- Xbox would make its next-gen console a Windows gaming PC with access to a full native console library
- Games from multiple storefronts like Steam, Battle.net, and Epic Games would be available
- This might not appeal to some consumers, particularly because of the likelihood of a high starting price.
There’s no denying that 2025 has been a truly surprising year for console fans, with Xbox at the center of controversy via ridiculous console price hikes, the new ROG Xbox Ally handheld costing $999, and its exclusive franchises like Halo And Forza Horizon are making their way to PlayStation – and it seems the strange choices don’t stop there.
According to our friends at Windows Central, the next-gen Xbox console will essentially be a Windows gaming PC, with the console’s full native library available as well as access to games from multiple PC storefronts like Steam, without paying for online multiplayer.
Now this all sounds good on paper, and I will very I’m glad to see Microsoft and Xbox being the first to move away from the huge forced subscription strategy for online multiplayer. This also means that Xbox players will get the best of both PC and console worlds, but I have two questions.
What makes it so different from a full-fledged gaming PC (in terms of software), and why would anyone choose it over a more powerful custom gaming PC (especially when it can cost $1,000 or more)?
Besides a decent number of titles available only on the Xbox Series Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 or the recent Ninja Gaiden 4. Unless the hardware Xbox intends to use for its next-gen console is truly close to what one might find when building a gaming PC, it seems a bit extreme for Xbox to abandon the console brand it has built over the years.
I’m well aware that Valve would do the same thing with a supposed Steam console in the works, but it’s not the same situation. Xbox has been competing with PlayStation in the home console space for decades, and recent decisions, including the move to what is pretty much a gaming PC, could eliminate console competition altogether.
It’s certainly worrying, especially if you’re like me, who feels that PlayStation hasn’t tried very hard in recent years – I mean, that’s if PlayStation isn’t doing the same thing that Xbox is supposed to be doing here.
All of this is made even worse with what appears to be a console run by Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system, where the ROG Xbox Ally’s “full screen experience” will be fully utilized, with the ability to exit the mode and enter Windows. I can’t stress this enough, but Windows 11 has been a horror for me and other PC gamers, with degraded performance compared to SteamOS and other annoying bugs that ruin the entire experience.
I may be in the minority who think this isn’t a good move on Xbox’s part; I’m not against players being able to play whatever they want on any platform, but since PlayStation doesn’t have the same intentions as Xbox, I can only see this hurting competition on consoles.
It’s also worth noting that this rumor means that high prices are almost a certainty, meaning there will no longer be any way to get into console gaming affordably, and consumers surely won’t be happy about that.
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