Highlights
- Microsoft is "moving full speed ahead" on the Xbox Series X/S successor.
- A senior company official said the console will offer the biggest-ever "technological leap" in a single generation.
- Some recent rumors pointed to Microsoft wanting to make a hybrid or full-fledged handheld console.
Microsoft is "moving full speed ahead" on its next-generation Xbox console, a senior company official has said. The status update, which also teased one particular aspect of the new Xbox console, was initially shared in an internal memo that promptly ended up leaking online.
The email itself was authored by Xbox President Sarah Bond, and largely reflects on her first five and a half months as the head of the division. The memo was leaked to Windows Central, who verified its authenticity with Microsoft.
New Xbox Console Leaks Online
A new Microsoft console leaks online, with recent reports indicating this could be the long-rumored digital-only edition of the Xbox Series X.
Next-Gen Xbox Console to Make 'Biggest Technological Leap Ever'
"Everyone should feel incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and excited about the opportunities ahead," the leaked email reads, referring to Bond's first five and a half months as Xbox President. Remarking on the future, the executive revealed that Microsoft is "moving full speed ahead" on its next-gen console. Bond wrote that the upcoming device is planned to deliver "the biggest technological leap ever in a generation." That particular remark echoes what the executive said during a February episode of The Official Xbox Podcast, which saw her tease that the next Xbox console will offer "the largest technical leap" ever in a single console generation.
That occasion also saw Bond reveal that more news about Microsoft's gaming hardware ambitions will be revealed during the 2024 holiday season. In the meantime, Microsoft is rumored to be launching another Xbox Series X model, which recent reports suggested could hit the market in or around June 2024. The system in question is rumored to be an all-white and digital-only variant of the company's 2020 console with some minor hardware improvements, including a revised heatsink. Its price point is expected to be in the ballpark of $450, matching that of the new PS5 Digital Edition.
Historic 'Technological Leap' May Not Mean a Performance One
As for what the company is planning beyond that, the wording of Bond's recent teasers suggests that the next-gen Xbox console may not necessarily go all-out on the performance side of things, especially in light of the recent rumors about Microsoft wanting to make a handheld or hybrid console in the vein of the Nintendo Switch. The biggest-ever "technological" or "technical leap" doesn't have to imply a performance one, and could just as well be teasing something like a form factor change, a shift to a new CPU architecture, or both.
Regardless, Bond's choice of talking points since taking over as Xbox President suggest that the next generation of Microsoft's gaming hardware is closer than some might have suspected. As for her recently leaked memo, another big takeaway from it is that Microsoft has recently set up a team dedicated to "future-proofing" Xbox game libraries. The effort appears to be focused on digital preservation, which dovetails with the company's recent cloud gaming push, as well as the ongoing rumors of a disc-less Xbox Series X being on the horizon.
Xbox Series X
Microsoft's ninth-generation console, the Xbox Series X is a powerful machine that can support 4K resolution and 60 fps, depending on the game. Released alongside the Xbox Series S, the Series X has a Custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, a Custom RDNA 2 GPU, and 16 GB of RAM.
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Original Release Date
- November 10, 2020
- Hardware Versions
- Xbox Series X
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $499
- Weight
- 9.8 LBS
