AMD and Microsoft: Will the next Xbox run Windows?
AMD and Microsoft are working together to build the next generation of Xbox. A promotional video published for this is open to interpretation.
(Image: Microsoft)
AMD and Microsoft are working on the next generation of Xbox: both companies have entered into a strategic partnership over several years, they have announced. As a hardware partner, AMD chips will power the next-gen Xbox and Xbox-branded handhelds.
The current generation of consoles already runs on AMD chips –. This applies to both the Xbox Series X/S and the PlayStation 5. AMD is largely without an alternative in the handheld PC market anyway. Only Nintendo's Switch consoles are powered by Nvidia GPUs. Specific details on the AMD hardware that will be used in the upcoming Xbox console have not yet been announced.
Is Steam coming to the Xbox?
A video published to accompany the announcement of the partnership is interesting. In the clip, which is characterized by advertising slogans, Xbox boss Sarah Bond gives some clues as to how Microsoft envisions the future of the Xbox platform. In recent months, it has become clear that Xbox is no longer just a console for Microsoft, but a foundation that can be used to play games on various devices.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
The next Xbox is likely to be backwards compatible again: Bond says in the video that the next generation of consoles should maintain compatibility with the existing Xbox library. Exciting: Xbox is “not committed to a single store”. This is already true for the recently announced Xbox Ally handheld, which runs Windows and also offers access to alternative stores such as Steam.
Windows as the “number 1 gaming platform”
Does this also apply to the next generation of the Xbox console? In the video, Bond actually describes Windows as the “number 1 platform for gaming”. This has led to speculation that the next Xbox console could run Windows. After all, Microsoft has created a new Xbox interface for the Xbox Ally, which could also be used on a console with Windows.
Videos by heise
A Windows Xbox would have maximum compatibility and would also open up stores such as Steam or the Epic Games Store to users on a console. It would also play Microsoft's biggest joker, the established Windows ecosystem, in the battle with PlayStation competitor Sony. Even former Sony exclusives that were released for the PC but not the Xbox would then theoretically be playable. It would be the logical final step in Microsoft's “Play Anywhere” strategy.
However, it remains to be seen whether the two systems will really be fully integrated –. There is no final confirmation from the video. There are currently still limits to the merging of Xbox and PCs: you cannot yet play native Xbox games on the Xbox Ally. Instead, you can stream them or, if available, use the equivalent PC version.
(dahe)
