- Xbox is reportedly turning its next-gen console into a Windows gaming PC with access to a full native console library.
- Games from multiple stores such as Steam, Battle.net, and Epic Games will reportedly be available.
- Some consumers may not like it, especially due to the likelihood of a high starting price.
There’s no denying that 2025 has been a truly surprising year for console fans, with Xbox at the center of controversy over ridiculous console price hikes, the new ROG Xbox Ally handheld costing $999, and its exclusive franchises like Halo and Force Horizon coming to PlayStation, and it looks like the strange choices don’t end there.
According to our friends at Windows Central, the next-gen Xbox console will essentially be a Windows gaming PC, with the console’s entire native library available along with access to games from multiple PC stores like Steam, without paying for online multiplayer.
Now this all sounds great on paper and I’ll be very I’m glad to see Microsoft and Xbox be the first to move away from the atrocious forced subscription strategy for online multiplayer. It also means that Xbox players will get the best of both the PC and console worlds, but I have two questions.
What makes this so different from a full-fledged gaming PC (in terms of software), and why would anyone choose this over a more powerful custom gaming PC (especially when it can cost $1,000 or more)?
In addition to a decent number of titles available only on the Xbox Series Obligations: Black ops 7 or the recent ninja gaiden 4. Unless the hardware Xbox intends to use for its next-gen console is really close to what one might find when building a gaming PC, it seems a bit extreme for Xbox to abandon the console brand it has built over the years.
I’m well aware that Valve is reportedly doing the same thing with a supposed Steam console in the works, but it’s not the same situation. Xbox has competed with PlayStation in the home console space for decades, and recent decisions, including the move to what is practically a gaming PC, may eliminate console competition entirely.
It’s certainly worrying, especially if you’re like me, who feels like PlayStation hasn’t tried very hard in recent years; I mean, that’s if PlayStation doesn’t do the same thing that Xbox is supposedly doing here.
This is all made worse by what looks to be a console led by Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system, where the ROG Xbox Ally ‘full screen experience’ will be put to full use, with the opportunity to exit the mode and enter Windows. I can’t stress this enough, but Windows 11 has been an eyesore for me and other PC gamers, with degraded performance compared to SteamOS and other annoying bugs ruining the entire experience.
I might be in the minority in thinking this isn’t a great move from Xbox; I’m not against players being able to play whatever they want on any platform, but since PlayStation doesn’t have the same intentions as Xbox, I only see this as harming console competition.
It’s also worth noting that this rumor means that premium pricing is almost a certainty, meaning there will no longer be a way to dive into ‘console’ gaming at an affordable price, and consumers surely won’t be happy about that.
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