Following the latest Xbox announcements and rumors, fans have been worried that Microsoft’s next-generation console might be a PC-like device that may not even run prior console games properly. This fear stemmed mainly from the confirmation of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally at the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 and the subsequent rumor from The Verge’s Tom Warren that Microsoft might be allowing third-party OEMs like ASUS to create their own version of the next-generation console.

However, Windows Central’s Jez Corden has taken it upon himself to reassure gamers that backward compatibility will be retained at a hardware level without even needing emulation. Corden said as much during the latest episode of the Xbox Two Podcast. Here’s the relevant quote:

I can pretty much confirm – I’m like maybe two or three sources off writing a report on this, but the next Xbox is like 100% or 99.999% recurring running your console games, because I’ve seen that fear out there a lot at the moment, where it’s like, oh my god, the next Xbox won’t run console games. It’s only going to be a PC. It’s going to be like the ROG Ally. It’s going to be made by ASUS, because Tom put in his article something like, “I believe Microsoft will still make their own hardware.” I mean, they’ve said they will. The thing is, Xbox has said a lot of things in the past. When Tom says, “I believe they’re going to make it,” that exposes an issue with Microsoft’s messaging. People don’t really trust what they say anymore because they’ve gone back on their word so many times.

But, you know, which is again why I’ve been told by a bunch of people the next Xbox has the silicon for running Xbox One and Series X and 360 games natively. At least what’s in the backwards compatibility program. And then everything you own on XB1 and Series X and S, those will all be playable on the next Microsoft Xbox. But I would not be surprised if there is an Asus ROG gaming all-in-one that also is just a PC, like Tom said. And to be fair, Tom was one of the first people, I think, who officially reported on the idea of third-party Xbox hardware. I didn’t believe it at the time, but the more I looked into it, I was like, “Oh [ __ ] yeah, he’s right.” So, shout out to Tom for that.

To be fair, there were never any major worries that Microsoft would abandon its Xbox backward compatibility focus. It has been one of the few initiatives that has earned it widespread acclaim throughout the industry and among gamers.

Currently, the next-generation Xbox is expected to be launched in a couple of years. Microsoft promised fans the ‘largest technological leap’ between generations yet, a lofty claim to be sure.