It’s working with AMD to ensure backwards compatibility

What is an Xbox? The answer to that has never been more confusing, but a new promo video from Microsoft teasing the future of its next-gen gaming hardware lineup gives an important clue: Windows. The company said it wants the OS to be the number one platform for gaming as it doubles down on a new multiplatform strategy that supports a variety of devices rather than being locked to a single console or storefront.

“I am thrilled to share we’ve established a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices including our next-generation Xbox consoles, in your living room and in your hands,” Xbox president Sarah Bond said in a new video touting the partnership. “Together with AMD we’re advancing the state of art in gaming silicon to deliver the next generation of graphics innovation to unlock a deeper level of visual quality and immersive gameplay and player experiences enhanced with the power of AI, all while maintaining compatibility with your existing library of Xbox games.”

The announcement comes after Microsoft recently revealed the Xbox Ally handhelds, variants of Asus’ next iteration of portable PC gaming devices that run a special version of Windows optimized to recreate the Xbox UI experience on the go. It’s part of a “Play Anywhere” promise that includes PC, existing Series X/S consoles, Game Pass on TVs, cloud gaming, and first-party exclusives ported to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. It all sounds like a promising pivot away from the company’s shrinking console business, but it also raises lots of questions about what the future of Xbox will actually look like.