Xbox Handheld Confirmed To Join Mobile Gaming Fray — Don't Hold Your Breath, Though

[Cpt.Jank]

Microsoft has long been rumored to be working on a gaming handheld to compete with the likes of Valve's Steam Deck and the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go, but all we've had to go on until now is unfounded rumors and leaks. Now, Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, has confirmed that the software giant is actively working on a Steam Deck challenger, although details are scant, and the timeline is unclear at best.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Spencer confirmed that Microsoft is working on an Xbox handheld, although he was very careful to not overpromise or provide any firm release dates, going so far as to confirm that an Xbox handheld is still years away from release. Spencer reiterated in the review that Microsoft was still looking to grow its presence in the gaming industry, which is one of the company's motivations for getting into the gaming handheld market, in the first place. He also confirmed that Microsoft will be pursuing further mergers and acquisitions in the future as part of its gaming push—a move that might not be looked upon favorably by many gamers and regulatory bodies.

"Longer term, I love us building devices, and I think our team could do some real innovative work, but we want to be informed by learning and what's happening now." -Phil Spencer, via Bloomberg

With the emphasis on both acquisitions and gaming handhelds, one can't help but wonder if an Xbox handheld might not come from a third-party acquisition, although that seems unlikely, given that Microsoft already has its own gaming hardware division. Still, the handheld gaming space is already quite mature, and players like Ayaneo, OneXPlayer, and GPD all have a variety of designs that Microsoft could license, tweak, or redesign to suit its needs. For now, though, Spencer emphasized a need to make Xbox and Microsoft's games work as well as possible on existing handhelds on the market.

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[lexluthermiester]

I'm not fan of the XB platform, but this could be a very good thing for the market.

 

[phanbuey]

ah the microsoft zune of handhelds. Let's go.

 

[Super Firm Tofu]

ah the microsoft zune of handhelds. Let's go.

Maybe we'll be able to Squirt a game at our friends.

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[Random_User]

Surely, this is nice, to have a "big player" joining the maket of handheld "desktops" consoles is great thing. WIth MS budget, they can help to expand this market significantly (especially it can increase AMD presence in this egment, if this is the case).
But on the other hand. Xbox platform is quite the reverse of the more "open" platform like Steam OS. It can help spread the handheld HW, but to tank the SW side.
I see no benefits of XB, even if it is on par or even has better HW, than the rivals. It has nothing to suggest to the market, but the proprietary "walled garden" platform. This doesn't benefit the the strenghtening the handheld, and especially open platform like SteamOS. Much like doesn't empower the user freedom, and also the linux expansion, at all. Even in case if it will be possible to install SteamOS, on XB hardware. But then the point of XB console simply vanes.

Thus, this is an effort of MS, to solidify it's position on both Widows and console market, so it even more reduces the penetration of SteamOS, and thus chances of Linux as gaming platform, to even smaller numbers.
Eventually, this is a matter of a choice. A smart choice, between comfort right now, and long-term free, open platform, even if it has some "hicups" at the moment. But it's clear, that MS userbase/audience is not about smartness, or freedom.

P.S.: I apologize for upsetting, and any inconveniences. Just some random thoughts.

 

[Vayra86]

I really doubt any of these handhelds is going to comfortably beat Deck. Either way, shots are fired, and that's a good thing.

 

[Durvelle27]

I’d buy this if it can play games locally instead of streaming like the PlayStation Portal

 

[kapone32]

Yep here comes Gamepass mobile to try to dominate the market. The Handheld space is like the Wild West.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

Surely, this is nice, to have a "big player" joining the maket of handheld "desktops" consoles is great thing. WIth MS budget, they can help to expand this market significantly (especially it can increase AMD presence in this egment, if this is the case).
But on the other hand. Xbox platform is quite the reverse of the more "open" platform like Steam OS. It can help spread the handheld HW, but to tank the SW side.
I see no benefits of XB, even if it is on par or even has better HW, than the rivals. It has nothing to suggest to the market, but the proprietary "walled garden" platform. This doesn't benefit the the strenghtening the handheld, and especially open platform like SteamOS. Much like doesn't empower the user freedom, and also the linux expansion, at all. Even in case if it will be possible to install SteamOS, on XB hardware. But then the point of XB console simply vanes.

Thus, this is an effort of MS, to solidify it's position on both Widows and console market, so it even more reduces the penetration of SteamOS, and thus chances of Linux as gaming platform, to even smaller numbers.
Eventually, this is a matter of a choice. A smart choice, between comfort right now, and long-term free, open platform, even if it has some "hicups" at the moment. But it's clear, that MS userbase/audience is not about smartness, or freedom.

P.S.: I apologize for upsetting, and any inconveniences. Just some random thoughts.

I see it as a benefit to the Xbox market, not the handheld. A way to continue your games you have on Xbox or Game Pass without getting out of bed, or while traveling.

Not really for the PC gaming handheld market.

 

[Random_User]

I see it as a benefit to the Xbox market, not the handheld. A way to continue your games you have on Xbox or Game Pass without getting out of bed, or while traveling.

Not really for the PC gaming handheld market.

Exactly. This is expanding the XB platform. The step on toes of every console maker. MS surely wants a slice of every pie. Which company wouldn’t?
Or it can partially substitute the xbox console, if the HW will be powerful enoygh. At least for everyone on the go. Since this might be the same gamepad, with the same Zen "whatever number" inside.

 

[Imouto]

Can't make it exclusively for their already imploding ecosystem. That's for sure. Won't make it an open PC because everyone else but Xbox would profit from it.

At this point it's just a convenient chimera designed to serve as a distraction while they kill their hardware and put all their games on PS5.

 

[Ruru]

I'd hope that it would be a "real" portable Xbox, not just a typical handheld gaming PC like others on the market.

Sucks that Sony also gave up after PS Vita flopped.

 

[TechLurker]

It would be hilarious and sad if Xbox beats Sony to bringing out a modern-day portable console, esp. considering the constant requests for a new PSP/PSVita successor.