New Xbox console leaks amid reports Microsoft is abandoning brand

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately (which would be a strange lifestyle choice) then you would have likely heard all the rumours surrounding Xbox suggesting that it might not only plan an all-digital future but first-party properties may also be headed to rival consoles.

Just a few short days ago it was speculated that Microsoft may soon ditch developing console hardware and will instead focus on releasing video games. This sparked flames of fury across the internet with fans panicking that Xbox as we currently know it is coming to an end. There have even been rumours that Halo and Gears of War may even land on PlayStation soon, a once impossible thought.

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The recent speculation has also opened the door further that The Elder Scrolls VI will become multiple platform, a prospect that was once a reality before Microsoft acquired Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media. In a nutshell, it’s all gone, cats and dogs living together, however, Xbox chief Phil Spencer has promised to address the future of the green brand in the coming [end of] days.

To add further flames to the speculative fire and in contradiction to previous rumours that Microsoft could be ditching hardware, it’s now rumoured that Xbox might be getting a ‘Switch-like’ handheld console and it's apparently going to be released in 2026.

As reported by AltChar (thanks GGRecon) Xbox community manager and co-host of the XNC podcast, Magg, claims that the Xbox Series X/S successor will be a handheld console. “So, it's going to be a box under the TV à la Series X...the cheaper SKU is going to be a dockable console à la Switch, hence why it makes sense that the [Microsoft] Surface team is working on it.”

What’s more, according to the other co-host of the XNC podcast, ColtEastwood, it is claimed that the yet-to-be-announced Xbox handheld will play games natively (I assume digitally) as well as streaming titles, presumably via Xbox Game Pass.

Of course, we should take all unconfirmed rumours with a pinch of salt until proven otherwise. That being said, hopefully, Phil Spencer will reveal all the juicy details next week. We’ll keep you posted as and when that happens.