Microsoft has announced a multi-year, strategic partnership with AMD to jointly develop silicon for a range of devices, including next-generation Xbox consoles, handheld and home devices. The Xbox experience will not be limited to a single store or device.

Xbox President Sarah Bond explained this strategic, multi-year partnership with AMD in a video clip. "At Xbox, our vision is for you to play the games you want, with the people you want, anywhere you want. That's why we're investing in our next-generation hardware lineup, across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories," she said. This includes next-generation Xbox consoles and other devices for use in the living room or on the go. Microsoft has previously relied on AMD hardware (CPU/GPU) for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

Sarah Bond: "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." On the one hand, she emphasises the importance of maintaining compatibility with the existing library of Xbox games. On the other hand, however, she also mentions AI as a buzzword without going into detail.

"This is all about building you a gaming platform that's always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want, delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device," she continues. It is worth noting that the Xbox experience will not be limited to a single store. Specific names such as Steam, Epic Games Store or GOG.com were not mentioned, only in-house offerings such as the Microsoft/Xbox Store, Xbox Game Pass or Battle.net. The Xbox team also intend to collaborate closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows "is the number one platform for gaming."


This means that Xbox will no longer be tied to exclusive console hardware, but will instead become an overarching platform service for games available on multiple devices with access to other stores.

At the recent Xbox Games Showcase 2025, two handheld consoles were announced: the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X. These are being developed in collaboration with Asus and aim to combine the power of Xbox with the freedom of Windows - which fits in nicely with the plan outlined above.

Microsoft on the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds: "These handhelds are built to make it easier than ever to access your favorite games - from Xbox, Battle.net, and other leading PC storefronts - all from a single device. (...) We've optimized Windows 11 to be easy to use on the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X from the moment you power on. (...) Because these handhelds run Windows, you have access to games you can't get elsewhere, so you can enjoy the full freedom and versatility of PC gaming-download games from your favorite storefront, run apps like Discord, watch your favorite streamers on Twitch, and play with your favorite mods - all straight from the Xbox experience. (...) Within the Xbox full screen experience, players will see their aggregated gaming library, giving them quick access to games from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net, and other leading PC storefronts. With this new feature, your Xbox library, hundreds of Game Pass titles (membership required), and all your installed games from other PC game stores are always at your fingertips."


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Marcel Kleffmann
Marcel Kleffmann