024, Microsoft made the first public announcement of how powerful the next-generation Xbox would be. In an episode of the official podcast that Microsoft used to announce that it will also begin releasing some exclusive Xbox games on Nintendo and PlayStation hardware, Xbox president Sarah Bond planted the flag for the next console.

“We've also invested in the next-gen roadmap,” Bond said, according to Eurogamer. “Our focus there is to deliver the biggest technical leap you've ever seen in a generation of hardware.”

At the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9, Bond also confirmed that Microsoft is working on the “next generation” of Xbox.

Is crypto involved?

Based on a leaked roadmap dated May 2022—yes, there is a crypto wallet planned for the next Microsoft console ecosystem. A slide inadvertently published by Microsoft as part of the FTC case mentions a “crypto wallet” as part of a business stack. Axios first reported the crypto wallet plans.

It's also been touted as something that Microsoft will create itself rather than plugging into a third-party or existing feature, although it's still unclear whether Microsoft will develop a full wallet itself or simply create an integration that allows users to plug into existing wallets (such as MetaMask ).

That's all we know right now, and Microsoft declined to comment and simply pointed to Phil Spencer's tweet. It's worth noting that the announcement was made a week before the crypto market crashed due to the collapse of Terra in May 2022, so it's unclear whether Microsoft might have revised its plans amid the ongoing bear market.

What Games Will Next-Gen Xbox Have?

It's too early to tell at this point. However, Microsoft has consistently focused on recent console cycles in between generations of gaming, matching the PC-like philosophy of being able to play your existing games even after buying new hardware.

Microsoft has emphasized its Xbox Game Pass subscription service in recent years, and leaked documents also point to expectations that Microsoft may increase subscriptions in the coming years. Part of that will come via the launch of a cloud-powered app for smart TVs, further expanding the player base.

In any case, Microsoft's flagship franchises like Halo and Forza Motorsports are likely to continue on to new hardware, with IP owned by studios like Bethesda (including The Elder Scrolls and Doom) and Activision (Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot) acquired last fall. The last one.

Any other Xbox hardware coming soon?

Yes! At the Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft revealed three hardware revisions coming later this year in time for the holiday season: the 1TB Xbox Series S ($350), the all-in-one Xbox Series X without a disc drive and 1TB of storage ($450), and the 2TB “Galaxy Black” Xbox Series X with a disc drive. with ($600).

Interestingly, these aren't the revisions we've come to expect, and Microsoft hasn't mentioned the various updates already released. In addition to the next-gen Xbox hardware, Microsoft's unedited documents also indicated plans to release the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles in 2024.

These “mid-gen” hardware revisions are expected to bring minor improvements to the Xbox Series X edition along with a physical overhaul.

The revamped Xbox Series X, codenamed “Brooklyn,” is an all-digital revision and will likely stay with the existing disc drive. Unlike our current rectangular Series X model, this version takes a cylindrical approach and ditches the optical disc drive.

But Microsoft's design plans have changed. In the year On March 27, 2024, Xpressor published leaked photos of a new all-digital Xbox Series X revision that looks exactly like the current model—but with no disc drive, and this version (at least) comes in white instead of black. In particular, it is not a cylinder. The Verge reports that it has seen additional documents related to the model that lead the publication to believe this is the real deal.

The “Brooklyn” version of the Xbox Series X, according to Microsoft's earlier documents, will be able to hold more games on 2TB, get faster Wi-Fi support and use less power to operate, as well as a new gamepad with improved haptic feedback, silent buttons and motion controls. . The upgraded Xbox Series X is targeted for October 2024 at a price of $499, the same as the current model.

Meanwhile, the upgraded Xbox Series S, codenamed “Ellewood,” is expected to use the same upgrades as the current model—more storage (1TB), faster Wi-Fi, lower power requirements, and an improved controller. .

But from what Microsoft announced at the event, it's unclear whether the actual upgraded consoles will have Wi-Fi, power, and controller upgrades. Stay tuned for more details on these revised consoles as they get closer to release.

Editor's note: This article was first published on September 26, 2023 and was last updated with new information on June 9, 2024.