Xbox Confirms It's Looking Into A Potential Handheld Device

Don't expect anything soon, though

by · Nintendo Life
Image: Nintendo Life

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has confirmed that the firm is looking into potentially producing a handheld device for its Xbox platform.

In speaking with Bloomberg (thanks, Pure Xbox), the executive stated that the “expectation is that we would do something” in the handheld space, but was also seemingly keen to set expectations. He said that the company is producing prototypes and considering what it might do with a portable device, but he has also requested that his teams look at the current market and apply its learnings.

As such, a handheld device from Xbox is still likely a few years away. We’re not sure about you, but we’re interpreting Spencer’s comments as “let’s see what happens with the ‘Switch 2’”. All eyes are on Nintendo right now as the firm prepares to reveal its upcoming hardware, and if rumours are to be believed, it’s likely to be a rather straightforward evolution of the current Switch family of systems.

Naturally, Microsoft will want a device that will actively grow its gaming user base, and not simply appeal to players already entrenched within its ecosystem. Given the sheer number of PC handhelds flooding the market following the Switch’s success, the company will need to be careful about how it approaches a potential handheld.

At the very least, we can probably rule out a streaming-only device. When discussing handheld gaming previously, Spencer had gone on record to state that “being able to play games locally is really important”.

So, we’ll see what happens! For the time being, all our focus is honed in on the upcoming ‘Switch 2’, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens if Microsoft launches a dedicated handheld competitor within the next handful of years.

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What are you expecting from a potential Xbox handheld? Will it dock like the Switch, or will be a slightly underpowered dedicated portable device? Let us know with a comment.

[source bloomberg.com, via purexbox.com]

About Ollie Reynolds

Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry.

Comments 57

Getting stomped by Sony in the dedicated home console market will surely translate to a similar stomping in the handheld space by Nintendo.

Xbox have been directionless for well over a decade and have demonstrated that they don't understand the appeal of their own brand even longer.

They would be alot better off trying to bring Gamepass to Switch 2 then making their own

I don't understand Xbox's strategy. They are barely putting any effort into selling their home consoles but they think they can manage releasing a handheld too?

Seeing there isn't much further they can go with power that makes financial sense, a portable system could attract a different audience.

IF the have offline games to play on it.

Good luck with that. Can't see what this will offer that Switch Steam Deck and Rog Ally don't already have plus you can already play many Xbox games on PC/Steam Deck/Rog Ally anyway.

Good for those interested if such a system ever comes out, but personally I'd rather get a Steam Deck (isn't Game Pass also on that and other similar systems anyway?) if I can to go along with Switch's successor!

I bet their handheld XBOX will require constant internet connection and No physical games available.
Game Pass? Nah...!
I only care NDS, 3DS, Switch and PSP for the handheld devices.

@Roibeard64 They've been trying to put gamepass on both Sony and Nintendo consoles for awhile, but neither Sony nor Nintendo wants it. Rightfully so, tbh. I doubt it will ever show up for Nintendo, but it could maybe show up on PS if Xbox ever gets out of the console business.

Microsoft are 10 years late, lol.

Nintendo is the king of gaming handhelds, Switch can already play many big xbox games (and I'm sure Switch 2 even more so), so I don't see much of a point to this personally.

I doubt they'll have cartridges for it either since xbox typically does discs.

I'd actually like to see them try.
Competition is good. It promotes innovation.

whoa, there, Microsoft! pump the brakes a little: a handheld? are you sure?!

Microsoft really don’t have a clue what to do with the Xbox brand.
At the moment, it’s seems like death by a thousand cuts process.

they should focus on their home console, think it isnt doing that great.
dont think the market needs another handheld after the switch 2

One second they want to port everything and nothing is off limits to consider, now they want this device? Which will have next to no exclusive games, if they go with their other plans.

I imagine it’ll be similar to the PlayStation Portal to some extent.

@Arkay
The market is already clogged with endless windows handhelds and the steam deck that would be their competition, there’s no viable route for them to compete against Nintendo’s segment of the handheld market The best they can do is improve the experience for windows handhelds which is currently garbage.
@Mana_Knight
This is the result of the Xbox division being in disarray after the higher levels of MS recognized what they were doing was a lost cause that’s burning a whole lot of money, the mixed messaging particularly through anonymous sources was them panicking and trying to control the message and that’s ultimately failed.

Great that there is so much interest and love for Microsoft Xbox on NintendoLife. I think there is room for more handhelds in the market. To me a handheld would make more sense than a Pro console. But I am probably fine playing games on 1 handheld. I like to buy the Xbox games on a Nintendo platform.

