Microsoft could launch next-gen Xbox in 2026 with Zen 5 and RDNA 5

[Daniel Sims]

Rumor mill: Sony and Microsoft have launched the last two console generations in lockstep, but the latest leaks suggest that the latter is considering ending that pattern for the next round. Jumping the gun on a new console generation could present a significant risk, but this strategy has historical precedent.

Sources have informed YouTuber and established leaker RedGamingTech that Microsoft may have accelerated its plans to release the next-generation Xbox console earlier than many might have anticipated. Jeff Grubb, another well-known leaker, has received similar information.

Improperly redacted internal Microsoft documents that leaked in September during the company's court battle with the FTC outlined plans to release the next Xbox console in 2028. However, the latest details suggest it could appear as early as 2026. No one seems to have information on Sony's plans for the PlayStation 6, but the potential release of a new Xbox in 2026 could significantly undercut Sony in terms of timing and price.

(Rumor) Xbox "Next" might be released in 2026

Jeff Grubb says that one of the leakers that leaked stuff from the PlayStation side is saying that Xbox "Next" will be released in 2026.

No clue whether it's an Xbox Series Pro or the next generation of Xbox.

Jeff said he can… pic.twitter.com/gRrp2dH0wa

– Idle Sloth�'��'� (@IdleSloth84_) December 15, 2023

Much of the content in the RedGamingTech video revisits the September leak and speculates on how a 2026 launch would impact the hardware specification roadmap. The court document, which Xbox boss Phil Spencer suggested was already outdated in September, explained that Microsoft was deciding between an Arm-based CPU or an x64 one using AMD's upcoming Zen 6 architecture. While Zen 6 would likely be quite mature by 2028, it won't be ready by 2026. Therefore, if an Xbox were to launch in that year, it would use Zen 5.

However, the accelerated date wouldn't change Microsoft's plan to develop an RDNA 5-based GPU or license AMD's IP for that architecture. Furthermore, the company could still utilize heavy cloud integration, features to assist content creators, and an NPU for machine learning-based workloads. The PlayStation 5 Pro is also rumored to employ machine learning hardware for upscaling, so this feature could become standard.

Instead of responding to the PS5 Pro, Microsoft might be planning to jump the gun on the next hardware generation for multiple reasons. This tactic could be an attempt to replicate the success of the Xbox 360, which launched a year earlier than the PlayStation 3 and was $200 cheaper. The Xbox 360 also took the initiative to set the standards for that hardware cycle, forcing Sony to emulate features like achievements and certain OS-level functionality. If successful, a powerful next-gen Xbox with innovative features could force Sony to play catch-up once again.

When Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 only four years after the original Xbox, it explained its intention to replicate Sega's success with the Genesis (aka Mega Drive), which beat Nintendo's Super NES to the market by two years and became popular despite its weaker hardware. That said, launching early didn't help Sega's following consoles – the Saturn and Dreamcast – which eventually led to the company's exit from the hardware market.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/101267-microsoft-could-launch-next-gen-xbox-2026-zen.html

 

[FaTaL]

They're preparing for GTA6.

 

[goldman]

Tbh the only reason I might get hyped for this, is a the new controller

 

[VcoreLeone]

Breaking news: redgamingtech needs fresh clicks, so he announces a rdna5 console as he already has been milking the not yet announced rdna4 for a year or so.

 

[Vulcanproject]

The issue I can foresee with an early launch is that we're in a world where cross generation games have dominated for years. That was not really the case with the transition from PS2/Xbox to the 360 era. Even when you had some cross generation titles there was this leap in TV technology- the HD era had begun.

That was pretty significant to anyone who experienced Xbox 360 first hand on a HDTV. It was a genuine leap. Xbox 360 was clearly slick hardware and had great early exclusive software. That gave it the legs against Sony's PS3. When it became apparent PS3 was delayed and also very expensive, Microsoft were onto a winner.

An early Xbox would not really have that immediate 'next gen' impact simply because there won't be some perceptibly huge improvement on the same 4K TVs with early software. Developers will still be focusing on PS5 hardware and making games run great for it. They won't take high financial risk building exclusively on new Xbox hardware.

TL;DR it is far harder now where cross gen titles are everywhere to overhaul a market leader with an early launch unless it's a ridiculously outstanding product. Mitigating circumstances greatly favouring Microsoft's launch as with 360 unlikely to be replicated once more.

