Xbox is about to have their final generation in the console market with huge plans to build a multi-ter of hardware devices and consoles in line with PC. Recent leaks from devs behind the upcoming hardware share an insight into not one but two next generation powerful consoles and it’s not what you expect. [Music] [Music] Xbox has a partnership with AMD for multi-device engineered system on chips that will offer custom console PC hybrids with a head start in the next generation, possibly 2 years before the next PlayStation console. Hardware leakers are now revealing that Xbox’s hardware plan will start as early as 2026, starting with an OEM console PC hybrid. This will most likely be Asus or Lenovo or even Razer with a partnered Steambox like PC console form factor. The idea is for Microsoft to implement a partnered Xbox device a year before the full launch of next generation. This means you’ll essentially get a brand new next generation Xbox console built by a third-party company with all the support software and hardware that Xbox and AMD have planned in their pipeline. Simply put, Xbox is working on a system on chip with AMD that will be fully compatible with the Xbox library, but also powerful enough to play PC games. This gives the Xbox ecosystem the leverage and flexibility of multiple storefronts while also supporting the conventional Xbox console titles you own right now. Think of this as a plug-and-play direct to TV or monitor PC that cannot be modified or upgraded, but will simply be the device strictly made for gaming. Xbox notoriously skipped the mid-generation console refresh, leaving fans of the Xbox Series S and X console behind with 2020 hardware. They did this knowing they would be leveraging OEM companies like Razer or Asus to build a third-party OEM PC hybrid to bridge the gap between next generation a year later. This will give software and hardware developers the opportunity to become attuned to the Xbox SOC that will be powering the next generation third-party console and the upcoming firstparty traditional Xbox console. Since development and porting of games will be much more PC-ike, the friction of moving into next generation will be alleviated with a smoother transition across PC and consoles as early as 2026 with the advent of the Xbox firstp party traditional console a year later in 2027. Being fully ready to take advantage of the feature set of what will be RDNA 3.5 plus or possibly full RDNA 4. The next generation OEM Xbox will be built on RDNA4 with a custom microode IP from Xbox but unifying the graphics API for both Xbox and Windows simultaneously. This is an evolution that converges the console with PC which will unify crossplay and cross-platform development. hardware experts and leaks from the devkit testing and the roadmap plans with AMD show that Xbox and partner studios will be giving us an insight into changing plans, debunking backward compatibility problems and alleviating concerns over Xbox staying in the hardware business. The GDK or Xbox development kit leaks show RDNA4 architecture built for speed on AI and real time path trace ray tracing. It says that AMD will work directly with Microsoft to align the GDK on RDNA4 architecture. This provides faster translation from the console version of the game to a PC version with all of the PC settings and capabilities. It also speeds up development time by cutting it in half in the RDNA4 pipeline while also boosting the performance of frame rates from 18 to 25% more frames. This can mean the difference between having path tracing on while also having 60 fps. After 2026, with the implementation and marketing for the global OEM console, Xbox is creating a custom-designed firstparty traditional console with PC integration and advancement from the OEM consoles a year before. This is an Xbox extension which they are calling the GDKX, the game’s development extension which is DirectX12 plus. The front end is about graphicsdriven tech and advancement into RDNA 4, which will also allow Xbox to upgrade their next generation console to UDNA, which is a unified RDNA AMD graphics architecture. The hardware leaks also say that this is the reason why the next generation Xbox operating system is so advanced. The system API could not be reached directly by the game OS. Every game will have its own partial OS on it. Beside native hardware and software features for the Xbox/PC for 2026 as Microsoft plans to build a modular Windows 12 with an Xbox foundation. Xbox’s OEM 2026 console will be debuting with this rumored Windows 12 modular OS, all based on the Xbox operating system. we see revealed with the Xbox Rag Ally X promo. RDNA 4 or more likened to an RDNA 3.5 plus with custom Xbox microode can be a binary compatible not just to current gen but also to older architecture across Xbox Series consoles and Xbox One, meaning they don’t need to wait for UDA to get everything ready for the next generation console to be compatible. One of Xbox’s major problems this past generation is the documentation importing process