Xbox Hybrid PC Console (2027)

"We’ve got more to come. There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday. We’re also invested in the next-generation roadmap. What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions that they’re building." - Sarah Bond.​


That's a pretty bold statement. Now on to the title, technically, consoles have always been hybrid PCs if your definition is loose enough, albeit laser focused on a singular purpose, to play games. Xbox specifically employs hypervisor based virtualization to run older games under backwards compatibility mode, and for apps, and other stuff probably. What really prompted this thread, was the recent marketing info regarding the Steam UI element that was mistakenly released (Or was it?) and honestly, it makes no sense at all, and, has given rise to what I consider to be pure hopium.

"The next Xbox will have full blown steam, will have windows, etc." is being thrown around by the usual suspects (content creators). Maybe not all of you subscribe to that, but a few do. Why do I need another PC for? If I want to play Xbox on my PC, GamePass, right? If I want to play Steam, I open the launcher, on my PC. Will NextBox require antivirus? What about patch Tuesday? Is Microsoft Excel gonna bug me about it not being activated? Okay, there's some hyperbole in there. We're not getting a hybrid PC console is what I am getting at, these things would be jailbroken day and date, and the end user experience outside of power users would be absolute garbage for the casual. (Steam as it relates to alpha games, betas, bugs, graphical configuration options, etc.) It would be store/content/options over saturation, the kind of stuff usually only tolerated on PC. (Steam, Epic, Xbox, EA, Ubisoft, etc.) Additionally, PC has rampant piracy issues.

Lets pretend we do get a 2027 XSX2, that has the steam storefront/launcher, there are over 50,000 titles on Steam, are we going to have access to adjust graphical settings, resolutions, etc.? Like, if it's a PC, what's the point? Microsoft is not going to subsidize the cost in order to get people into the ecosystem because that would make zero sense financially. Historically, you buy in bulk some custom APUs from AMD, find a MFG for power supplies and other components, etc. keep all the costs down as low as possible, etc. then make up hardware losses over the lifetime from the customer (add on services like GamePass, buying games, MTX, etc.).

My armchair prediction? Traditional console with superb machine learning capability, and some form of SteamLink and MAYBE cross platform entitlement (You can run this on a Raspberry Pi). The bit about it being the largest technical leap in a generation REEKS of the bevy of marketing material (Velocity Architecture, VRS, 12TF, etc.) that was being passed around in the run up to XSX/XSS launching in 2020 (unless they've cracked path tracing to make its performance cost negligible.) If it's a console, $499-$599. If it's a bunch of PC parts slapped together in a cool looking Xbox shell:

5EObQ33.jpeg


And it'll be $900.
 
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"We’ve got more to come. There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday. We’re also invested in the next-generation roadmap. What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions that they’re building." - Sarah Bond.​


That's a pretty bold statement. Now on to the title, technically, consoles have always been hybrid PCs if your definition is loose enough, albeit laser focused on a singular purpose, to play games. Xbox specifically employs hypervisor based virtualization to run older games under backwards compatibility mode, and for apps, and other stuff probably. What really prompted this thread, was the recent marketing info regarding the Steam UI element that was mistakenly released (Or was it?) and honestly, it makes no sense at all, and, has given rise to what I consider to be pure hopium.

"The next Xbox will have full blown steam, will have windows, etc." is being thrown around by the usual suspects (content creators). Maybe not all of you subscribe to that, but a few do. Why do I need another PC for? If I want to play Xbox on my PC, GamePass, right? If I want to play Steam, I open the launcher, on my PC. Will NextBox require antivirus? What about patch Tuesday? Is Microsoft Excel gonna bug me about it not being activated? Okay, there's some hyperbole in there. We're not getting a hybrid PC console is what I am getting at, these things would be jailbroken day and date, and the end user experience outside of power users would be absolute garbage for the casual. (Steam as it relates to alpha games, betas, bugs, graphical configuration options, etc.) It would be store/content/options over saturation, the kind of stuff usually only tolerated on PC. (Steam, Epic, Xbox, EA, Ubisoft, etc.) Additionally, PC has rampant piracy issues.

