Det er efterhånden ikke noget nyt at insidere peger i retning af en meget anderledes Xbox-konsol, som udkommer indenfor de næste år. Vi er allerede blevet lovet et stort tigerspring hvad angår antallet af hestekræfter, men alt tyder også på at dette bliver mere PC-agtigt end nogensinde før.
I en ny rapport fra Windows Central siger redaktør Jez Corden, at den næste Xbox-konsol kører "full-bore Windows", altså en komplet udgave af det styresystem, men med et Xbox overlay over.
"As many of us have come to expect, the next Xbox will indeed run full-bore Windows, with a TV-optimized, console-style experience layered on top. Microsoft decided to sideline its own Xbox handheld plans and go to market with the Xbox Ally in partnership with ASUS this year to start gathering feedback on the experience that will essentially power its next wave of "console" hardware. I'm told that Microsoft still plans to make its own Xbox handheld eventually, too, along the lines of this new plan. Xbox President Sarah Bond has teased a variety of first-party Xbox hardware, made in partnership with AMD. What will all of this look like, though?"
Det der dog stadig er uvist, er om konsollen stadig er "lukket", altså om den kan opgraderes løbende, eller om det e ret slags lukket kredsløb.
Hvad der dog er tydeligt, er at Microsoft stadig vil tilbyde en meget beskyttet konsoloplevelse:
"Where the Xbox console will differ from a traditional Windows PC is that it will feel like a traditional Xbox console out of the box. The onboarding experience will be similar to what you get today on console, and if you choose, you can remain fully inside the Xbox ecosystem, never touching Windows itself. Exiting out to Windows will be for those who want to access games traditionally not available on Xbox, including PlayStation games on Steam, mouse and keyboard-first games like League of Legends, or even classic games from GOG and the like."
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