And that is not the only grim take circulating right now. Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter recently claimed the next Xbox console is already dead, arguing that Microsoft “blew it by embracing Game Pass,” especially after price increases and a strategy that prioritises subscriptions over hardware. To be fair to the sceptics, the concern is not appearing out of thin air. Microsoft’s Q2 2026 earnings revealed a sharp 32% year over year drop in Xbox hardware revenue...
