Xbox Is 100% Looking at Making Things in the Future, Says President Sarah Bond
Despite ongoing speculation about Microsoft’s handheld ambitions, Xbox president Sarah Bond has made it clear that the company remains deeply committed to developing new hardware. In a recent interview with Variety, Bond reaffirmed that the Xbox division is “100% looking at making things in the future,” confirming active work on next-generation Xbox hardware and long-term innovation plans.
Bond stated, “We are 100% looking at making things in the future. We have our next-gen hardware in development. We’ve been looking at prototyping, designing. We have a partnership we’ve announced with AMD around it, so that is coming.”
This aligns with Microsoft’s previously revealed collaboration with AMD for next-generation gaming hardware, a partnership that aims to drive advances in both performance and power efficiency for the future of Xbox systems.
Bond added that while Microsoft continues investing in traditional console development, it also sees an opportunity to “innovate in a new way”, particularly through its partnerships, such as the recently launched ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X and its predecessor, the Xbox Ally handheld. These devices have helped define a new era of Windows-based gaming handhelds, bringing console-quality experiences to portable platforms.
“We saw here an opportunity to innovate in a new way and to bring gamers another choice, in addition to our next-gen hardware,” Bond explained. “We are always listening to what players and creators want. When there is demand for innovation, we’re going to build it.”
When asked about the Xbox/Windows handheld experience, Bond emphasized that the company is already developing software improvements and ecosystem integration to enhance user experience across portable devices.
“There’s a ton more innovation to come, including things like further optimizing the experience here, scaling out the handheld compatibility program, offering more benefits and improvements to the experience, and other features and adds that we’re going to give to people and more choices and more games,” she said.
These comments follow persistent rumors suggesting that Microsoft’s own in-house handheld project had been shelved. However, Bond’s remarks indicate that Xbox’s hardware roadmap remains active, with internal development focused on both next-gen consoles and further handheld ecosystem enhancements, suggesting the company is far from stepping back from the hardware space.
Microsoft’s strategy appears to balance between traditional console evolution and expanding cross-device gaming via partnerships and optimized Windows experiences, further blurring the lines between console, PC, and mobile platforms under the broader Xbox ecosystem.
Do you think Xbox should release its own handheld console, or continue supporting partner devices like the ROG Ally X? Share your opinion below.
