Microsoft Building “New Hardware” But The Xbox One X 2 Is Still “Several Years Away”
Paolo Sirio
According to a new report from Microsoft specialized blog Thurrott, “another iteration of the Xbox” (Xbox One X 2) is currently in the making, although it is said to be “still several years away.” The platform holder is also said to be willing to close the gap with Sony to “win the next generation.”
“I have heard from three different sources stating that Microsoft is pushing forward with new hardware but that the release timeline is still several years away,” the report states. “The company is looking to hire a specialist with GDDR6 expertise and they are also exploring how to deeply integrate game streaming into their next console.”
The idea that the next Xbox will be working (at least also) based on a streaming game service is in line with the previous statements by Phil Spencer, who said the company would be embarking on something like PlayStation Now in around three years in 2017.
Talking about a more precise timeline, it looks like the company is not “in a rush” now as it has just launched Xbox One X in November 2017 and feels quite good about the amount of power it gives to the different developers (also in comparison with PS4 Pro).
“As for the timeline for the next console release, I’ve heard that within three years is a realistic possibility; the company is not currently in a rush to replace the Xbox One X as it has a significant horsepower advantage when compared to the current offering from Sony. And as you would expect, the console will be backward and forwards compatible, much like the Xbox One X.”
Finally, Microsoft is said to be deeply involved in the gaming business now, as it has noticed that it’s one of the few brands in its portfolio, with Windows and Office, capable of attracting millions and millions of supporters around the world.
This is why the company is doing “significant investments” in order to repay that support and return to lead the industry as it was in the Xbox 360 era during the next generation of consoles.
“While Nintendo has carved out a sizeable chunk of the casual gaming market with its Switch, the Xbox only has one primary competitor; Sony. Even though the PlayStation has the lead for this generation, Microsoft is making significant investments in hardware/content to close the gap with Sony and has the financial backing to go all-in on gaming to win the next generation.”
Latest rumors about PS5 claim it’ll drop in late 2019 or early 2020, which is in line with this new report about the next Xbox.
It feels like Sony nor Microsoft are in a rush now to offer new consoles, as the first has the lead in this generation and multiple much-anticipated titles in its pipelines, and the second has just released Xbox One X. Are you ok with this strategies?
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