What's Next After Xbox Scorpio? Microsoft Already Has Ideas

Microsoft is already thinking about what might come next after the Project Scorpio console. Responding to a tweet today, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Microsoft has "ideas" for what this could be.

As you might have guessed, he didn't share anything specific. His comment came in response to a question about whether or not he thought Scorpio could be "the last console generation" for Xbox (via GameZone).

Xbox marketing executive Aaron Greenberg said in a recent interview that he thinks the idea of a console generation, as it's traditionally known, might be over. His line of thinking is that Xbox is becoming more of a family of devices, where the content and peripherals you own work across a variety of hardware.

"For us, we think the future is without console generations," he said. "We think that the ability to build a library, a community, to be able to iterate with the hardware--we're making a pretty big bet on that with Project Scorpio. We're basically saying, 'This isn't a new generation; everything you have continues forward and it works.' We think of this as a family of devices."

This might be a new idea for console gaming, but it's basically the status quo on PC and other devices. When you get a new phone or buy a new computer, you don't lose access to things like games and music, as you did between previous console generation jumps like from Xbox 360 to Xbox One. Microsoft is bringing this to the console space (and Sony is as well with its new PlayStation Neo console).

You shouldn't read too far into Spencer's comments, as it would be a bigger story if Microsoft was not thinking about what's coming next.

Xbox head of operations Dave McCarthy previously talked about the strides Microsoft is making in the console space with the Scorpio device.

"I think the really important thing for people to understand is the nut we've tried to crack here is ensuring we hit hardware innovation at the same time we ensure compatibility," he explained in June about Scorpio. "That term of an upgrade is gone. We are wiping out those generational boundaries. As a gamer, it's pretty cool. Because then I know the games I buy and play today and the controllers I use today are going to work on that machine of tomorrow. And that's the real major step-change."

In other news about Project Scorpio, Microsoft has confirmed it won't have any exclusive games, except for virtual reality titles, which seemingly contradicts what the company said before.

Project Scorpio, or whatever Microsoft ends up calling it, is slated to arrive in holiday 2017. Microsoft isn't the only platform-holder working on new hardware, as Sony's PlayStation Neo is also on the way and could be formally announced during an event in New York City next month. Nintendo's NX, which is also only a codename, will come out in March 2017; it supposedly runs on "industry-leading" technology.