There are plenty of rumours about the next Xbox from established insiders, and Microsoft itself has commented on it several times, as has its partner AMD. One thing that all the information agrees on is that it will be some kind of hybrid console where you will be able to run Xbox as usual, but also shop from other storefronts.
If this is true, you will, for example, be able to buy games where they are currently cheapest, or perhaps buy titles that are not available for Xbox, such as games from Sony and many indies. The idea is that the games will then end up in a single list so you can easily choose them regardless of where they were purchased.
Which stores that will be available on the next Xbox, is something we do not know yet. But we do know of one that is interested, namely the Epic Games Store. In an interview with Game File, Epic Games Store boss Steve Allison says that they have been in contact with Microsoft about the next Xbox and adds:
"We definitely plan to be on the new hardware for Xbox, because, unless their policy or stance on it changes, they are telling us they're going to welcome that.
"And we're going be there, like, on day one. That will probably require us to build in whatever their requirements are, some sort of software to support that."
Essentially, Microsoft appears to have confirmed that there will be optional stores for the next Xbox. It has been reported several times previously that the next Xbox console will be extremely powerful, with reliable tech insiders suggesting that it "should have better performance in 100% of games" compared to the PlayStation 6, but of course, it will come at a price.
Hopefully, we will learn more during the year, as Xbox representatives said in the autumn that they will define "the future of where the Xbox ecosystem is going" in 2026, as this is the year Xbox turns 25.
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