With the Xbox One turning five years old in 2018, many fans are looking to the future. We already know that Microsoft is actively developing the next-generation of Xbox, and the company has also made an effort to acquire a variety of studios to help create first-party games for the next Xbox console. Beyond those details, we know very little about what the next Xbox will have in store, but industry analyst Michael Pachter has weighed in with his predictions.

Pachter subscribes to the running theory that the next Xbox, currently known by the codenames Scarlet, Anaconda, and Lockhart, will have two separate releases. One version of the next Xbox will be cheap, and will be a streaming-only device with no hard drive or disc drive. The other console, according to Pachter, will be more expensive and far more powerful, supporting 4K visuals, 240 frames per second, and virtual reality.

“So I think there will be a streaming device, like a $100 Xbox console that doesn’t run in 4K or 240 frames per second. And then I think there will be a more expensive $400 console that supports 4K, 240 FPS, virtual reality."

Xbox One X console and controller

Pachter's predictions are in line with previous rumors about the next-generation of Xbox. Previous reports have already indicated that there will be two machines - one cheap and one more expensive - and that one console will focus on streaming, whereas the other will be more traditional.

As for the possibility that the next Xbox will feature virtual reality support, that is less supported by previous rumors. In fact, Microsoft seems to have ceased its virtual reality development for Xbox, even though VR support of some kind was once in the works for the Xbox One X. However, perhaps Microsoft has simply decided to focus its VR efforts on the next Xbox consoles, especially since the current-generation of gaming hardware seems to be on the way out.

Of course, Pachter's predictions could be way off, and Microsoft's next-gen plans may not be nearly as ambitious as what's described here. Fans will just have to wait for Microsoft to share more information on its next-gen console (or consoles) to be sure, whether that be in 2019 or beyond.

Source: GamingBolt