 

[Daniel Sims]

The issue I can foresee with an early launch is that we're in a world where cross generation games have dominated for years. That was not really the case with the transition from PS2/Xbox to the 360 era. Even when you had some cross generation titles there was this leap in TV technology- the HD era had begun.

That was pretty significant to anyone who experienced Xbox 360 first hand on a HDTV. It was a genuine leap. Xbox 360 was clearly slick hardware and had great early exclusive software. That gave it the legs against Sony's PS3. When it became apparent PS3 was delayed and also very expensive, Microsoft were onto a winner.

An early Xbox would not really have that immediate 'next gen' impact simply because there won't be some perceptibly huge improvement on the same 4K TVs with early software. Developers will still be focusing on PS5 hardware and making games run great for it. They won't take high financial risk building exclusively on new Xbox hardware.

TL;DR it is far harder now where cross gen titles are everywhere to overhaul a market leader with an early launch unless it's a ridiculously outstanding product. Mitigating circumstances greatly favouring Microsoft's launch as with 360 unlikely to be replicated once more.

Good point. In the first few years of the Xbox 360 generation, developers crossing into the console space from PC for the first time gave the system plenty of exclusives (at least timed exclusives) that stood out and painted a stark contrast from the PS2. Cross-gen has either eliminated that big leap forward or made it far less stark.

It could benefit Microsoft to have one or more of the many first-party studios it now owns pivot one of its projects toward a 2026 next-gen Xbox, possibly giving the company a poster child to point to and say "PS5 and PS5 Pro can't do this." But that would require a change from how the company promoted cross-gen going into this generation.

 

[SAYEDMOHD]

Microsoft needs to use ZEN5 with a small core(ZEN5c) ; it provides the same single thread performance as ZEN5C and comes with multithreading features and uses lower power. Microsoft can add 3d cash to boost gaming fps which will enhance avg fps without affecting power usage.

1. ZEN5c
2. AMD 3D V-Cache
3. bigger heatsink with 6 heatpipes
4. better exterior body style
5. Add argb lights
6. controller with voice command to do some requests like open apps and search by voice.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Who said Zen 6 won't be ready by 2026. Every indication is Zen 6 will be released in 2026. Zen 5 is only 6 months away, so even a 2 year cycle will see mid 2026 for Zen 6.

 

[umeng2002]

MS will never recapture the success of the 360 unless they let CoD players use racial slurs against each other in voice chat like to good old days.

 

[Burty117]

Microsoft, Listen, You need to start producing good games again or at least getting some third parties to exclusively make you some good games.

Having the higher end hardware obviously sways me away from PlayStation but if you don't have anything worth playing on it, then I'll stick to the PlayStation.

Besides, your entire plan of releasing exclusives also on PC (making them not very exclusive) just means I'll get them on PC instead.

It's like you don't want to sell hardware yet you keep producing it.

 

[rmcrys]

An early Xbox would not really have that immediate 'next gen' impact simply because there won't be some perceptibly huge improvement on the same 4K TVs with early software. Developers will still be focusing on PS5 hardware and making games run great for it. They won't take high financial risk building exclusively on new Xbox hardware.

On those years things were much different than how:
- both architectures (Xbox and PS) are x64 and from the same IP
- base cpu and gpu code is the same
- games are now "one" with different approaches and optimization for each console AND PC, so a much much much lighter approach for the developers than before

So...if a new more powerful hardware comes up, they can follow the same route as on a PC: same game, different enabled graphics settings and download size (assets will be only the needed ones for that hardware) . A game on a 8th gen Intel and GTX 1080 will look totally different from the same game on a 13th gen rtx 4090. It is as simple as that. They'll make a game X tuned down for the present console, high settings to the xbox 2026 and ultra for the next PS. Never been easier.

 

[toooooot]

It kinda sucks for the big two.
If any of them released a new console in time for GTA 6, the sales would be amazing.
Instead, the best selling game of all times has to be carried by two elderly consoles that can
barely lift anything above 2k.

 

[OortCloud]

Jesus that video dragged. Why take 2 minutes to say something when you can stretch it to 20...

 

[loki1944]

Launch away; I will never buy it. OG Xbox and Xbox 360 were great; nothing but downhill after that.