to the Xbox Series consoles, which allowed them less powerful ports of games compared to the PS5. This leaker shows how the GDKX process will allow developers to optimize for the Xbox new SOC much faster than they did with the Xbox Series consoles. Xbox plans to utilize this one-year head start with an OEM thirdparty console to spin up the full next generation RDNA features. This will make a major difference in optimization, performance, and rasterization, making your games look better and feel better behind the controls. The GDK leak shows 80 to 90% close to Xbox efficiency up clock to get native Xbox’s targets. The OEM SoC will have the Xbox microode and the regular RDNA4 will just be a normal PC with all of the Xbox features. AMD’s Jack Kunoas says that the next generation Xbox OEM console will have quick resume across PC and Xbox devices thanks to the custom SOC driving the Xbox experience or UI while playing native Xbox games, saying that quote, “It remembers where you left off no matter what.” close quote. Xbox will be using a custom neural processing unit with direct SR for AI powered super resolution upscaling and a new API developed by Microsoft to simplify and unify the integration of super resolution technologies like Nvidia’s DLSS into games and applications that are using DirectX12. Direct SR provides a single interface for developers to integrate multiple superresolution technologies without needing separate SDKs for each GPU. This simplifies the process and can make things automated to get better resolution and higher quality looking games without sacrificing performance in the optimization passes. and developers can do this across the next Xbox console, the OEM supported consoles, handhelds, and top-end powerful desktop PCs. Looking at the big picture of Xbox’s hardware plans with a 2026 release of an OEM thirdparty console, expect a PC console-like form factor with compatibility for Xbox’s proprietary SSD cards, but also the option to utilize conventional M.2 SSDs. Xbox will possibly support physicalbased game discs in 2027 with their own console, but do not expect a modular design of the OEM console to play your discs from the Xbox library. The bigger question is, why would you spend over $1,000 for a limited edition custom PC console box in 2026 when you can build or buy your own desktop PC? This OEM thirdparty Xbox console will do something that no PC can do right now, and that’s play your existing Xbox library, plus millions of games across the PC storefronts, which already offers incredible value over any existing laptop or desktop PC. For fans that are waiting for the real firstp party Xbox console in 2027, expect the price to be just as high and possibly a bit more flexible and slightly more powerful with a traditional firstp party Xbox console. For those that love brand new tech and are anxious to see what you can get under the TV experience with an Xbox OEM console, this might excite fans before the next generation of Xbox fully kicks off. Xbox definitely isn’t getting out of the hardware business anytime soon. We may see a few third-party console PCs as well as their own console in the next couple of years. And with all these options, the future of gaming is looking better than ever. This is Colt Eastwood. Thank you so much for checking out this video. I’ve covered the Xbox next generation hardware plan, the software, the storefronts, what they plan to do with this OEM console, and there’s a lot to be excited about because I honestly think Xbox can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over and provide just a regular traditional console. It just won’t work. And I think this new OEM console in 2026 will do really well overseas and outside of North and South America where the market for Xbox is so much smaller compared to their competition. And then I wonder, would I want something like this? I have a great PC. I plan to get the next generation console. Would I want to spend up to $1,000 to see what some other brand’s console like hybrid PC would do? There’s a lot to wait for and a lot to be excited about. Either way, if you ended up enjoying this video, let me know by liking and subscribing to the channel. Hit the bell to be notified of new weekly content. If you want to further support what we’re doing here on the Cult channel, you can do that by hitting the join button below. That’ll get you early access for videos. and join the Patreon. That’ll get you early access and so many more benefits. Also, if you want to check out the Ecstasy podcast, we run that live show every Monday, 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 8:00 p.m. Eastern. We’ll break down more news and leaks and rumors about the hardware, handheld, new games coming up, and so much more. Let me know what you think about the Xbox OEM. Are you going to buy something by Asus or Razer, or you going to wait for the traditional Xbox console, or would you rather just go PC? Let me know in the comment section. And while you do that, as I always say, please be nice.