There is plenty of speculation surrounding the next generation of home consoles for Xbox right now, but new reports appear to suggest that it could make way for many of the biggest and best PlayStation exclusive games on day one.
It's been a bit of a rocky decade for Xbox as the so-called console wars have firmly been won by PlayStation amid the commercial disappointment of the Xbox One and Series X|S, and many have even wondered whether the Microsoft would go ahead with a brand new console in the next generation.
However, following the release of a handheld device that was seemingly a decade in the making, key Xbox leadership staff have reconfirmed that a next-gen console is on the way, and it features some rather intriguing developments that could make it appealing for people looking to cover all bases.
One of the biggest benefits of PC gaming is the fact it's a 'neutral' platform of sorts, as outside of Nintendo, pretty much every developer will eventually bring their games to Steam or the Epic Games Store.
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This is especially true for Xbox – which hosts all of its first-party titles day one on PC – and Sony has increasingly been bringing most of its exclusives over to Steam, albeit with a delay.
However, that access could end up benefiting Xbox fans in the next console generation, as new hints that it will be more like the PC platform than the traditional home console could open up gamers to a wide range of PlayStation exclusives.
As per VideoGamer, new reports from Jez Corden of Windows Central have suggested that people using the next-gen AMD-powered Xbox console will be able to "access games traditionally not available on Xbox" through the use of Steam, Epic, and other PC-exclusive storefronts.
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This could include PC-exclusive games on Steam like Escape from Tarkov, titles with their own dedicated launchers like League of Legends, and even the thousands of older classics across Steam and GOG that haven't yet received a remaster, remake, or port.
More intriguingly, however, is access to the aforementioned PlayStation first-party games that have made their way over to PC, which include major hits like God of War, Spider-Man, Horizon, and The Last of Us.
Unlike recent years which have seen historically Xbox-exclusive titles like Gears of War and even Halo come to PS5, these games have never been on Xbox consoles, and opening up the flood gates through this new direction for Microsoft could be significant.
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One consideration that will ultimately play a big part, however, is the expected price of this next-gen Xbox device, as it will likely be far more expensive than its PlayStation counterpart and much closer to that of a gaming PC.
As a result, Sony might not necessarily feel threatened by the prospect if it already allows its games onto PC, and will remain confident in the fact that it keeps its first-party titles exclusive to PlayStation consoles for months, if not years.