Next-gen Xbox console could be joined by even more powerful “super-premium”partner offerings

Windows Central’s Jez Corden—a renowned insider with a decent track record of Xbox-related leaks—has some new information about the next Xbox console. Building upon earlier leaks that said it would essentially double up as a full-fledged PC, the next Xbox will come with a TV-friendly user interface, but run a version of Windows underneath. Users can exit the console interface and run any Windows program of their choosing. Hence, it will be possible to run third-party marketplaces like Steam and Epic Games Store on the next Xbox, which, while great for end users, might not bode well for the Xbox ecosystem.

Previous rumours indicated the next Xbox console could cost as much as $1,000. Given recent memory prices, that figure does not seem far-fetched. If anything, it will probably be higher because RAM/storage is expected to be scarce till 2028; well after the next Xbox console is expected to drop in 2027. Jez has learned from his sources that Microsoft is working with third-party OEMs to develop more affordable offerings that deliver a similar experience at lower prices. Apparently, some third-party offerings could be even more powerful than the next Xbox.

The next Xbox is widely believed to run a SoC, codenamed Magnus, with an eleven-core CPU (3x Zen 6 plus 8x Zen 6c), an RDNA 6-based GPU with 68 CUs, up to 48 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus and a dedicated NPU for Copilot and other AI-powered functions. On paper, this is a solid configuration, and it’ll be interesting to see how OEMs one-up this. Including 3D V-cache in some capacity isn’t implausible, especially since Sony is said to be using it in a future product.