Image: Microsoft
The next generation of Xbox consoles has reportedly entered production.
Microsoft has reportedly set a release window for its next generation of Xbox consoles: 2027. The Xbox Series X|S successor will arrive after a long-rumoured Xbox handheld device later this year, according to a recent report from Windows Central. The publication says that the next-gen console is “fully in production.”
Xbox Series X|S successor release window reportedly confirmed
It’s been five years since Microsoft released the Xbox Series X|S consoles, kickstarting its new generation of gaming hardware. Given that a new generation typically takes around seven to eight years to produce for the company, it goes without saying that its next lineup of hardware is already in development.
According to Windows Central, Microsoft’s successor to the Xbox Series X|S generation has already been “fully greenlit all the way up to CEO Satya Nadella.” The next-gen console, which includes “a premium successor to the powerful Xbox Series X, alongside its own Xbox gaming handheld” is now “fully in production.”
The publication did not share further details of the next-gen console, but it appears to be in the singular tense – meaning that we might not get two consoles in the next generation, after Microsoft attempted as much with the X|S consoles. News of an Xbox handheld launching this year is also interesting, given that Sony is also working on such a device for the PlayStation brand.
Theoretically, that means Sony, Nintendo, and Xbox could all release handheld consoles this year – given that their production timelines match up, of course. While 2027 is a long time to wait for a new console, it does appear that the next-gen release has been moved up. In a 2023 Xbox leak, the company was said to be planning a 2028 launch window for its next-gen devices.
Microsoft has been taking Xbox in a new direction in recent years, shifting its first-party games towards multiplatform releases, and starting a new ‘This is an Xbox’ campaign to emphasise its cloud gaming capabilities. Former Xbox vice president Peter Moore even suggested this week that the company would stop making consoles if it could.
In an interview with Danny Pena’s YouTube podcast, Moore said: “I still say if they had the choice, would they make hardware? No. Would they be delighted if they could be a multi-hundred billion dollar entity delivering content directly to your television, to whatever monitor you choose to play on? You bet.”
However, it looks like Xbox is not getting out of the hardware-making game just yet.
