After the recent PlayStation 5 Pro leak that shook the internet, rumors about the next Xbox have started doing the rounds. An industry insider reportedly leaked that the next-generation Xbox console, or ‘Xbox Series X2’ as it is code-named, will arrive in 2026. However, fans have refused to pay much heed to the speculation, considering the leaker’s track record.
On 16 December 2023, YouTuber and the host of XNC Podcast, Colt Eastwood, uploaded a video on his channel through which he claimed the next Xbox would be coming in 2026. Interestingly, Cole specifically mentioned the PS 5 Pro leak and argued that the folks at Xbox were planning something more significant as they hoped to introduce the next generation years ahead of the blue team. He even speculated that the next Xbox or Xbox Series X2 would do 8k 60 FPS gaming without any upscaling, an attribute fans hoped the PlayStation 6 would have.
Xbox has one more surprise before the PS6?
Xbox Series X2 in 2026:https://t.co/pNUg3TNy9Z— colteastwood (@Colteastwood) December 16, 2023
Naturally, such a massive leak took the internet by storm, and big media houses soon picked it up to give their own take on the news. However, fans on social media appeared quite apprehensive and claimed Colt could not be trusted because of his poor track record. As a matter of fact, some even pointed out how the YouTuber had spread false information when he wrongly leaked that The Game Awards 2023 would showcase the Xbox Series X mid-gen refresh and a Gears 6 reveal trailer.
What do fans think of the next Xbox leak?
Apart from talking about Colt Eastwood’s poor track record regarding leaks and how he has been wrong in the past, fans pointed out that it would be improbable for a console to jump to 8k from a mere 4k 30 FPS that everyone is accustomed to. At the same time, 8k displays still demand a hefty price premium, and it will take a few years for consumers to adapt to it. Additionally, some even mentioned how they would be content gaming at 4k 60 FPS with ultra settings, considering the graphical intensity of current-gen titles.
Actual court documents leaked show the official plan doesn’t line up with the possibility of a brand new console the literal year after the mid-gen refresh of Xbox X/S expected by 2025. -lol pic.twitter.com/z69znNOnJn
— Reaper_of_Worlds (@ReaperWorlds) December 17, 2023
An RTX 4090 is the most powerful desktop GPU available as of this moment, and even that has issues running most games at a native 8k resolution. Hence, fans genuinely believe it will be impossible for Xbox to implement the same in a console at less than half its price. It would also be more economically feasible for developers to focus on AMD’s recently released FSR3 to boost performance instead of brute-forcing their way to a higher resolution.
Although some fans claimed that with the PlayStation 5 Pro reportedly coming in 2024, Xbox would need a worthy competitor in the same price bracket, others pointed out how actual court documents proved they had a different plan in mind. According to the documents, Xbox plans to release a disc-less mid-generation Xbox Series X refresh in 2025, with the next-generation update slated for as early as 2028. Interestingly, this even fits with Xbox’s ideology of going digital as they were encouraged by Series S’ incredible sales numbers. Hence, even though some industry outsiders remain adamant about a new generation Xbox coming out in 2026, these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, and only time can tell what Microsoft has in store for us.
