Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox is going to make a change the console hasn’t seen in over 20 years. Since the first Xbox launched in 2001, the console has been an ever-evolving multimedia landscape, offering a community of gamers, achievements, and a multitude of multiplayer options. While Microsoft has had serious competition from Sony’s PlayStation consoles, it has remained a leading platform on the market. The next-generation Xbox is in active development, and while a release date has yet to be confirmed, the changes made to multiplayer are sure to set it apart from the competition.
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According to WindowsCentral, Microsoft’s premium next-gen console will launch without a multiplayer paywall. This is a significant change for the company, which has had a multiplayer paywall in the form of Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass since online multiplayer launched on the original Xbox in 2002. Moreover, Microsoft recently increased the cost of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate by 50% and raised prices on Xbox consoles and other services. This report falls in line with the so-called “premium experience” offered by the new Xbox functioning less like a traditional console and more like a curated Windows gaming PC, complete with your existing library.
The Next-Gen Xbox Lets You Keep All Of Your Games With Free Online Multiplayer Access
When the original Xbox launched, Xbox Live was still a year away, but it’s been a major factor in every generation of the console. Gamers pay a monthly subscription fee to access online services, where they can purchase games, add-on content, and play massive multiplayer titles. It’s now a core factor in modern gaming, but Microsoft is looking to abandon it in favor of a curated library of games on a high-end PC that will carry the Xbox label. Granted, nobody knows what this will look like when it’s released.
According to Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, the ROG Xbox Ally is a clue for how it will function. “We want to pay attention to how this product hints at how the Xbox software platform will evolve in the future, connecting all devices at one point.” The next Xbox will run some form of Windows, albeit via a television-optimized console experience. It’ll be a computer, but it’s going to have the look and feel of an Xbox, and its software will likely appear and function similarly to ROG Xbox Ally’s. This makes the costly handheld a bit more interesting to gamers who were waiting to purchase one.
Xbox has had plenty of bad press lately due to mass layoffs, increased pricing, and more. This has led plenty of people online to declare that “Xbox is dead,” but this latest announcement suggests that may not be true after all. By removing a hurdle to online cross-platform gameplay, the Xbox will set a precedent that Sony and Nintendo may be forced to copy. The next Xbox’s price is said to be between $800 and $1,200, a considerable amount for most gamers. Still, that is significantly offset by removing the online paywall, which costs around $120 annually at the very least, so it pays for itself in the long run.
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