. (Photo by Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Today, the contents of a pre-recorded E3 Xbox panel came to light as we heard from Microsoft execs on their plans for what is now effectively known as the “Xbox ecosystem,” something that expands beyond traditional consoles, and blends them with Game Pass accessibility and game streaming.
The highlights? That would be Microsoft talking about how they’re already working on the next Xbox consoles. Here’s VP Liz Hamren:
“…no one should think we’re slowing down on our core console engineering. In fact, we’re accelerating it. We’re already hard at work on new hardware and platforms, some of which won’t come to light for years.”
It’s not clear whether this is a “mid-gen” upgrade like the Xbox One X, or the next true generation, though such distinctions may be getting more and more blurry regardless.
Past that, onto Game Pass accessibility via smart TVs:
“We’re working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Game Pass experience directly into internet-connected TVs, so all you’ll need to play is a controller.”
And to further boost this new game streaming-centric future, Xbox will also be building dedicated devices just for that purpose, ones which will cost far less than a traditional Xbox at $300-500, no doubt:
“Beyond that, we’re also developing stand-alone streaming devices that you can plug into a TV or monitor, so if you have a strong internet connection you can stream your Xbox experience.”
All of this resulted in the release of the graphic you can see below, showing the entire ecosystem in action, a blend of hardware and compatibility with devices that can stream Game Pass titles.
Xbox
This kind of set-up makes Microsoft stand alone in the industry. Google Stadia is struggling with its lack of a core console or any exclusive games. Sony has the console market locked down, but has no real answer to either Game Pass or Microsoft’s pending onslaught of persistent streaming options. Nintendo…well Nintendo is as ever, on its own island selling a trillion Switches. Which is fine.
But it does show what a unique position Microsoft has put itself in, leveraging all its access to tech to create a gaming ecosystem unlike anything else in the market. Granted, it will still take years for all this to fully materialize, including Microsoft’s first party roster of games slowly coming to life, but you can see the master plan here. And I think its rivals should be scared of it.
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