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One thing to look ahead to: Xbox president Sarah Bond has confirmed that Microsoft’s subsequent recreation console will assist titles from a number of digital storefronts and keep backward compatibility. Moreover, a newly introduced settlement with AMD means that an official Xbox handheld continues to be in growth. All of Microsoft’s upcoming consoles (no matter they’re) are anticipated to be AMD powered.
Microsoft’s hardware-agnostic online game enterprise mannequin and its responses to Valve’s Steam Deck have lately sparked hypothesis that its subsequent console may absolutely abandon walled gardens. This announcement from the top of Xbox has confirmed many particulars from earlier rumors and alleviated issues about legacy console again catalogs.
In a one-minute video, Bond explains that Microsoft will co-develop processors with AMD for a number of new gadgets aimed toward each lounge and handheld use. The businesses indicated that the upcoming silicon will function next-generation graphics and incorporate AI in some capability.
Whereas Bond did not particularly point out Steam, she acknowledged that Microsoft is growing a platform that may assist a number of shops and gadgets. Total, the plan seems to be an evolution of the lately introduced Xbox Ally handhelds that run Home windows OS.
The upcoming transportable gadgets from Asus substitute the standard Home windows desktop with a controller-friendly frontend that comes with Steam, the Epic Video games Retailer, Recreation Move, and Microsoft Retailer software program to create a console-like PC gaming expertise. Their lack of backward compatibility with Xbox Sequence, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and unique Xbox titles stays the one lacking piece of the puzzle.
The AMD partnership, in itself, is not stunning – AMD has produced the CPUs and GPUs for each Xbox console because the 360, in addition to for the PlayStation 4 and 5. Nonetheless, Microsoft’s announcement confirms that its future gadgets will not use off-the-shelf AMD chips just like the Ryzen AI Z2, which powers the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds.
One big leap for @AMD + @Xbox – and a daring new chapter for the way forward for gaming.
AMD and Xbox have stood facet by facet for over 20 years – powering a number of the greatest moments in gaming. As we proceed to create seamless experiences that dissolve the boundaries of actuality,… https://t.co/8BQ4JJshMI
– Jack Huynh (@JackMHuynh) June 17, 2025
This will additionally contradict earlier studies that Microsoft had canceled inner plans for an official portable Xbox in favor of supporting current handheld PCs. If AMD helps develop a number of customized chipsets, at the very least one in every of them may diverge from the Ryzen AI Z household to energy a extra bespoke, backward-compatible Microsoft handheld system.
AMD can be collaborating with Sony to develop an SoC for the PlayStation 6, primarily based on the upcoming Zen 6 and RDNA architectures. Whether or not Microsoft will undertake the identical architectures stays unclear. Based on rumors, Sony, like Microsoft, is planning to launch a handheld companion to the PS6.