Lets pretend we do get a 2027 XSX2, that has the steam storefront/launcher, there are over 50,000 titles on Steam, are we going to have access to adjust graphical settings, resolutions, etc.? Like, if it's a PC, what's the point? Microsoft is not going to subsidize the cost in order to get people into the ecosystem because that would make zero sense financially. Historically, you buy in bulk some custom APUs from AMD, find a MFG for power supplies and other components, etc. keep all the costs down as low as possible, etc. then make up hardware losses over the lifetime from the customer (add on services like GamePass, buying games, MTX, etc.).

My armchair prediction? Traditional console with superb machine learning capability, and some form of SteamLink and MAYBE cross platform entitlement (You can run this on a Raspberry Pi). The bit about it being the largest technical leap in a generation REEKS of the bevy of marketing material (Velocity Architecture, VRS, 12TF, etc.) that was being passed around in the run up to XSX/XSS launching in 2020 (unless they've cracked path tracing to make it's performance cost negligible.) If it's a console, $499-$599. If it's a bunch of PC parts slapped together in a cool looking Xbox shell:

5EObQ33.jpeg


And it'll be $900.
That comment was from over year ago.
 

BlackTron

Member
They're making a PC handheld (for some reason, I guess because Phil said he's really fascinated with making Windows usable on a handheld years ago).

So it has extra cohesive software that puts your Steam library right in the default Xbox launcher without ever having to close it and launch Steam within Windows.

All I can say is I'm happy all that R&D money year after year is adding up to some real progress!
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Yeah, 0 sense to have Steam on an "Xbox."

Companies sell consoles at a loss so they can earn money via game sales on their proprietary stores.

Why would Xbox sell these "consoles" at a loss, only to have people buying and profiting Steam after?

They are selling hopium so fanboys stick with them a few more years until they complete their third-party transition and that Game Pass subscriptions do not suddenly tank.
 

ZehDon

Gold Member
Yeah, 0 sense to have Steam on an "Xbox."

Companies sell consoles at a loss so they can earn money via game sales on their proprietary stores.

Why would Xbox sell these "consoles" at a loss, only to have people buying and profiting Steam after?

They are selling hopium so fanboys stick with them a few more years until they complete their third-party transition and that Game Pass subscriptions do not suddenly tank.
Not really. Microsoft is currently selling the X and S at a loss, agreed, but Nintendo doesn't sell it's hardware at a loss and Sony has also stopped selling its hardware at a loss. The time of subsidised console hardware is over because, frankly, there's no need to do it anymore and minimal benefit.

Word about town is Microsoft's next big boy console will be expensive. If it's not sold at a loss, which it clearly won't be, then they can easily allow third party stores like Steam to create a platform value proposition that neither Sony and Nintendo would try and match. In that scenario, it doesn't really matter how many consoles they sell, because it's profitable at pretty much any size. It would just further cement their transition from hardware platform holder to third party publisher with a hardware side-hustle.
 

onQ123

Gold Member

"We’ve got more to come. There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday. We’re also invested in the next-generation roadmap. What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions that they’re building." - Sarah Bond.​


That's a pretty bold statement. Now on to the title, technically, consoles have always been hybrid PCs if your definition is loose enough, albeit laser focused on a singular purpose, to play games. Xbox specifically employs hypervisor based virtualization to run older games under backwards compatibility mode, and for apps, and other stuff probably. What really prompted this thread, was the recent marketing info regarding the Steam UI element that was mistakenly released (Or was it?) and honestly, it makes no sense at all, and, has given rise to what I consider to be pure hopium.

"The next Xbox will have full blown steam, will have windows, etc." is being thrown around by the usual suspects (content creators). Maybe not all of you subscribe to that, but a few do. Why do I need another PC for? If I want to play Xbox on my PC, GamePass, right? If I want to play Steam, I open the launcher, on my PC. Will NextBox require antivirus? What about patch Tuesday? Is Microsoft Excel gonna bug me about it not being activated? Okay, there's some hyperbole in there. We're not getting a hybrid PC console is what I am getting at, these things would be jailbroken day and date, and the end user experience outside of power users would be absolute garbage for the casual. (Steam as it relates to alpha games, betas, bugs, graphical configuration options, etc.) It would be store/content/options over saturation, the kind of stuff usually only tolerated on PC. (Steam, Epic, Xbox, EA, Ubisoft, etc.) Additionally, PC has rampant piracy issues.

