Recently, it has been revealed that Xbox is continuing its focus on game preservation and forward compatibility with a dedicated team that will be all about future-proofing its catalog of game libraries across future hardware paradigms. However, this wasn’t the only thing that was learned. The emails from Xbox President Sarah Bond to Xbox employees also confirmed of Microsoft Gaming’s plans on new Xbox hardware which is focused on delivering “the biggest technical leap ever in a generation.”
Earlier in the year, Microsoft Gaming leadership talked about the future of Xbox and officially announced that they are working on the next Xbox console. Now, in the emails, Sarah Bond has shared with the team that they are full-steam ahead with next-gen.
“It’s been nearly six months since we came together as an organization. Our collective achievements in that timeframe are tremendous. Everyone should feel incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and excited about the opportunities ahead,” Sarah said, “We are moving full speed ahead on our next generation hardware, focused on delivering the biggest technological leap ever in a generation.”
No specific details about the console were revealed. Leaks from the FTC v. Microsoft trial shared Xbox’s plans for the future, including that a next-gen console will be released sometime in 2028. The documents that were leaked suggested that plans for Microsoft’s next-gen console will have mobile applications. This “hybrid game platform” would combine local hardware and cloud computing to create deepen immersion and create “new classes of game experiences,” with radically “enhanced capabilities beyond current hardware.”
Sources say that more may be shared publically during the next Xbox Game Showcase which will reportedly take place Sunday, June 9. We’ll have to wait and see what gets revealed but it has been teased that we could see the first look at the next Gears of War title among other games.