The next-gen Xbox console will be a “very premium, very high-end curated experience”, according to Xbox President Sarah Bond.
During an interview with Mashable, Xbox President Sarah Bond shed light on Microsoft’s vision for its next-gen console, teasing what she described as a “very premium, very high-end curated experience.” While details remain tightly under wraps, Bond’s comments lend credibility to rumors that suggest the upcoming Xbox hardware will blur the line between a traditional console and a high-performance gaming PC.
When asked about rumors that the next-generation console would be “almost more like a gaming PC”, offering powerful hardware that could handle both PC and console experiences, Bond acknowledged that such speculation isn’t far off. “Well, I can tell you you’re right that the nextG console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” she said. “You’re starting to see some of the thinking that we have in [the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally handheld], but I don’t want to give it all away.”
The interview also touched on the evolving nature of game exclusivity, long considered a defining feature of console ecosystems. When asked where major blockbuster exclusives fit into Xbox’s current philosophy, Bond made it clear that the industry is changing. “We’re really seeing people evolve way past that,” she said. “Like the biggest games in the world are available everywhere. You look at Call of Duty, you look at Minecraft, you look at Fortnite, you look at Roblox. That’s actually what’s really driving community in gaming.”
Bond further reinforced Xbox’s commitment to cross-platform accessibility, saying, “The idea of locking [a game] to one store or one device is antiquated for most people. You want to be able to play with your friends anywhere regardless of what they’re on. And we’re really leaning into that with this experience because it just opens up another way for you to play.”
