Xbox Next Won’t Be Hybrid, Says Corden: Handheld Will Be an Add-On; Predicts End of Paywalled Multiplayer

The next-generation Xbox console has already been featured prominently in several rumors. Over the past year, two leakers have suggested that Microsoft's upcoming console would launch in late 2026, getting ahead of Sony's PlayStation 6 in a repeat of the strategy that turned out to be successful for the Xbox 360.

Microsoft is also reportedly busy with the development of an Xbox handheld. Several prototypes are believed to be in the works, although their release is not imminent. That led some Xbox fans to speculate the next console might be a hybrid, like Nintendo Switch (and likely Switch 2, too).

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However, in the latest episode of the Xbox Two podcast, Windows Central's Jez Corden said that won't be the case. There will be a proper home console instead, with the handheld as an add-on. Interestingly, Corden also predicted that Microsoft would finally remove paywalled multiplayer, but only for the next Xbox, as an additional incentive to upgrade from the Series S|X.

I'll tell you now: there's going to be a separate handheld and there's going to be an Xbox Series X successor. It's going to be two different things. They're not just going to try and go all in on handheld only; they're going to do a more traditional console for the Series X people and then a handheld. [...] I'm predicting a Series X successor, a handheld, and the end of the paywall for premium multiplayer games. That's my prediction.

That's certainly great news, as a hybrid console would inevitably have to suffer in performance when compared against a full-fledged home console. Besides, Xbox president Sarah Bond made the bold claim that the next Xbox will offer the greatest leap ever from generation to generation. One way to do that despite the shrinking performance gains offered by new chipsets is adding an NPU, or neural processing unit, to handle advanced AI tasks.

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