Lets pretend we do get a 2027 XSX2, that has the steam storefront/launcher, there are over 50,000 titles on Steam, are we going to have access to adjust graphical settings, resolutions, etc.? Like, if it's a PC, what's the point? Microsoft is not going to subsidize the cost in order to get people into the ecosystem because that would make zero sense financially. Historically, you buy in bulk some custom APUs from AMD, find a MFG for power supplies and other components, etc. keep all the costs down as low as possible, etc. then make up hardware losses over the lifetime from the customer (add on services like GamePass, buying games, MTX, etc.).

My armchair prediction? Traditional console with superb machine learning capability, and some form of SteamLink and MAYBE cross platform entitlement (You can run this on a Raspberry Pi). The bit about it being the largest technical leap in a generation REEKS of the bevy of marketing material (Velocity Architecture, VRS, 12TF, etc.) that was being passed around in the run up to XSX/XSS launching in 2020 (unless they've cracked path tracing to make its performance cost negligible.) If it's a console, $499-$599. If it's a bunch of PC parts slapped together in a cool looking Xbox shell:

5EObQ33.jpeg


And it'll be $900.
You really stole my joke from another thread?
CNPB0Tu.png


Post in thread 'Jez Corden: Win32 will be the preferred development environment for the next Xbox consoles, with Xbox One/Series X|S "ERA" environment gradually phase' https://www.neogaf.com/threads/jez-...onment-gradually-phase.1681990/post-270226279
 

mathello

Member
I wonder if a steambox can eat a pc xbox's lunch. I think both brands are about on equal footing.

Anywhere, here I am hopefully awaiting the xbox pc updates to boot my computer on my tv like a console.
 

pasterpl

Member
Largest hardware leap ever between generations? Not possible. Even if they put a 5090 in there, the jump won’t be ps1-2-3
I bet that they mean dedicated AI hardware (that might be interesting to see how it will be used as MS already have their own AI up-scaler that works in quite unique way but it is early days) and it will come with some kind of build-in copilot style unneeded software sh*t out of the box.
 

Zuzu

Member
Maybe they could just support the installation of Steam games on the next Xbox but not support purchasing from the Steam store. Rather only the Microsoft store will be accessible to purchase games on the console.

Perhaps this would offer a disincentive to purchasing games on Steam (you’d have to purchase them on another device which for some people is less convenient) but still offer access to Steam games as a noteworthy feature.

They could also offer advantages to purchasing your games from the MS store that aren’t offered for Steam games. For example, they could say that only MS Store games get access to features such as Quick Resume, better optimised graphics and performance settings, Cloud Streaming access via Gamepass and integration with the Microsoft Rewards program.
 
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HerjansEagleFeeder

Gold Member
Am really curious if this really will be possible. If so, how will sony react to that.
A bird and a fish are having a race who's the fastest. Right now, the bird has to swim because the other animals have decided that it's a swimming contest. The bird is trying to pursuade the other animals that they should rather compete in flying. If it's successful at that, the fish will have a hard time keeping up with the bird.
 

Embearded

Member
All i will say is that the current leaders of Xbox cannot be trusted. They have lied as individuals, said one thing and months later did the exact opposite.
As companies they all have done it. Everyone has done some kind of pivot or course correction according to the market, but at least people changed.
I'll never understand how they still have their jobs.
 
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Baemono

Member
It's way more than half, isn't it?

No, it was 75% Series S back in mid-2022 where the X (and PS5) still had shortage issues. Once the shortage issue was fixed for the X, it sold way better while the Series S got discounted starting Black Friday 2022.

If I recall correctly, the X is slighly above the S in the US total, and shouldn't be much different around the world (like in Japan where the sales of the X caught up pretty fast to the sales of the S and now is selling even more than the S).
 

Mownoc

Member
Largest hardware leap ever between generations? Not possible. Even if they put a 5090 in there, the jump won’t be ps1-2-3
Yep it's a stupid statement that everyone should know was stupid as soon as she said it. It will not be the largest technical leap. Obviously we're not going back to the days of having 16x more ram in the next generation. Or the leap in GPU power from PS2 to PS3.

