Rumors and speculation have been circling about the arrival of the next generation of Xbox consoles. After information was leaked about the launch of an updated Xbox Series X and S this year and Xbox’s multi-year roadmap, including a next gen Xbox in the future, it seems as though Xbox will remain a fierce contender within the gaming console market. In this article, we share all the speculation and rumors we’ve heard about the release date of the next gen Xbox series. We’ll cover when we could expect the new Xbox console to arrive as well as the rumored specs of the new hardware.
If you’d like to find out a bit more about recent Xbox releases, check out our Xbox series X vs Xbox series S comparison guide or our round-up on whether we think the Xbox series X is worth it.
Next gen Xbox – rumors, release date speculation
The announcement of four previously Xbox-exclusive games officially coming to the Nintendo Switch and the PS5 meant that fans were concerned about the future of Xbox hardware. Fortunately for users, Microsoft has confirmed its investment in the future of its release plans and platform. Xbox president Sarah Bond recently spoke on the official Xbox podcast, stating that Microsoft will deliver “the largest technical leap” with the next gen Xbox. This statement sparked conversation and speculation of whether the next gen Xbox could be arriving sooner than we thought.
During the FTC versus Microsoft trial over the buyout of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft documents were leaked that included a pitch dated May 2022, with a slide titled “The next generation of gaming at Xbox”. This slide reveals the future plans of Microsoft hardware and suggests that the next gen Xbox is on the horizon.
Additionally, there’s another slide in this document that outlines the timeline of production and release for the next generation. It is expected that the next gen could arrive in 2028, with development kits set for 2027. According to the leaks, Microsoft is currently in the hardware design phase, meaning we could hopefully see some more information about the features of the product arriving soon.
However, according to new speculation, some believe the next generation Xbox console could be arriving earlier than 2028. New claims from Red gaming tech, suggest that the next console could be arriving as soon as 2026. The PlayStation 5 Pro launch is expected to arrive in Q4 next year, so it’s been rumored that Microsoft may respond to this with an earlier release of the next gen console in 2026.
Rumors
It’s important to remember that all of this infomation is speculation and nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft itself. Before you start saving and making plans for purchasing the next gen Xbox, make sure to wait for definite confirmation regarding its release.
Previous Xbox console releases
Looking at the release dates of previous Xbox generations, helps provide a pattern that we can then use to predict when the next gen may arrive. The Xbox console release pattern isn’t the most regular, however, it provides a rough idea of when the next console may launch.
- Gen 1 Xbox – 2001
- Gen 2 Xbox 360 – 2005
- Gen 3 Xbox One, One A, and One X – 2013
- Gen 4 Xbox Series X and S – 2020
As we can see, the newest-generation Xbox console arrives roughly every 5-8 years. This means that the current rumors stating that the next gen console could be released in either 2026 or 2028 align with previous releases of Xbox generations and further strengthen their credibility.
What can we expect from the next gen Xbox? – specs and features
Also included in the leaked Microsoft documents are the general design and specs of the next Xbox console. Including a slide presenting information on a “next generation hybrid game platform”, suggesting that the next gen could potentially combine the capabilities of the client and cloud, which would advance Xbox use beyond hardware alone. Additionally, in this document, we see some of the potential specs of the console. Including, an ARM64 CPU and AMD GPU, micro polygon rendering optimizations, DirectX ray tracing, Dynamic global illumination, and machine learning-based super-resolution.
Microsoft has previously confirmed that it wants games to be experienced across different devices. This assertion aligns with what is outlined in the specs-related slide of the court leaks. A “Thin OS” for sub $99 “consumer or handheld devices” is mentioned in the slide. This suggests that Microsoft could be planning to incorporate a handheld device of some kind, whether it is a new Xbox controller or a handheld gaming PC, to potentially play games on the cloud.
It’s not completely clear whether this device would be similar to a handheld gaming PC like the Asus Rog Ally and Steam Deck or would be a device focused on cloud gaming like the Logitech G Cloud. Either way, this is certainly an exciting step in Microsoft’s hardware development – if it is correct!
Is Xbox releasing a new console in 2024?
Among the information leaked in the courtroom documents, was the potential release of two consoles in 2024. In the FTC document, it was spotted that Microsoft may be planning to release two upgraded versions of the mid-gen Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this year. The new Xbox series X (codenamed Brooklin), is a disc-free console that is set to arrive in October 2024, according to the leak.
Wrapping up
The rumors surrounding the release of a next gen Xbox are certainly an exciting development in the future of Microsoft hardware launches. The leaked information from the FTC documents, suggests that the next console added to the Xbox lineup could be an interesting step into the world of handheld gaming devices – which is certainly an advancement worth waiting for.
Although nothing is officially confirmed by Xbox and all the information used in this article is speculation, it’s still exciting to see where Xbox may be directing its attention in terms of console development. If like us, you’re keen to keep up-to-date on everything related to the new releases from Xbox, stick with us as we keep track of all the information revealed.
