Next Xbox console will be a full Windows gaming PC, report says

Recently, Mashable sat down with Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, who said that the next-gen Xbox console would offer a premium, high-powered experience. Now, Windows Central reports that the future console "will indeed run full-bore Windows, with a TV-optimized, console-style experience layered on top."

In effect, the next Xbox console would combine a traditional console experience with the benefits of both cloud and PC gaming, allowing gamers to access a wider variety of experiences and, crucially, a wider variety of storefronts. So, rather than being locked into Xbox Game Pass or Xbox-compatible games, players could also access Steam and other gaming libraries.

When Mashable spoke to Bond, we asked about the rumors that the next Xbox will be more like a gaming PC than a console.

“Well, I can tell you you're right that the next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end, curated experience. You're starting to see some of the thinking that we have in this handheld. But I don't want to give it all away," Bond said.

In its report, Windows Central cites "trusted sources" at Microsoft, who reportedly confirmed that the console will offer a full Windows gaming PC experience.

As Bond told Mashable, the newly released (and currently sold out) ROG Xbox Ally shows the overall direction Xbox is heading. And in our conversation, Bond emphasized the importance of not locking players into a single storefront or type of experience. Likewise, she stressed the importance of Xbox Play Anywhere titles, as well as cross-platform games in general.

The ROG Xbox Ally looks and feels like an Xbox console, only in a handheld form factor. However, users can also switch between this Xbox UI and a traditional Windows experience.

Some gamers were initially surprised to find that the new ROG Xbox Ally came with tools like Microsoft Teams and OneDrive. However, a closer integration between Windows and Xbox makes sense, considering their common parentage.

Likewise, as Xbox focuses less on exclusives (Bond called exclusives "antiquated" in our interview), Xbox will need an OS that allows users to access games outside the Xbox ecosystem, and Windows would make that possible.

For those nostalgic for the days of big Xbox exclusives like Halo: Combat Evolved, this may be a disappointing direction. But based on the popularity of the ROG Xbox Ally and cloud gaming platforms like Xbox Game Pass, despite recent price increases, this could help futureproof Xbox for a new era of gaming.

On the downside, given how often the word "premium" is mentioned in conversations about the new Xbox, gamers should probably prepare themselves for a high price tag.