The Xbox next-generation system could cost significantly more than the PlayStation 6 due to the Magnus APU and the potential support of third-party stores that would deprive Microsoft of the 30% cut on every game sold on the system.
Commenting on the next-generation system on the NeoGAF forums, known AMD leaker Kepler L2 reiterated that the leaked AMD Magnus APU will power both the console and a line of gaming PCs, adding that, contrary to speculation, only the console will support backward compatibility with previous-generation Xbox games, mostly due to publishers not being okay with an Xbox game license getting turned into a PC game license. Outside of a legal grey area of a potential Xbox/Windows dual boot, Microsoft will likely have no way to get Xbox backward compatible games on PC.
On the other hand, the Xbox next-generation system supporting Steam and GOG games shouldn’t have legal issues, and should be feasible on a technical level by running the game inside a virtual machine. However, supporting third-party stores on the system will likely cause the price of the console to be significantly higher than the PlayStation 6, possibly around double, as Microsoft will need to sell the system at a profit without the 30% cut on every game sold on the system and with the added cost of the Magnus APU, which is reportedly a very large APU.
Though obviously unconfirmed, the Xbox next-generation system costing more than the PlayStation 6 is becoming less surprising, especially after the first details on the AMD Magnus APU leaked online. This big APU with a chiplet design will provide Microsoft with a lot of flexibility to produce a wide range of systems that will likely compete with pre-built gaming PCs rather than other consoles like the PlayStation 6 and Nintendo Switch 2. Sony, on the other hand, is reportedly heading towards a different direction aimed at delivering a 4K, 120 FPS capable system with significant ray tracing performance uplifts while keeping costs down, alongside a portable system which is expected to easily outperform the Xbox ROG Ally X and even the base PlayStation 5 with games patched to take advantage of the console’s capabilities. As such, with these diverse approaches, the next generation of consoles promises to be one of the most interesting in years.
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