Microsoft’s next Xbox could launch next year based on comments from AMD’s CEO, in what’s expected to be a PC hybrid.
As announced last year, Microsoft is working in partnership with AMD on its next gen Xbox console, but they never said when it would be out.
While early rumours suggested Sony’s PlayStation 6 and the next Xbox were set to launch in 2027, the likelihood of that happening has dampened over recent months – between the ongoing memory shortage and the escalating prices of current hardware.
New comments from AMD CEO Lisa Su, however, suggest Microsoft might still be targeting a 2027 launch for its new Xbox.
Speaking in an earnings call on Tuesday (via The Verge), Su said: ‘Development of Microsoft’s next gen Xbox, featuring an AMD semi-custom SoC [system on chip], is progressing well to support a launch in 2027.’
This brief comment doesn’t outright confirm a 2027 launch date, but it does mean AMD is working with that year in mind – even if there is an eventual delay at Microsoft’s end.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
While the ongoing success of the PlayStation 5 means Sony is likely in no rush to launch its next console, it’s a different story for Xbox.
Sales of the Xbox Series X/S have plummeted to dramatic lows, and while they might be pushing Xbox Game Pass on other devices, and going multiplatform as a way to patch over the problem, the low console sales mean they’re under greater urgency to launch something new.
As for what the next Xbox is, comments from Microsoft executives suggest it will be an expensive console and PC hybrid of some kind. The ROG Xbox Ally X, a PC handheld with an Xbox overlay, was described as a tease of its next generation plans, with Xbox president Sarah Bond further stating the new home device will be a ‘very premium, very high-end curated experience’.
Whether this means the next Xbox will be a PC dressed in Xbox branding, much like the ROG Xbox Ally X, remains to be seen, but that’s the best guess at the moment.
Microsoft has also talked about working on prototypes for a native handheld device, but rumours suggest this has been cancelled or at least put on the backburner.
Even if Microsoft doesn’t launch the next Xbox in 2027, it will likely come out before Sony’s PlayStation 6, which is also being made in collaboration with AMD. The lead architect for the PlayStation 5, Mark Cerny, teased last year that Sony’s next console is still a ‘few years’ away.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
