It turns out that hoovering up just about every semi-known gaming studio doesn’t equal hardware sales. Xbox is proof of that fact, with Chris Dring calling it “the worst year on record for Xbox consoles.” According to Windows Central, Xbox has plans to turn the ship around with more OEM hardware (original equipment manufacturer) headed our way in 2026, all running the Xbox Full Screen Experience on Windows.
Xbox feeling PC
One of those may well be the rumoured ‘Xbox PC’ that would, again, be developed by a company that isn’t Microsoft, despite the company slapping its logo on the final result. Considering the company’s previous partnership with Asus for the Xbox ROG Ally X, it seems likely to continue passing the buck.
At the time of writing, Windows Central warns that these are just “credible rumours”, and that only “time will tell” to see whether it sticks to the plan it’s heard from various sources. Xbox president Sarah Bond all but confirmed this when she called the next-gen ‘console’ a “very premium, very high-end curated experience,” hinting at a hybrid model that’ll set customers back far more than a typical Xbox would.
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Even non-Xbox fans will be glad to learn that the Elite Controller Series 3, which has become a go-to for PC gamers over the years, may launch in 2026. The report also mentions that all of the company’s next-gen controllers will likely support direct-to-WiFi connectivity, to reduce Bluetooth latency as the company continues to prop up its cloud-based gaming arm.
Leaving the hardware up to another entity would allow Microsoft to close more studios potentially beat Sony to the punch of the next-gen console war, and focus on the software side. On that front, Xbox plans to finally show off the long-awaited Fable remake later this month, alongside a deep dive into Forza Horizon 6.
