Xbox Prime rumours tease next-gen Xbox console but experts think they’re fake
IF you’ve been keeping up with gaming news over the last 24 hours then you will have likely seen the name Xbox Prime.
People on social media are claiming that this is the name of the next-gen Xbox console, and that it will be released next year in time for that year’s Call of Duty release.
As Call of Duty releases around September / October every year, this would mean the console would launch around September 2026.
The Xbox Series X|S launched in 2020, so this generation’s console life cycle would be just six years.
So far the only next-gen console that has been officially announced is the Nintendo Switch 2 which is scheduled to be released later this year.
However, the Nintendo Switch was released in 2017, so it has been eight years since that console launched.
To most people in the gaming industry, the rumours are pretty suspicious and are likely untrue.
Firstly, there were seven years between the release of the Xbox One and Series X|S, and eight years between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Six years is a very short life cycle for a console, and as PlayStation and Xbox have similar cycles, a new console seems unlikely given the recent release of the PS5 Pro.
A new console also doesn’t align with Xbox’s recent strategy, which has seen a focus on app integration and cloud gaming.
Xbox recently added functionality so that games can be streamed directly to an Amazon Fire Stick, and has announced streaming for LG products in the near future.
The recent ‘This is an Xbox’ campaign also puts an emphasis on how its games can be played on multiple different devices.
Xbox has been shifting its focus away from Xbox-specific hardware, in order to promote its cloud streaming services.
In terms of new gaming hardware Xbox boss Phil Spencer has put an emphasis on devices that lean into streaming.
He has recently discussed a streaming-only Xbox device and a handheld Xbox console, but claims that both of these consoles are a few years out.
It’s often very difficult for gaming companies to prevent leaks of upcoming consoles as shown with the Switch 2.
There has also been some information about the next-gen PlayStation console being in early development, but this is the first we’ve heard of a new Xbox.
If you want to read more about Xbox, check out why Black Myth: Wukong is delayed on Xbox Series X|S.
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