Next-gen Xbox hardware will have shared game libraries and storefronts, Microsoft reiterates

Microsoft's plans for its next-gen console still haven't been fully explained, and now Xbox president Sarah Bond gives more vague clues on what to expect.

Next-gen Xbox hardware will have shared game libraries and storefronts, Microsoft reiterates
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Senior Gaming Editor
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TL;DR: Xbox president Sarah Bond confirms Microsoft's next-gen hardware will deliver a premium, high-end experience blending console, PC, handheld, and cloud gaming. The new Xbox, powered by advanced AMD chips and running Windows 11, will enable seamless access to game libraries, communities, and stores across multiple devices.

Xbox president Sarah Bond comments further on Microsoft's next-gen hardware plans, reiterating previous statements about openness of games libraries and storefronts.

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Microsoft isn't giving up on consoles...but the new Xbox will break the mold. Reports indicate that the next Microsoft gaming hardware will essentially be an Xbox PC hybrid, with the device running Windows 11 and containing an "Xbox experience." In theory, the new melded system should be a major evolution of the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) on the Xbox Ally and Ally X handhelds.

While Microsoft won't officially confirm or deny the rumors, the public comments from top executive management, including those from CEO Satya Nadella, seem to align with the Xbox PC reports. Now in a recent interview with Fortune, Xbox president Sarah Bond reiterates some of her previous assertions about new hardware.

"Hardware is core to absolutely everything that we do at Xbox, because we know the most valuable players--the people who love Xbox--love the hardware experience. So that is why we are working on our next-generation hardware.

"It's going to be a powerful experience and one that also enables gamers to take their library with them. That's what's really important here as well, is we know that while people want to play their library absolutely on the console, they also want to be able to play it on PC, or play it in the cloud.

"So the Xbox experience starts with the console but gives something to people that they can experience across all screens if they choose to, bringing their library, their community, their identity and the store with them everywhere they go."

Bond's words underline her previous comments about future Xbox hardware, where she had said the new Xbox is a "very premium, very high-end, curated experience."

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a multi-year deal with AMD to make new chips for next-gen Xbox devices.

"Excited to continue our long term partnership with AMD on the next generation of Xbox consoles. Advancing the state of the art in silicon, rendering, AI, and immersive gameplay experiences, all while maintaining compatibility with your Xbox library."

The hardware lineup isn't just console, though, and is defined as:

"Next-generation lineup across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories."