Xbox’s Next Console Reveal Coming This Week, Claims Leak

Microsoft may be getting ready to unveil a new console as well, according to a new leak, as the Xbox Games Showcase approaches and promises a fresh look at a number of future games. Xbox announced that as part of a June gaming reveal series, its Games Showcase will take place on Sunday, June 9 at 1pm ET. Following it will be a Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Direct, which will give players a first look at gameplay for the upcoming game in the popular first-person shooter series. It was recently confirmed that this game will be available on Xbox Game Pass when it launches.

During its showcase, Microsoft is expected to unveil their next Xbox handheld, also known as the “Xbox Portable,” and will also shadow-drop a title from its first-party catalog, as revealed by prominent leaker eXtas1s on their YouTube channel.

Although there were little specifics available, this would fit in with previous Xbox events when games like the rhythm-action game Hi-Fi Rush were revealed during Developer Directs and then quickly made their way onto Game Pass. It’s important to note that eXtas1s implies it won’t be a brand-new game reveal, but rather a first-party title that everyone anticipates seeing.

A Handheld Xbox Console Has Been Rumored for A While

Xbox CEO Phil Spencer Previously Spoke About His Handheld Gaming Experience

With PC gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and others becoming more and more popular and able to carry a sizable library of games with respectable performance and graphics, speculation has been swirling about whether Microsoft would enter this market with its Xbox brand. In a previous interview with Polygon, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer discussed his experience with these handheld PC gaming devices and expressed his desire to bring the experience closer to that of using an Xbox device, even though he is impressed with the systems.

Players can now access a limited selection of Game Pass titles when on the move via Xbox’s Cloud Gaming app, however this requires streaming, which presents its own challenges when attempting to have a reliable gaming experience while on the go. According to Jez Corden of Windows Central, back in March 2024, Microsoft was reportedly developing prototypes for a new native Xbox handheld that would allow users to download and play games offline. This would be in line with what Spencer had stated he wanted from a handheld console.

Xbox

Microsoft introduced the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X in November 2020. The Xbox Series X/S, like the majority of Xbox models, was the PlayStation 5’s primary rival. The Xbox One line from Microsoft was replaced by these systems. Although the graphics on the PS5 and Xbox Series X are similar, the Xbox Series S lacks a disc drive and has less powerful graphics, ranging from 1080p to 1440p.

Xbox Game Pass Confirms Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 For Day One Release

Microsoft has now announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one, ending months of rumors. Since Microsoft acquired Activision, the developer of the Call of Duty franchise last year, many had speculated that the series would eventually be added to the subscription. Activision, according to reports, was worried about the potential loss of revenue that could result from being part of the subscription, given how profitable the franchise’s releases usually are.

As with previous Microsoft-owned games, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will premiere on Xbox Game Pass on day one, according to a recent article on Xbox Wire. This happened several hours after an early-morning notification from the Xbox Game Pass app for iPhone and Android may have leaked the news by directing users to an Xbox Wire page that wasn’t yet live.

OVERVIEW

Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, the Xbox Game Pass release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been revealed.
A brand-new live-action trailer for Black Ops 6 was released alongside the news.

If Black Ops 6’s launch is successful, it’s possible that future Call of Duty games will use the same day-one Game Pass launch method for Xbox and PC users.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Marketing Has Finally Begun

With A Showcase Confirmed for June 9

Many had anticipated that the now-confirmed June 9 showcase would include the news that Call of Duty would be available on Xbox Game Pass. Following the release of the first teaser trailer for Black Ops 6 on the 90s-themed website thetruthlies.com, what was once a [REDACTED] Direct that was supposed to come following the Xbox Games Showcase turned out to be Black Ops 6.

The newsreel footage in the new Live Action trailer on the Xbox YouTube channel shows glimpses of Margaret Thatcher, Saddam Hussein, and George Bush Sr. alongside the silhouetted figure many will recognize from the first Black Ops. Since then, this site has added more clips and content that supports the rumors that the upcoming game will be set during the Gulf War of the 1990s. With these clips and the news of the Xbox Game Pass release, marketing for the game is now in full swing, and the Xbox Wire post confirmed that the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct will provide the first in-depth look at gameplay for this “dark new chapter” of the series.

Although there had been speculation that the first-day-of-release Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass might lead to a price hike for the subscription, this has not yet been mentioned in the announcement. If Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 proves to be a hit on Xbox Game Pass from the outset, more future releases in the series could follow suit, which would be a great deal for fans of the franchise on Xbox and PC going forward. It’s likely that the previous titles in the series will eventually join the subscription’s impressive roster of games.

New Xbox Console Ready to Rival Switch: Microsoft “Already Has Handheld Prototypes”

According to recent speculations, Microsoft may be aiming to compete with the Nintendo Switch in the handheld device market by releasing a new Xbox gadget. Microsoft previously hinted that some interesting new hardware would be unveiled over the Christmas season. While many assumed this was a reference to the Xbox Series X disc-less system that was leaked, it’s also conceivable that this was a reference to a new handheld device.

According to Insider Gaming, in the most recent episode of the Xbox Two podcast (available on the Rand al Thor 19 YouTube channel), Jez Corden of Windows Central asserted that Microsoft is developing a new native Xbox portable. Corden claims that this would be a fully native Xbox handheld, meaning users would be able to download and play their games offline, rather than a cloud-based device similar to the Logitech G CLOUD Gaming Handheld.

OVERVIEW

Microsoft might be working on a brand-new Xbox portable.
Unlike cloud-based devices, the prospective Xbox portable would allow for offline games.

Microsoft’s foray into the portable industry may benefit from the infrastructure and games already available on the Xbox.

Xbox Series X Review: Super-Fast and Super Familiar

The Xbox Series X is the classic Xbox product, a game console that honors its heritage while also setting the stage for future innovations. With four generations of Xbox game library, Microsoft’s most recent gaming hardware innovation promises to bring speed in every manner.

The timing and availability of the Xbox Series X and its less powerful sibling, the Xbox Series S, are placed in an unusual situation by this contrast between fresh hardware and outdated software. If there are no new software applications that can really take advantage of this newfound power and next-generation features, then what good are they? After all, at launch, there aren’t any Xbox Series X exclusive titles.

Although the Xbox Series X has a longer-term and more expansive goal, there is still a lot of value to be gained in the near term. It will take time to see what innovations and visuals result from the higher standard of power the next-generation Xbox brings. The Series X expands upon the adoption of 4K console gaming made by the Xbox One and its revisions, most notably the Xbox One X. Even though the next generation of Xbox games isn’t ready yet and probably won’t be for some time, the Series X supports DirectX Raytracing and up to 120 frames per second in specific situations.

The Xbox Series X’s greatest and most significant features are felt right away, and everyone who plays a console game—not just die-hard Xbox fans—will be impressed by how quick it is. The Xbox Series X achieves this in a few different ways to become the fastest console available.

The first and most noticeable is the 1TB NVME SSD, a solid-state hard drive specifically designed for the Xbox Series X that allows the console and operating system to load and boot up incredibly quickly. Microsoft has created what they’ve called the Xbox Velocity Architecture, which combines an 8-core proprietary Zen 2 CPU operating at 3.8GHz (3.66GHz with simultaneous multithreading), 16GB GDDR6 memory, and optimized software integration.