Phil Spencer says Xbox will continue making dedicated consoles

In recent years, Microsoft has focused on expanding the Xbox brand beyond its own locked-down console hardware. The company has begun trying to make the Xbox name synonymous with PCs, Smart TVs, Cloud Gaming, Smartphones and more. This has led to rumours that Microsoft may not make dedicated consoles for much longer, but Phil Spencer says that is not the case. 

Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, spoke with Rolling Stone this week, as the company has spun up its holiday season marketing campaign, one that sends the specific message that Xbox is more than just a console. Despite moving beyond consoles, Spencer says there are still plans for future Xbox consoles, as well as other hardware.

“We’ll definitely do more consoles in the future”, Spencer said. However, an incremental mid-gen refresh, like the new PS5 Pro, is not on the table: “We think about hardware that can create unique value for our players or creators on our platform. We don’t need to do incremental hardware for our own benefit.”

According to leaked documents from the FTC v Microsoft trial revealed that Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console should launch in 2028 as an all-digital console. Microsoft is also working on its own Xbox handheld gaming system, as well as a cheap TV stick that enables Xbox Cloud Gaming directly to any HDMI-equipped display.

KitGuru Says: We may get one more Xbox generation, but I could see both Microsoft and Sony abandoning the consumer hardware market in the 2030s, instead focusing on cloud solutions and PCs. 

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