Xbox Prime console rumours shut down by Microsoft insider

After rumours circulated online a new console called Xbox Prime will release in 2026, a Microsoft insider quickly shut them down.

X / Twitter account @TheGhostOfHope, who is a Call of Duty insider, said: "Take this with a huge grain of salt: I'm hearing that the next Xbox console is still coming in 2026 and will be called 'Xbox Prime'.

"Still unclear if it's a codename or the actual name. I've heard Infinity Ward's next Call of Duty is still being considered a day one release for this."

The rumours quickly circulated but a Microsoft insider has since shut them down.

@TheGhostOfHope quoted his previous Tweeted and posted: "If this is real and I wasn't being lied to by my source then should I expect lawyers at my door? LOL not sure they legally can do anything though when I haven't signed an NDA."

And Jez Corden, a Microsoft and Xbox insider, replied to that and said: "Nah, cus it's not true."

Phil Spencer, Microsoft's top gaming boss, has said to Bloomberg the company is looking at "doing something" with handheld consoles and is actively working on an Xbox handheld prototype.

However this is understood to still be years away.

Jason Ronald, who is the VP of Xbox Gaming Devices and Ecosystem and is now being introduced as 'VP of Next Generation', according to The Verge, is said to be attending the 'Lenovo Legion x AMD: The Future of Gaming Handhelds' event in Las Vegas on or before January 7.

Ronald's attendance may not have anything to do with an Xbox handheld console at all but it seems Microsoft is keen to have its name out there in terms of handheld or remote gaming and Ronald had a big role in developing the Xbox Series X/S.

Xbox has been big on promoting its Game Pass of late as part of a new strategy focusing on this instead of just games releasing on its own consoles.

Handheld consoles seem to be rising in popularity - anticipation for the Nintendo Switch 2 console is at fever pitch with the amount of leaks there have been and the PS Portal has performed better than Sony expected, which is now capable of streaming certain games directly without the need to be connected through a PS5.

The Steam Deck continues to prove popular too.

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