New Xbox boss Asha Sharma hasn’t been at the helm long and is already steering the conversation back toward hardware. In her first major public interview since taking over as Microsoft Gaming CEO, Sharma told Windows Central that the company plans to speak publicly about its next steps in Xbox console development, teasing upcoming announcements that many players have been waiting on.
Sharma’s comments on hardware development arrived during a major leadership shift that began with the retirement of long-time Xbox head Phil Spencer, whose tenure molded the brand around Game Pass subscriptions and cross-platform gaming. Sharma, previously known for her work in Microsoft’s AI and platform products, has outlined a vision she dubs a “return to Xbox,” emphasizing a recommitment to the console experience that defined the brand for decades.
Sharma’s “Return to Xbox” Philosophy Starts With Hardware
It’s safe to say the question that hangs over much of the Xbox community (and any platform’s community, for that matter) is what comes next, after the current generation of consoles has had its heyday. Well, Asha Sharma didn’t shy away from that question during her chat with Windows Central, confirming her objective to make that focus an immediate priority as part of her “return to Xbox” philosophy. “I am committed to ‘returning to Xbox,'” Sharma stated, “and that starts with console, that starts with hardware. You will hear more about that soon. We’ll have some announcements coming up.”
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While that statement doesn’t lay out a firm release schedule or reveal any specific products, it’s one of the clearest confirmations in recent memory from Microsoft’s gaming leadership that the next generation of Xbox hardware will be publicly discussed soon. For fans who have been speculating about what comes after the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, both of which have been on the market for several years now, that’s something worth noting.
It’s no secret that Xbox hardware has been a subject of debate for months. Reports and rumors have swirled around about whether Microsoft might move away from traditional console development toward something much broader, especially given its heavy investment in services like Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming. It has even been suggested that Xbox could resemble a software-and-services brand rather than a hardware manufacturer.
However, Sharma’s comments directly address that uncertainty by confirming Xbox’s future as one that will put consoles and hardware first, suggesting that Microsoft now views those elements as foundational to the brand rather than optional. “I think that our core Xbox fans and players have invested up to 25 years of themselves in these universes and our console,” she stated, putting further emphasis on the importance manufacturing hardware, if not simply to protect the investments players have already made—both in hours spent and money on Xbox consoles.
“I am committed to ‘returning to Xbox,'” Sharma stated, “and that starts with console, that starts with hardware. You will hear more about that soon. We’ll have some announcements coming up.”
That said, Xbox’s strategy isn’t necessarily limited to traditional consoles. Even before Sharma’s comments were made, Microsoft and partners had expanded into other hardware categories. The ROG Xbox Ally, for instance, launched in late 2025, showing Xbox’s interest in hybrid or nontraditional platforms. Sharma even seemed to reinforce that philosophy during her conversation with Windows Central when she said, “We want to invest in reducing the artificial divide between different types of devices that they want to use with us. I think that’s going to mean a lot more investment in breaking down the barriers, in helping developers build once and show up across different hardware experiences.”
Nevertheless, for Xbox fans who have been waiting for the next major hardware reveal, Sharma’s words are reassuring, as they ultimately bring clarity to plans that were once shrouded in ambiguity. She made it abundantly clear that Xbox intends to keep consoles and other hardware at the center of its product roadmap, even if the lack of concrete details shows just how early in the process public communication still is. But the acknowledgment, at the very least, still goes a long way, and it’s likely to stir up even more speculation about what form the next Xbox generation might take. Whether that means a traditional successor to the Xbox Series X|S or something more ambitious remains to be seen.
Source: PureXbox
