With the Xbox brand confirming that it's moving away from console competition and will instead go up against services like TikTok and movies, there's one question lingering on Xbox fans' minds: What's going to happen with the next Xbox? In fact, will Microsoft release another fully-fledged Xbox ever again?

Fortunately, it seems Microsoft will continue making Xbox hardware in the future, and not just the handheld kind. If some insider sources are to be trusted, the next Xbox we'll see will be more like a PC than a traditional console. And if you're wondering if Microsoft would really put Windows 11 on its flagship gaming console, then I'm afraid to say you're dead on the money.

The next Xbox will run Windows 11, insiders claim

Over the weekend, the good folk over at Windows Central got in contact with what it calls "trusted sources" to clarify something that Phil Spencer said last week. The Xbox CEO took to the stage a few days ago to say that, if people wanted to know what the future of Xbox looks like, they'd get a good idea by looking at the ROG Xbox Ally.

Alright, so what does the ROG Xbox Ally do? Well, it's a handheld console that uses Windows 11, but it also introduced a new full-screen mode that directs sources away from standard operating system procedures and more toward gaming performance. In fact, one of our intrepid writers, Joe Rice-Jones, got stuck in with the Windows 11 handheld gaming mode on their ROG Ally X, and they had some nice things to say about it.

Sounds good, but what does that mean for the next Xbox? Well, the insiders Windows Central got in touch with claimed we'll see something similar with Microsoft's next console. Instead of it coming with its own bespoke operating system, it will essentially be a Windows 11 device optimised for gaming. It will use the handheld gaming mode on a widescreen TV scale to deliver performance, but allow users to back out of it and use it like a regular Windows 11 computer.

Now, that latter part is really important here. Think about it; if the next Xbox is essentially a gamified version of Windows 11, what's stopping you from, oh, I don't know, installing Steam and playing your PC games on it? Seemingly, nothing. In fact, given how Microsoft is working hard at making the PC Xbox app recognise and collate games from all popular storefronts, playing PC games on your Xbox doesn't sound so far-fetched anymore.

Of course, this all stems from Windows Central claiming something that its insiders claim is true. There's a lot of wiggle room here, and things may not pan out like this; even if everyone involved in this news was telling the absolute truth, Microsoft can still call the entire thing off on a moment's notice. However, it does align nicely with what the company is currently doing in the gaming space, so I'm feeling optimistic about this one.