Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Anticipates More Consoles Beyond Xbox Series X

Gaming is something that's becoming more and more device agnostic – as well as something that's more reliant on the internet. With big names like Google, Microsoft, and Sony all building out game streaming services and the ever-increasing draw of smartphones as gaming devices, one has to wonder where consoles and physical media fit into the future of gaming.

Obviously, the next generation will still have consoles because the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 have already been revealed and are, by all accounts, still on track for a holiday 2020 launch. But with an increased focus on streaming and digital media, will we see traditional consoles in the generations beyond the next one? Xbox boss Phil Spencer seems to think we will.

In a new interview with Wired about Microsoft's multi-pronged approach to gaming in the next generation – one that encompasses PC, current-gen hardware, game streaming, and Xbox Series X – Spencer said that he thinks Microsoft's will be making more consoles in the future, and that the focus may not shift away from playing games on a television as quickly as some may think.

"I like watching TV. I like playing games on TV. It's where I play most of the time," Spencer said at the tail end of the interview. "I think there will be — for a long time — a world where people want to play on a television, and we're committed to that and we will deliver great console experiences. I don't think Xbox series X is our last console. I think we will do more consoles to make that great television play experience work and be delightful."

So, despite an increasingly digital gaming landscape, Spencer thinks there could still be consoles coming from Microsoft coming after Xbox Series X. Whether that means we'll see other consoles in the Series X family (a la the Xbox One X as compared to the standard Xbox One) or an entirely new generation of hardware years into the future is up in the air, but it doesn't sound like Microsoft is planning to shift focus away from consoles anytime soon.