Xbox President Says Hardware Is Still ‘Absolutely Core’ to the Brand

Xbox President Sarah Bond has clarified that hardware is still crucial to the brand, even as it moves away from platform exclusivity. Microsoft’s gaming division has made some major moves in the past few months, some of which have left fans feeling uncertain about what’s coming in the next console generation and beyond. It’s still not exactly clear what Xbox is up to, but its skipper has confirmed that hardware is still very much a part of the business.

In recent years, Xbox has seemed to be slowly moving to a more software-centric focus, especially as services like Xbox Game Pass have taken off amid declining console sales. When Microsoft confirmed Halo would be on PlayStation consoles from now on, it felt like the final nail in the coffin of Xbox exclusives. Despite that shift, the company still believes that hardware is central to its identity.

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Xbox President Says the Idea of Console Exclusives Is ‘Antiquated’

Xbox President Sarah Bond says making a game exclusive to one platform is an ‘antiquated’ idea as the company releases more games on other consoles.

Xbox President Sarah Bond Says ‘The Xbox Experience Starts with the Console’

In an interview with Fortune Magazine, Bond doubled down on Xbox’s console plans, saying “hardware is absolutely core to everything that we do at Xbox.” While Xbox hardware revenue has steeply fallen in the last quarter, the company remains committed to consoles. According to Bond, Xbox’s most valuable players start within the Xbox ecosystem, even if they branch out to play on PC, mobile, or other platforms. While Microsoft wants to support a “play anywhere” future, it believes making its own systems is key to thriving in that kind of environment. The company did achieve success with the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, despite their high price tags and competition in the handheld market, so it’s possible that a similar trend could happen in the broader gaming hardware market.

As Bond explained Xbox’s stance on hardware, she also offered some insight into its next console. She described the next-gen Xbox as a “powerful” console that “enables people to take their library with them,” showcasing how it will tie into the brand’s larger beliefs about flexibility in gaming. Players “taking their library with them” could hint at some amount of portability, but it’s more likely a nod to cloud support and cross-platform saves and progression. Previous reports already suggest the next Xbox will be a PC/console hybrid, and existing in this unique middle ground could be what Microsoft believes will distinguish it from other hardware enough to justify the investment.

How future Xbox hardware will lean into flexibility and choice remains to be seen, but fans at least have clarity now that Microsoft will continue to make consoles, even without exclusives to draw an audience to them. It’s worth noting that PlayStation exclusives are coming to other platforms more often now, too, so there could be big changes on the horizon for the console market as a whole.

Brand

Microsoft

Original Release Date

November 10, 2020

Original MSRP (USD)

$499

Operating System

Proprietary (Windows-based)

Processor

Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz

Resolution

720p – 4K UHD