Future of Xbox will be revealed in 2026 during the gaming brand's 25th anniversary

Microsoft could announce the melding of Xbox and Windows sometime in 2026.

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Next year, Xbox turns 25, and the brand has been anything but static over its multi-decade run. Xbox was built on disruption, first through Xbox LIVE online play, then with subscription services like Game Pass. Now the next disruption is on the way: Merging PC and consoles together in a hybridized device.

Reports indicate Microsoft's next Xbox console won't be a console at all, but a Windows 11 PC that mimics a console experience. It's possible that the Xbox console as we know it will be relegated to an app "experience" within this new Windows 11 gaming framework. Exact details on what's going on are unclear, however a key Xbox hardware designer says that the future of the Xbox ecosystem will be revealed in 2026 to coincide with the division's 25th anniversary.

• Read more: Next-gen Xbox will be a first-party device designed by Microsoft, similar to other consoles
• Read more: Next-gen Xbox hardware will have shared game libraries and storefronts, Microsoft reiterates
• Read more: Next-gen Xbox melding with Windows, new 'console' is a PC

In a recent interview with the BBC, VP of Xbox devices and ecosystem Jason Ronald was asked about more first-party games coming to Game Pass. His response seems to indicate that Microsoft will essentially spill the beans on its hardware plans next year, which is fitting because from the sound of it, Xbox is changing quite a bit from what it's been for the last quarter of a century.

"I can't announce anything today, but in 2026, it's the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and we want to celebrate the great legacy and history that we have with Xbox, as well as defining the future of where the Xbox ecosystem is going," Ronald said.

"I can't confirm or deny anything, but stay tuned, we have a lot of amazing things to share."

Xbox president Sarah Bond has also indicated that Xbox's next-gen lineup isn't just limited to consoles. Microsoft is teaming up with AMD to build chips for a range of devices, including the newly-released ASUS Rog Ally X with its AI chip, as well as an unannounced cloud-based system.

"We're investing in a next-generation hardware lineup across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories."

"We are 100% looking at making things in the future. We have our next-gen hardware in development. We've been looking at prototyping, designing. We have a partnership we've announced with AMD around it, so that is coming.

The Xbox president has also confirmed that the new Xbox hardware will be a "very premium" experience, so it sounds like expensive games hardware is here to stay.

"The next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience. You're starting to see some of our thinking in this handheld, but I don't want to give it all away," Bond told Mashable last month.