Summary
Xbox’s first-ever handheld leakedlast year, revealing a similar design to the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch. It still hasn’t been officially announced over eight months later, but Phil Spencer teased it again in an interview over the weekend.
“The future for us in hardware is pretty awesome,” Spencer told IGN (as reported byThe Verge). “The work that the team is doing around different form factors and different ways to play, I’m incredibly excited about. Today was aboutthe games… but we will have a time to come out and talk more about platform.”
I think we should have a handheld, too.
Spencer mentioned that he likes the ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and Steam Deck in particular, three handheld consoles whichnativelyplay games.
PlayStation recently dipped its toes back into the handheld market with the Portal, but it’s a remote play device that requires you to have a PS5 and a stable internet connection - Xbox might be working on something closer to other platforms on the market, if Spencer’s comments are anything to go by.
Phil Spencer Discussed What He’d Like From An Xbox Handheld Earlier This Year
In an interview withPolygon, Spencer made comments that further backed up the idea that Xbox is developing a handheld console which natively plays games, rather than streaming them. This would fit its ‘Play Anywhere’ motto, offering another way to enjoy the Xbox library without owning an Xbox.
“I want to be able to boot into the Xbox app in a full screen, but in a compact mode,” Spencer said. “And all of my social [experience] is there. I want it to feel like the dash of my Xbox when I turn on the television. [Except I want it] on those devices.”
I want it to feel like the dash of my Xbox when I turn on the television.
Theall-digital Xbox Series X, which was just announced yesterday, also leaked alongside the handheld, so we might see Microsoft’s foray into the world of portable gaming soon enough. Game Pass on the go does sound tempting, especially given how fiddly it is to set up on Steam Deck.
Xbox Series X
Launched in 2020 in conjunction with the Xbox Series S digital-only console, the Series X is the disc version of Microsoft’s premier gaming platform.
