SneakerSO claims Xbox hardware plans are “up in the air” as Microsoft shifts focus to software and cloud publishing (1 Viewer)

[Matthew]

News - Microsoft revamps Xbox Game Pass plans and hikes Ultimate to $29.99 a month, Ultimate gets Ubisoft+ Classics and more

Xbox Game Pass, the most UNaffordable deal in gaming :messenger_tears_of_joy: Halo won't be back

www.neogaf.com

Without going into too much detail, not long after the last round of layoffs (next one should be coming in Q1 26 btw - and its going to be just as massive as the last one), some rumblings out of Xbox starting coming out that were a little hard to believe.

The ramifications of the CoD GP gambit not working out were just starting to get properly measured, but the thing that really stuck out to me was that suddenly, really concrete plans for actual MS Xbox HW went from being definitive, to up in the air, which was really startling given that this thing was meant to be out relatively soon. It was one of those situations where, despite folks being told 'hey, we wanna pull the trigger on this in 2026', the steps you would need to take in the lead up to delivering a new console gen weren't being met. Lots of things that were 'sure things' started getting pushed. The Costco retailer pulling Xbox, and apparently they are one of many that we'll learn about soon, told me all I needed to know.

To sum it up: the future of Xbox is software publishing, with a significantly honed-in focus on profitable IPs (CoD, WoW, Minecraft, Candy Crush, Forza Horizon), Cloud gaming being the home of the 'Xbox platform', transititioning GamePass into basically becoming the point of entry subscription for xCloud access (which will continue to drive its price tag higher btw, they aren't done there just yet either), and releasing their software on any device that has a marketplace and users willing to buy their titles.

Maybe some OEM thing will take up the Xbox name, but given what is clearly a collapse in favorable mindshare and faith in said brand, i'm not even sure a 3rd party OEM is gonna want to have an Xbox console by the time MS is done with their reorienting of the division.

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I would take this with a huge grain of salt, because whenever there is bad publicity around the Xbox a bunch of these will leakers will come out with bad news. That being said, this one does have a decent track record.

On the surface, it makes sense. Microsoft has continuously pushed toward the Gamepass subscription model + Cloud gaming. And they basically just licensed the Xbox Brand to Asus for the ROG Ally X. But I'm not entirely convinced Microsoft will give up making first party hardware in the future.

 

[Matthew]

Rumors of Xbox’s console demise have been greatly exaggerated

Microsoft confirms Xbox next-gen console plans are still underway despite recent speculation

www.windowscentral.com

Microsoft has put out an official statement:

UPDATE (Oct 5, 2025): Microsoft has provided the following statement, echoing our previous report: "We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox. For more details, the community can revisit our agreement announcement with AMD."

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[ShortieGamez]

Rumors of Xbox’s console demise have been greatly exaggerated

Microsoft confirms Xbox next-gen console plans are still underway despite recent speculation

www.windowscentral.com

Microsoft has put out an official statement:

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This I expected of Microsoft. As much as they are pushing cloud gaming, and with the price hike for Game Pass Ultimate, it would make you instantly think that they would be moving away from any hardware plans in the future.

 

[Matthew]

This I expected of Microsoft. As much as they are pushing cloud gaming, and with the price hike for Game Pass Ultimate, it would make you instantly think that they would be moving away from any hardware plans in the future.

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There were reports coming out a while ago that Microsoft would integrate Steam into their future Xbox's. This would be a day one purchase for me if they did that. I love my desk, but sometimes I just want to game on the couch and relax.

 

[ShortieGamez]

There were reports coming out a while ago that Microsoft would integrate Steam into their future Xbox's. This would be a day one purchase for me if they did that. I love my desk, but sometimes I just want to game on the couch and relax.

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This I couldn't agree with more! There is nothing better than being able to just relax and chill on the couch when playing games.

I would love to see Steam integrated into their future Xbox's, and it would be a good selling point too for those who tend to use Steam a lot but would like to take the console route.

 

[Aught-O-Matic]

I tried Game Pass when Halo Infinite came out, but I just felt like it wasn't worth it if I didn't receive a "permanent" digital license for the game or Phil Spencer forbid...a real physical game. Subscription models just feel like a waste of money to me, I would rather pay once for the games/movies/music I like and that be the end of it.

 

[ShortieGamez]

I tried Game Pass when Halo Infinite came out, but I just felt like it wasn't worth it if I didn't receive a "permanent" digital license for the game or Phil Spencer forbid...a real physical game. Subscription models just feel like a waste of money to me, I would rather pay once for the games/movies/music I like and that be the end of it.

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When you think about the number of games you get with Game Pass and look at how many you would never play, it sometimes doesn't seem ideal to pay all that just for access to a few games each month when you can pay outright and keep the game. In some cases, you can even buy the games lower than retail price in sales, too, if you are willing to wait.

 

[Aught-O-Matic]

When you think about the number of games you get with Game Pass and look at how many you would never play, it sometimes doesn't seem ideal to pay all that just for access to a few games each month when you can pay outright and keep the game. In some cases, you can even buy the games lower than retail price in sales, too, if you are willing to wait.

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Exactly, I am not going to play the majority of what's on GamePa$$, so it's just a waste compared to just buying the games I want and owning them forever/having a digital license. Games aren't like streaming video content where you can watch a few movies in a day if you want. You can barely finish a single game in a weekend even if you marathon it. So by the time your next monthly bill comes for Game Pa$$, you might have played through one game.