Rumor has it Microsoft’s next box — reportedly codenamed Xbox Magnus — aims to bridge Windows-class flexibility with couch-friendly simplicity, delivering a console feel with PC-grade freedom.

Five years into the current cycle, chatter about what comes next is heating up. Alongside remarks from Xbox president Sarah Bond, a flurry of hardware rumors is sketching out the machine’s direction, and Windows Central has pieced together a plausible — if not final — picture of Microsoft’s plan.

Both Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond have pointed to the newly launched ROG Ally and ROG Ally X handheld PCs as a preview of the vision: Xbox Play Anywhere would take on a bigger role so that Xbox games are playable both in the Xbox PC app and on future Xbox consoles.

The next-gen Xbox is pitched as a true console experience on the surface — complete with a living-room UI and native console playback — while running on a carefully curated Windows PC foundation. Via the Xbox Full-Screen Experience (already available on ROG Ally X and ROG Ally and serving as a device “home base”), players could access Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, and Battle.net libraries just like on a PC.

On compatibility, the target is access to the full current Xbox Series catalog, plus backward-compatible titles spanning three prior generations (Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One). Notably, online multiplayer is reportedly set to be free in the next generation — a sharp break from the paid console model that dates back to the PS3/Xbox 360 era, and a closer match to PC norms. Expect changes to Xbox Game Pass as well, though specifics likely won’t crystallize until closer to launch.

In short, it’s a compelling promise: PC breadth and free online play meeting console ease of use. Now it’s on Microsoft to make good on the vision.

Source: WCCFTech, Windows Central