 

[OortCloud]

Launch away; I will never buy it. OG Xbox and Xbox 360 were great; nothing but downhill after that.

I agree the Xbox One was a horror-show and the Series S is a bit anaemic, but the Series X is a pretty decent machine if you can't afford the money for a PC.

 

[Vulcanproject]

They'll make a game X tuned down for the present console, high settings to the xbox 2026 and ultra for the next PS. Never been easier.

I'm not so sure you quite grasped the post. "Building exclusively" was the phrase, which is what happened early on with 360.

The entire overarching theme of my comment was not that you can't just port across games easily. It was precisely that doing so as has been seen the past couple of years means there is no real USP or even significantly tangible benefit on existing TV technology.

360 had a new paradigm never before seen in the home with the HD shift, but it also didn't work out just because it had higher resolution PS2 games. It had a host of favourable factors unlikely to repeat.

 

[OortCloud]

I'm not so sure you quite grasped the post. "Building exclusively" was the phrase, which is what happened early on with 360.

The entire overarching theme of my comment was not that you can't just port across games easily. It was precisely that doing so as has been seen the past couple of years means there is no real USP or even significantly tangible benefit on existing TV technology.

360 had a new paradigm never before seen in the home with the HD shift, but it also didn't work out just because it had higher resolution PS2 games. It had a host of favourable factors unlikely to repeat.

A machine capable of playing all games at 4k-60+ with the details cranked up would be nice. Although as you were alluding, that isn't a particularly ground-breaking step forward. Really more akin to what you would expect from a Series-X-Pro.

 

[SAYEDMOHD]

Microsoft needs to use ZEN5 with a small core(ZEN5c) ; it provides the same single thread performance as ZEN5C and comes with multithreading features and uses lower power. Microsoft can add 3d cash to boost gaming fps which will enhance avg fps without affecting power usage.

1. ZEN5c
2. AMD 3D V-Cache
3. bigger heatsink with 6 heatpipes
4. better exterior body style
5. Add argb lights
6. controller with voice command to do some requests like open apps and search by voice.

7. use reguler m.2 for storage instead of Expansion Card

 

[Gezzer]

Who said Zen 6 won't be ready by 2026. Every indication is Zen 6 will be released in 2026. Zen 5 is only 6 months away, so even a 2 year cycle will see mid 2026 for Zen 6.

Really hard to say on that one. The PC Zen 6 won't be the same as the one going into any console, be it MS or Sony. This could make it easier to make it ready for a console 2026 release, or harder. A lot depends on how many resources AMD is willing to devote for the console version. If they do shoot for 2026 for the console, I wouldn't be too surprised if it might delay the PC CPU. So the big question is where does AMD get the majority of it's revenue from? Consoles or the PC platform?

 

[HardReset]

Really hard to say on that one. The PC Zen 6 won't be the same as the one going into any console, be it MS or Sony. This could make it easier to make it ready for a console 2026 release, or harder. A lot depends on how many resources AMD is willing to devote for the console version. If they do shoot for 2026 for the console, I wouldn't be too surprised if it might delay the PC CPU. So the big question is where does AMD get the majority of it's revenue from? Consoles or the PC platform?

Zen6 core that goes into consoles will most probably be Zen6c but that will be exactly same that AMD uses on PCs and servers. Differences are outside core itself.

Looking since Zen2, desktop Zen has always used same chiplets that server version uses. Only mobile parts are monolithic. If and this is IF AMD continues same way, Desktop Zen won't see any delays from consoles. Since it's basically 100% sure that AMD won't put consoles ahead Epycs.

Zen6 is very possible to launch sometime 2026. However it makes big difference if 2026 means Q1 or Q4...

 

[rmcrys]

Why speculate if all these developments will depend on AMD's capability to lower the cost and bring newer tech. If the price point is not good, Microsoft and Sony will look elsewhere. If Nvidia makes a competitive ARM SoC they may think otherwise.

 

[HardReset]

Why speculate if all these developments will depend on AMD's capability to lower the cost and bring newer tech. If the price point is not good, Microsoft and Sony will look elsewhere. If Nvidia makes a competitive ARM SoC they may think otherwise.

After what happened between Microsoft and Nvidia with original XBox, there is basically zero chance Microsoft will ever again do that kind cooperation with Nvidia. No problem for AMD there.