Microsoft Details Next-Gen Xbox With AMD Chip “Not Locked to a Single Store

Microsoft has announced it is working on a next-gen Xbox console in partnership with AMD. Xbox president Sarah Bond hosted the announcement in a video uploaded across the brand. The video doesn’t showcase any physical hardware but does tease what players can expect from Xbox going forward.

According to Microsoft, the company is approaching the next-gen Xbox hardware experience from a new perspective. It is a hardware ecosystem that Microsoft says, “is not locked to a single store or tied to one device”.

The announcement says that the next-gen platform will be focussed on multiple devices and open to all sorts of gaming stores.

“This is all about building a gaming platform that’s always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want — delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device That’s why we’re working closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming.”

By the sound of things, Microsoft could be working on an Xbox console that is open to running Steam games and Windows apps. The news comes a week after the company announced the new ROG Xbox Ally, which is a Microsoft-branded handheld gaming device with some impressive performance.

Sarah Bond reassured fans that Xbox will always maintain compatibility for existing games, seemingly confirming that the next-gen Xbox hardware will be backwards compatible. This comes after Xbox confirmed that the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally won’t be able to run Xbox console games that don’t have a dedicated PC version.

Reports claim that Microsoft has been working on new console hardware that will fully integrate Steam. This means you’ll essentially own a console that runs your Steam library of games. This sounds like a rather ambitious task, so we’ll have to wait and see how it pans out. Here’s the full statement from Sarah Bond.

At Xbox our vision is for you to play the games you want with the people you want, anywhere you want. That’s why we’re investing in our next-generation hardware lineup — across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories. I’m thrilled to share we’ve established a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices — including our next-generation Xbox consoles in your living room and in your hands. Together with AMD we’re advancing the state of art in gaming silicon to deliver the next generation of graphics innovation, to unlock a deeper level of visual quality and immersive gameplay and player experiences enhanced with the power of AI. All while maintaining compatibility with your existing library of Xbox games. This is all about building you a gaming platform that’s always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want — delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device. That’s why we’re working closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming. The next-generation of Xbox is coming to life and this is just the beginning, we can’t wait to show you what’s next.