It has long been rumored that the next Xbox will actually be a PC-console hybrid of sorts – a move that would further Microsoft's apparent move away from traditional, console-exclusive games. This would also make sense given Microsoft's obvious PC integration, which allows it to “play nice” with the PC crowd. Additionally, it ties in with the recent release of the ROG Xbox Ally, which is little more than an Xbox-branded handheld.
In addition to being heavily hinted at by Xbox management, notions of Microsoft making a PC-console hybrid are supported by Windows Central, which claims to have confirmed such plans with its sources.
Whether this is a smart move by Microsoft is debatable, but if this is indeed where the company is headed, it's clear that it won't be alone. PC gaming joint venture and upstart hardware giant Valve have just announced the new Steam Machine, which is pretty much everything the rumored PC-Xbox hybrid wants it to be: The Steam Machine is a compact, pre-built PC running SteamOS for a smoother console-like experience. Essentially, the Steam Machine presents itself as an accessible entry into PC gaming, further blurring the lines between PC and console. Unfortunately for Xbox, Valve may be in a much better position to execute this strategy, leading to unexpectedly stiff competition.
Steam Machine could cause problems for another Xbox console
What's in store for the next Xbox console
Let's try to be fair and evaluate this alleged new Xbox-PC machine holistically. The most obvious asset in Microsoft's corner would be its pre-existing Xbox ecosystem: by marketing its next home console as a convenient transition point between Xbox and PC gaming, Microsoft could attract legions of gamers from its own install base. Those customers could be attracted by the promise of keeping their Xbox digital library, but with the added benefit of getting access to PC-only games. Of course, this would mean that those Xbox loyalists would also get access to a number of first-party PlayStation games, as Sony port many of their titles to PC after the console's initial launch.
Put another way, an Xbox-PC hybrid console could give longtime Xbox owners the best of both worlds: they could keep their Xbox libraries and accounts while still enjoying the PlayStation exclusives they missed from the last two console generations. In this way, Microsoft could quickly and efficiently solve its most persistent weakness: the lack of competitive exclusivity.
Steam Machine is still better placed than Xbox Next Console
Unfortunately, the above benefits only really apply to those already entrenched in the Xbox ecosystem – a demographic that continues to shrink as Xbox loses more market share to Sony, Nintendo, and PC stores like Steam. Breaking down the division between consoles and PC on Xbox will probably be a positive, but that's something Steam already did with Steam Deck years ago. In the same vein, consumers may have more confidence in Steam's hardware given its growing popularity and visibility, while the recent ROG Xbox Ally was largely seen as underwhelming and overpriced; one company has left a bad taste in consumers' mouths with its PC hardware, and it's not Valve.
In terms of optics and branding, Steam is much better than Xbox and boasts a more competent public image. The Steam Machine will likely be able to run all the same games as the rumored Xbox console, as the Xbox also runs most of its games on Steam; in terms of content, the Steam Machine and the reported Xbox-PC are fairly evenly matched, but the Steam Machine is based on the much more successful consumer PC effort in the Steam Deck, while the Xbox has spent years trying to prove its hardware's worth. As-yet-unrevealed details like the starting prices of both of these machines (especially when taking Xbox Game Pass into account) could be the deciding factors in this upcoming console battle.
- Mark
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Microsoft
- Original release date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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499 dollars
- Operating system
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Proprietary (Windows based)
- Processor
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Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 3.8 GHz
- Resolution
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720p – 4K UHD
Microsoft's ninth-generation console, the Xbox Series X, is a powerful machine that can support 4K resolution and 60 frames per second depending on the game. Released alongside the Xbox Series S, the Series X has a custom AMD Zen 2 processor, a custom RDNA 2 GPU, and 16GB of RAM.
