Why The Xbox Series X Is Actually A PC

It's Ready For The Desktop (And It's Easily Upgradable)

Rumors have been circulating that the Xbox Series X will be capable of running Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the likes of GoG alongside the usual ability to play standard Xbox Series X and backward-compatible titles.

Of course, in order to do this it needs to be running some variation of Windows. Whether we'd be able to install Windows 10 as we know it onto a Series X, we'll have to see, but my money is on a streamlined OS known as something along the lines of 'Windows X'.

The Xbox One even has keyboard and mouse support on the system itself, it's just up to developers to enable it in-game. If you really wanted to, you could use your Xbox One in a desktop environment, almost as a purely gaming PC. This could be something Microsoft are going for with the Series X. Even vertical-oriented form factor of the console itself wouldn't look horrifically out of place on a desk. in fact, it might be more suited to be on a desk that underneath a TV.

We have a rough idea of the hardware in the Xbox Series X, but exactly how it will be implemented is up in the air. The aforementioned mini PCs use a simple modular system, with most of the main components in one enclosure, which has the ease to be swapped out in one fell swoop.

What if the Series X works in the same fashion? Rather than releasing half-step systems with incremental upgrades, instead Microsoft release a new module to just be swapped in and out of the system with next to no hassle? This would also give the platform longevity way past the usual 6 to 7 year lifecycle of a console generation, and this pretty much backs up the idea of this coming generation being the 'last.'

Similar to the 2013 Mac Pro, the Series X's exterior shell could simply be unlocked and slid off, with internal modules then being accessible to be removed and swapped from the system. This also opens up the ability to easily upgrade storage internally, without having multiple external drives and cables splaying out from the main body of the console.

Hypothetically, the Xbox Series X could be supported indefinitely with bulk modular upgrades once every few years if this were the route Microsoft were to go down.