Xbox
Image: Damien McFerran / Pure Xbox

There has been a lot of discussion over the past year about the future of Xbox's hardware division and now Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has touched on this subject again in a new interview with Gamertag Radio while responding to a question about the company's new campaign.

If you have been wondering how exactly he feels, Spencer believes hardware remains a "critical part" of Xbox's business but reiterates how it's not about locking off software experiences:

"Our own hardware, I think it's fundamental to what Xbox is, it's not lost on me, I've said over and over that 'box' is in the name of our brand, I'll say in the position I'm in, I look at hardware as a critical part of what we do, but not trying to gatekeep the games off of other places"

He even elaborated a little on the future of Xbox's hardware and how it aims to be accessible in many different ways:

"Let's go build innovative hardware, that people want to use to play, whether that's in their hands, whether that's on their television, or even other places - and I love our hardware team, I spent some time with them just this week, and the roadmap that they have."

This follows on from Spencer confirming Xbox's future handheld plans late last year, but noting at the time, to not expect it to show up any time soon - with the possibility it could still be a few years away. Additionally, Xbox has also spoken about how it has plans to deliver "the largest technical leap" ever seen with its next-generation console.

And if that's not already enough, Xbox's Jason Ronald was recently appointed Microsoft's 'VP of next-generation'.

How do you feel about the future of Xbox's hardware? Let us know in the comments.