Despite the fuss, Microsoft could have two new Xbox consoles in the pipeline

First, the rumors of Sea of Thieves and Hifi Rush might be going onto other consoles, then everybody went ape over the possibility of Starfield appearing on PlayStation 5 (despite roundly slating it when it came out), and then the stone continued gathering moss, By the end of yesterday Xbox staples such as Gears of War and Halo were going to PlayStation too, Microsoft was pulling out of consoles and leaving gaming to Sony. Xbox was dead.

Just another day on the internet.

Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer then announced that there would be a ‘business update’ next week which seemed ominous but, in all reality, is probably a reaction to the media storm of the last couple of days.

Somewhere in the middle of this will be the truth as ever, once you have filtered out the histrionic “I’ll never buy another Microsoft product” that has washed over Reddit.

Equally now, countermeasure rumors have surfaced on an Xbox podcast that Microsoft, rather than pulling out of the console market, actually has two new machines in the pipeline for 2026, including a handheld Nintendo Switch (but more likely Steam Deck) competitor, as well as a new ‘traditional’ Xbox console.

If this is the case then Spencer is unlikely to confirm the existence at the Xbox broadcast, but will surely double down on Xbox’s commitment to its hardware owners. To openly state anything other than that would seem unlikely as it would hit sales of existing Xbox stock. It’s not going to happen.

Looking at the console rumors though the handheld is one that could definitely shake the market. The Steam Deck has been a success story for Valve, and you would imagine if anybody was capable of putting a handheld PC together that could stream and play Xbox Game Pass games, it would be Microsoft. The rumor continues that the Microsoft Surface team is working on the handheld, which would also be dockable for big screenplay, and this would make a lot of sense.

The handheld rumor has been around for a few weeks but there seems to be more meat being added to the bones by people who could be in the know.

The other console if not an Xbox Series refresh would be there to complete with any new Sony machine so would definitely need to be next generation.

At this point, it’s all just noise and it is unclear whether anything will be any more apparent by the time Spencer next leaves the stage.

Featured Image: Microsoft Xbox

Paul McNally

Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media.

Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020.

Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine, PlayStation Pro, Amiga Action, Mega Action, ST Action, GQ, Loaded, and the The Mirror. He has also hosted panels at retro-gaming conventions and can regularly be found guesting on gaming podcasts and Twitch shows. He is obsessed with 3D printing and has worked with several major brands in the past to create content

Believing that the reader deserves actually to enjoy what they are reading is a big part of Paul’s ethos when it comes to gaming journalism, elevating the sites he works on above the norm. Reach out on X.