Next-Gen Xbox Confirmed as Budget-Friendly PC Hybrid, Steam Machine is Cooked

Xbox’s next-gen console plans are to bring it more in-line with a gaming PC, and The Epic Games Store is ready to be part of it.

While PlayStation works on the PlayStation 6, Xbox is seemingly thinking bigger than just another console. It makes sense as in terms of first-party exclusives the company just can’t seem to compete, and why would you buy the latest Xbox if there are no good games available on it?

The solution appears to be simple, ditch the exclusives and find a new reason for consumers to want an Xbox, the hardware itself.

Rumour has it that the next-gen Xbox will be more like an entry-level PC than a console, with plans to support a wide variety of digital storefronts, including Microsoft’s own store, Steam and now Epic Games.

In an interview with Windows Central the Vice President of the Epic Games Store, Steve Allison, spoke about the future of the platform including its relationship with Xbox.

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On the rumours of Xbox’s console/PC hybrid plans Allison said: "We've been talking to the folks at Microsoft. If they do follow through with allowing Steam and the Epic Games Store on the next generation of Xbox console hardware, we will be there. I'm fairly certain that'll require us to build an app that functions there."

Epic Games

This feels like a risky venture for Epic Games, as for the longest time it’s been Steam that’s dominated the PC space.

That’s not to say Epic Games doesn’t have its merits as well, such as its free games program. That's budget friendly in my eyes, I'd never turn down a freebie.

If The Epic Game Store does find a place on the next Xbox it could bring those freebies to Xbox users, which would be quite the incentive as Steam’s freebies are often of a much lower quality.

Xbox’s next-console being more in-line with a PC also brings Valve’s Steam Machine into question.

The new hardware has been hit with a delay to its pricing announcement but is still on track for launch sometime early this year.

It seems likely that Microsoft’s console will be much more powerful than Valve’s, but probably more expensive.

Still, compared to high-end PCs, it’s believed to be more affordable than you’d think.

At the time of writing, Xbox’s next console is still a closely guarded secret, with an announcement expected either by the end of the year or early into the next.