Maybe they'll try and justify that nonsense statement with AI frame generation.
 

mathello

Member
I know we live in progressive times, but has this woman shown any actual interest in how video games play ? Like I think for her generational leap is just suppose to mean we will be making money. There is never a hint of how in her comment of this. Like can't she at least bullshit with like "Elder Scrolls 6 will let you talk to the npcs and ect." Its such fluff by someone who somehow is in charge of a market she would like never care about if it was not her job.
 
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dgrdsv

Member
Next Xbox will be a console, not a "PC". It may use PC off the shelf components but then it's almost what all consoles since PS4/XBO do anyway.
It seems that a lot of signals are getting mixed up right now.
First there's the MS initiative on providing a small/big screen controller controllable interface for Windows. This they want to do to be able to fight Steam OS/Bazzite on gaming handhelds market but it has nothing to do with Xbox really.
Then there's the next home Xbox which I have little doubt will just be another console likely based on some AMD APU just as XBO and XS were. The two may be related in the UI/UX design but that's about all they have in common.
And then there's the supposed Xbox handheld which will essentially be a Switch like device running Xbox OS (so no Steam or Windows) and Xbox games. This third one seem to be the most out there and could possibly end up being canned.
 

Sony

Nintendo
All i will say is that the current leaders of Xbox cannot be trusted. They have lied as individuals, said one thing and months later did the exact opposite.
As companies they all have done it. Everyone has done some kind of pivot or course correction according to the market, but at least people changed.
I'll never understand how they still have their jobs.
From who's pespective are you sharing this thought? An investor?
I can't possibly fathom how someone that is a gamer can share this thought given how much better they made the ecosystem or the gamer.
 

Ritsumei2020

Who did they think I was shilling for?
Day 1. Why buy PS6 when you can get a Xbox AND PC with a 5090 all in one box. MS does it again.

This. If the next Xbox is a powerful PC that is backward compatible with old Xbox games and allows different storefronts and allows me to play emulated games, for $500, thats going to be my next console.

Why buy a PC for $1000 when Xbox gives you the same for half price?
 

Embearded

Member
From who's pespective are you sharing this thought? An investor?
I can't possibly fathom how someone that is a gamer can share this thought given how much better they made the ecosystem or the gamer.

They didn't improve anything.
Even though GamePass gives access to games with a low price, it also forbids them from matching their competitors production values. MS has still not produced anything that can stand with TLoU, Spiderman, GoW or even Ghost Of Tsushima. They even devalued Halo, the IP that is fused with the Xbox brand.

And please don't bring in the conversation anything that entered production and funded by the previous owners before the buyouts.

What these people did, was to try and change the market. They failed and then tried to "spent their competition out of the market" as they said in the mails. They failed again.
They devalued Xbox and destroyed the balance between MS and Sony. GamePass was just a temporary good offer for the consumers.

Forza Horizon in my PS wishlist is the only proof i'd ever need.
 

BlackTron

Member
This. If the next Xbox is a powerful PC that is backward compatible with old Xbox games and allows different storefronts and allows me to play emulated games, for $500, thats going to be my next console.

Why buy a PC for $1000 when Xbox gives you the same for half price?

Now you just have to figure out how they can make it make sense to sell an Xbox that is actually a PC at half price.

What is their incentive to take the hit on the hardware when you can just buy the same game on Steam or emulate it?

If you can successfully answer this question, you are a business guru.
 

SHAKEZ

Member
They'll release the ultimate box, only to make their onw games run worse on it and never use the super unique arch features they market all the time.
 

mathello

Member
It would be such a big win if microsoft flat out come out with a "console" of a custom AMD CPU with 3DCashe and a Nvidia 6070 GPU similar how PS3 was a off the shelf. Like if your gonna make a pc, make it like the gamers are making it and you would have a big win.
 
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Little Chicken

Gold Member
A bird and a fish are having a race who's the fastest. Right now, the bird has to swim because the other animals have decided that it's a swimming contest. The bird is trying to pursuade the other animals that they should rather compete in flying. If it's successful at that, the fish will have a hard time keeping up with the bird.
pheasant-pheasant-hunting.gif
 
A bird and a fish are having a race who's the fastest. Right now, the bird has to swim because the other animals have decided that it's a swimming contest. The bird is trying to pursuade the other animals that they should rather compete in flying. If it's successful at that, the fish will have a hard time keeping up with the bird.

It wont convince anyone of anything. They'll have all the games like PS5. No one is going to switch ecosystems in that situation.
 
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