Since 2024, Microsoft has been demonstrating a strategic change that will have a definite influence on the future. This has so far concerned games. But, by extension, some already speculated that the American giant's desire to adopt a third-party publisher position could mark the disappearance of Xbox consoles. However, this would not be the case. However, a new job offer would tend to suggest that we will be entitled to surprises in the future.
A change of hardware for the future Xbox?
Phil Spencer had said it clearly: Microsoft did not intend to abandon hardware anytime soon. The head of Xbox Game Studios, however, did not elaborate on the details. However, rumors already suggest several future consoles in the works: a portable one and a home console.
Last February, Jez Corden reported that the hardware for the new Xbox console had passed the first stage of presentation. He relied on his internal sources. But this time, it's about more concrete elements.
In fact, a job offer shared by Atlantic Bridge for a sales manager position mentions a more than explicit mission: "Support the sales activities of the next generation of Surface and Xbox products based on Snapdragon solutions ".
This job offer directly mentions the Xbox range, but one element is surprising. Mention is made here of a Snapdragon chip likely manufactured by Qualcomm. Based on the ARM architecture, it is mainly used in the mobile market. However, until now, Microsoft consoles have relied on x86 models similar to those used on PCs.
More compact and less energy-intensive, Snapdragon technology would fit well with the logic of a convergence between PC, mobile, and console platforms at Xbox. But can we really see a link with the future home console? Nothing is less certain. Since Microsoft wants compatibility between the current Series X|S library and the future machine, switching to ARM Snapdragon technology would require recompiling titles or implementing x86 emulation. However, this seems too ambitious as it stands for Snapdragon chips. So this probably doesn't concern a home console.
Microsoft could well create a surprise in the future
Our colleagues at Windows Central also heard about this job offer. They then looked into the matter and asked anonymous sources they consider well-informed. However, these sources deny the use of Snapdragon solutions. According to them, "the next Xbox systems are not based on Qualcomm chips."
Therefore, it would be more likely, as Windows Central points out, that this mention concerns Microsoft's Surface PCs. The manufacturer could instead be looking to optimize cloud gaming and Xbox Game Pass compatibility on these portable products at the intersection of a computer and a tablet.
In this regard, Microsoft has already mentioned the ambition of offering a Surface Gaming in the past. Ultimately, it has been a few years since the manufacturer seemed to want to turn to the portable market. But there too, something is wrong. According to the latest leaks, the Xbox Portable likely in preparation at Asus would rather be based on traditional AMD technology. It would therefore not be impossible that another hardware project is in the works to combine both the mobile dimension of the hardware and the ability to run games, at least thanks to cloud gaming.
Source: Atlantic Bridge and Windows Central.
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