What's Up with the Xbox?

Hey, you know the Xbox? It is pretty popular in all its forms, but lately has struggled to succeed as much. Well, the Xbox division of Microsoft is having a huge shake-up. To summarize, "Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer's retiring, his assumed replacement and Xbox president Sarah Bond has resigned, and the suit now being tapped to take over Spenny's gig currently has the following job title: president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product." Well, that's interesting. It is a new era with Microsoft Gaming's new CEO, Asha Sharma, assuming control with the promise that Microsoft isn't giving up on the Xbox as a brand or has plans to force, "AI Slop," upon us. The Xbox isn't dead, although some have called it as much.

To return to my headline, "What's up with the Xbox?" Do you need one, really, anymore? A lot of Xbox games are going over to Nintendo and Sony devices, as well. Rebranded PCs are little handheld Xboxes, and so forth. You don't need an Xbox to play so-called, "Xbox," games...so, why? I mean, if you love the exceedingly expensive Game Pass, I can see how that can be handy for trying out games you don't get to ever actually, "Own," without plopping down more cash. I did enjoy the Game Pass, but I gave up on it with the wild price increases.  Will Sharma be able to bring us a bright new era of Xbox, or is this the first bell ringing out in the cemetery to mark the funeral procession? That's a messy metaphor, but its fitting considering how much of a mess this all seems to be. The people expected to take over Xbox in the near future are out, some random AI exec, few seem to have heard of in regard to video-games is in, and I haven't even mentioned the new AI head will be working quite closely with Sharma (a bit worrisome for promises of avoiding AI slop), and is named Matt Booty. Yes, I giggled the first time I read his name.

New CEO, Asha Sharma

The Xbox has an unclear future despite claims otherwise. I see a lot of buzzwords and flowery language, but bragging about AI integration or promising a bright new future with a, "Reinvention of play," can end up ringing hollow if not backed up by clearly evident action--and hopefully action with a positive impact. Clearly, 2026 is going to be an interesting year for the Xbox as we know it, and that's an understatement!

The Xbox Handheld is Going to be Pricey

Game consoles in general are going up in price due to tariffs/the economy/etc. With that in mind, you may have hoped the previously announced handheld-style Xbox wouldn't cost too much, but you also realize it could be costly. Officially called the ROG Xbox Ally, it can now be preordered and costs a pretty penny/tens of thousands of pennies. According to Kotaku, "There are two models of the Xbox Ally, the ROG-made handheld console that’ll either play or stream not just Xbox games, but also games via multiple other storefronts, including Steam," and the prices are $599.99 for the ROG Xbox Ally 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and $999.99 (so a grand after tax) for the ROG Xbox Ally X 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD. A portable Xbox (that does play Steam too, to be fair) costs more than the standard option, in other words.

If you've got money to burn and love video-games on the go, this could be a spectacularly fun time. For many folks, however, that is a high price tag. You could get a decent gaming PC for that price or practically two Xbox Series X consoles. If you squint at it a bit and think of this more as a portable PC that can play Xbox games (like a fancier Steam Deck) as opposed to a portable Xbox, it sounds a bit less abhorrent in terms of price...maybe? I suppose, come the release date of October 16th, we'll see if these sell out, sit on the shelves, or the result is somewhere in between.

A Portable Xbox Handheld is on the Way This Winter

We've got the Steam Deck for playing PC games via Steam, and now we're gonna get the Xbox ROG Ally (and Ally X) PC Gaming Handheld...yeah, that's an awful name, but the device itself sounds interesting! Due this Winter of 2025 (but with no price yet revealed), this Xbox-branded computer-gaming tool will essentially allow people to play their Xbox Game Pass games while out and about. 

I like the idea where you can play many of your computer games and your Xbox games all via this device while you're on the go (maybe there will be one that works in Steam too at some point). The fact that the cost hasn't been revealed yet makes me think it is going to be cheaper than expected--and that'll be a fun surprise--or cost more than one would hope (consumers would obviously prefer the former to the latter). I imagine we'll learn more as an official release date nears.