Microsoft is actively expanding its gaming division, yet it has no intention of discontinuing the design and launch of new consoles, as stated by Xbox President Sarah Bond at the Bloomberg Technology Summit.
The Microsoft Gaming hardware team is currently dedicated to creating an exceptionally powerful Xbox console, anticipated to represent the most significant technological advancement in the history of console generations.
Bond asserts that it will satisfy the complete spectrum of gamers’ requirements.
“We focused on creating a new generation of gaming hardware that will truly meet the needs of gamers. A few months ago, I publicly announced that we were aiming for the biggest technological leap in history. And that means we need to think very carefully about every aspect of it, taking into account the needs of experienced users. And the issues of performance, capacity, are certainly an integral part of this process.”
Backward compatibility remains a pivotal feature. Microsoft is committed to advancing this area, ensuring that long-time Xbox enthusiasts retain access to their vast libraries of games.
“We understand that we have fans who have been playing on Xbox for decades and have invested thousands of dollars and hours in us, and they should be able to port their games to new hardware. One of my first decisions as president of Xbox was to create a dedicated team dedicated to preserving games and making them available on the gaming systems of the future.”
Microsoft is heavily focusing on enabling console games to be played on third-party devices via cloud technology, aiming to establish a vast cross-platform ecosystem.
“Players are investing in Xbox and getting incredibly high performance on their console. But we also continue to strive to ensure that they can run their games anywhere and be able to enjoy them with friends on different devices. A lot of attention is paid to cross-platform, cross-progression, cloud saves, we continue to invest in cloud gaming. Console owners are increasingly resorting to the latter when they are away from home.”
Bloomberg journalist Dina Bass, in a discussion with Bond, noted that a segment of the Xbox community is currently frustrated, concerned that Microsoft might forsake console production.
However, the Xbox president assured that there are no plans to do so, emphasizing that the challenges her team faces are indicative of broader industry-wide issues, particularly the industry’s current stagnation.
