Next-generation Xbox products may be based on the ARM/Snapdragon platform, a new job listing spotted online suggests.
As reported on the ResetERA forums, a Qualcomm job ad for a director of sales that was posted online two days ago mentions that the position will involve supporting the “sell-in activities for the next generation of Surface and Xbox products built on Snapdragon solutions,” suggesting that the ARM/Snapdragon platform will power one or more offerings of the next generation of console by Microsoft. Given how the platform would provide great benefits in terms of power efficiency, it’s likely that the yet-to-be-revealed Xbox handheld will be the next generation product that will be based on it, though it could create quite a few problems with compatibility with currently available games built with the x86 architecture that has powers the Xbox One and the Xbox Series X|S.
Microsoft has yet to officially outline its next-generation plans, although there’s no doubt that a handheld system will be part of it, as Xbox head Phil Spencer teased such a system multiple times in the past. According to an earlier report, these next-generation Xbox plans include not only this yet-to-be-announced full-fledged handheld but also a successor to the Xbox Series X as well as another handheld gaming system known as Project Kennan in the vein of the Steam Deck that will run Windows and feature an interface reminiscent of Microsoft’s other systems. This handheld, which should launch this year, is reportedly being worked on in collaboration with ASUS.
With the Nintendo Switch 2 poised to become another massively successful console, it’s not surprising that both Microsoft and Sony are planning to enter, or re-enter, in Sony’s case, the handheld market. A PlayStation 6 handheld system is rumored to be in the works alongside a home system that will be able to run PlayStation 5 games natively, though it won’t be as powerful as the current generation console.
