Despite the shift to digital platforms and game streaming, Microsoft will continue to produce Xbox consoles.
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will be released on November 10, and there has been speculation that they may be the last game consoles Microsoft will make. However, Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, told Yahoo!
"As far as future hardware, absolutely, there will be more console hardware down the road," Spencer explained.
"Just like with video and music, streaming has not cut off device innovation. Streaming has not cut off device innovation.For some time now, there has been speculation that the upcoming Xbox console and PS5 will spell the end of console hardware and the transition to game streaming.
We've seen services like Google Stadia attempt to make cloud-powered game streaming a viable alternative to console gaming. And now Amazon, with the world's largest cloud infrastructure, is entering the fray with Amazon Luna. Microsoft is also working on game streaming with Project xCloud, now part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which allows Xbox games to be streamed to cell phones and tablets.
Microsoft is also a huge provider of cloud-based software and services, so it would not be surprising if the company decided to eschew console hardware and go all in on game streaming and digital distribution of Xbox games. As a more traditional electronics company, Sony appears to be more focused on hardware than Microsoft.
However, it appears that Microsoft will continue to make Xbox hardware for the foreseeable future. This would be in line with the company's efforts to make Xbox an ecosystem where you can game anywhere on your favorite device with the latest and greatest console hardware as one aspect of it.
Judging by how quickly pre-orders for the Xbox Series X and PS5 sold out, it is clear that the appetite for new console hardware is still there.
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