Rumour has it that Microsoft is reorganising the design team for the upcoming Xbox console. Rather than the Xbox Series X team, it appears that Microsoft’s Surface division will take the lead. This revelation comes as Xbox is trying to compete with Sony’s PS5, which has been outselling it by a large margin.
According to Gizmochina, Microsoft hasn’t been able to achieve the sales success they had hoped for with the Xbox system, and they anticipate more declines in 2024.
Microsoft recently revealed that the Xbox Series X and Series S had sold a total of 21 million systems, or over half of the PS5’s sales, despite not providing sales figures for some time.
Industry insider Nick Baker hinted at a potential shift in the design team on The XboxEra Podcast. If this works out, there may be a delay in the delivery of the upcoming Xbox, particularly if the design team is starting from scratch.
The choice to move the project to the Surface team may have been influenced by speculations about a new Xbox portable device. Given the Surface team’s track record of producing premium portable devices, Microsoft’s decision to assign them this possible project makes sense.
Information about the speculated portable Xbox has been inconsistent. While some reports believe it may have comparable power but be more expensive, others suggest it will likely be less powerful and more reasonably priced than the next Xbox. Ultimately, Microsoft’s specific goals won’t become clear until later.
In related news, Microsoft is getting ready to provide a “business update event” this week wherein it will outline its plans for the future of Xbox. There is conjecture that, should that happen, Microsoft would probably announce that it plans to bring Hi-Fi Rush and other Xbox-only games to the PS5 and Nintendo Switch platforms.