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Microsoft executive vice president of gaming (or Xbox boss, as he's otherwise known) Phil Spencer has hinted at what we can expect from future Xbox hardware, and the recently released handheld ROG Xbox Ally X is probably our biggest clue.
Speaking to Famitsu, with quotes translated via DeepL, Spencer made clear that while the ROG Xbox Ally has the company's brand slapped on top of it, it's not fully considered Xbox's "next console." For that, we'll need to wait for the Xbox hardware made and designed by Xbox itself.
The Microsoft Gaming boss then went on to explain how, even though the ROG Xbox Ally isn't the company's next proper console, its melting pot approach to cloud gaming, console gaming and the PC experience is indicative of where official Xbox hardware will go from here on out.
"This product suggests how the Xbox software platform will evolve in the future, connecting all your devices in one place," he adds, per translations from Twitter user Genki. You can already see some of that thinking with Xbox's growing Play Anywhere initiative, which lets you buy a game on console and then play it via PC or the handheld, and vice versa.
Xbox president Sarah Bond recently said the next-gen console is "gonna be a very premium, very high-end, curated experience," and also hinted that we can "see some of the thinking that we have" in the ROG Xbox Ally, which retails for $599 and $999 for the more powerful version.
All of this points to an upcoming console that is A) probably gonna puncture your wallet, and B) might look like the company's attempt at a PC hybrid experience. On the surface, that sounds like a good idea to differentiate what Xbox offers from PlayStation and Nintendo – on the other hand, I can't imagine an ultra-expensive device with no exclusive games appeals to enough people, especially with those recent Game Pass price hikes. Time will tell, I guess.