Competition is always good. But perhaps they should focus on their main system first, since their position is slowly slipping away further and further.

Handheld from Xbox can be very incredible.
The name will be Xboy. Like Gameboy.
Let's see what Nintendo will do with Nintendo Switch 2? Again Home console and handheld console a hybrid console again?
Everyone is waiting for Nintendo.

This is in the same interview confirming there are "no red lines" for multiplat games in MS' catalog. Pretty much summing up Xbox's messaging.

People on here acting like Zune and Lumia phones weren’t a thing. MS has a long history of failed tech products that have really short lives. It’s practically a miracle Xbox has lasted as long as it has.

https://startuptalky.com/microsoft-failed-products/

Surface tablets are still a thing somehow so it probably wouldn’t take much to shrink them down a bit and give them controllers like a Steamdeck, the basics are already there, just have to slap an “Xbox Gamepass Ready” sticker on the box.

And for the few people saying things like “It will probably be digital only” well yeah all gaming will be digital only after the Switch 2. PS5 Pro is now. Media is dead. Switch 3 will probably be digital only as well, in another decade. So no reason to think an Xbox handheld, made with Gamepass in mind, would accept any physical media at all. What PC gaming handhelds do?

So yeah it will probably happen, and be dead within 3 years. Unless they give it TV out, drop the home Xbox line, and can get Series S power in a handheld. Could happen.🤷🏻‍♂️

I'm someone who owns a Switch and a Steam Deck. I'm mildly intrigued to see what Microsoft does, but I don't see what they could possibly offer that isn't being offered already by Nintendo and Valve.

I personally am just holding out for the Steam Deck 2 and the Nintendo Switch 2. I can't really see a world in which I would want to own a Xbox handheld.

@rjejr

hey they made those weird ergonomic keyboards for like 20 years.

(i confess, i have one i love it 🤓)

every company should be making a handheld version of their last generation's console, each generation. nintendo could start by making some robust home console hardware to follow up the Switch, while continuing to support the switch platform as a primarily handheld device. #freeideasfornintendo

If there getting spanked by Sony in the console market they better get ready for a battering from N in the handheld market.

I'd like to see where this goes, even if I myself probably wouldn't get one unless it can also work as a standalone controller for Xbox games on Gamepass.

I often read praise for Phil Spencer but it seems to me, Xbox' decline has all come about on his watch. And Gamepass, as great value as it is for gamers, has probably had more of a negative effect on the industry, than a positive one.

Def pre-ordering the X-Waffle.

Now what's this about Microsoft?

If it is favourably competitive with the ROG Ally X, I might actually be interested.

If it's ARM-based, then it might stand a chance. Current PC gaming handhelds, like Steam Deck, are hampered by the fact that they have to be X86. A dedicated handheld, that does not pretend to be a PC and does not offer backwards-compatibility, could give them a clean break.

@Roibeard64 They tried doing that with Switch 1 and Nintendo rejected it. Don’t blame Nintendo at all for doing that either. It’s the equivalent of a parasite trying to lay its eggs in someone.

@Mana_Knight In Microsoft’s eyes exclusivity and console generations are dead. They genuinely don’t understand that exclusivity is actually needed to keep their system afloat, and hence they continue to shoot themselves in the foot.

@bransby Same here, I would be interested in seeing what they offer for the reason of simplicity. As I've gotten older I enjoy ease of use over fidgety complicated systems more. Don't even care if it's the most powerful as long as it's easy to use and fun. I just want to play the games, nothing more. I'm currently down to two systems I actively support: Nintendo (physical) and Xbox (Gamepass). If MS can give me a quality portable system for Gamepass I'd be all in. My steamdeck is fine, but it's more a holdover from decades of PC gaming.

I have a Switch and a PS Portal. And will likely get whatever the Switch 2 turns out to be. I think that will cover 99% of games I'm interested. Don't see a need for an xbox anymore since they're bringing most of their games to other platforms anyway.

I think I actually might be getting an xbox just to play Kojima's horror game "OD"

However I don't think I'm the target audience for an xbox handheld. Always good to have competition though!

@Chlocean OD might come to PS and PC eventually.

I mean Death Stranding did.

All they need to do is make Xbox Gamepass work on Steam and they'll get their memberships without having to waste money on time and development just building an inferior Steam Deck

Best thing they could do is make a streamlined Windows interface specifically for games with the option to back out into a normal desktop environment, just like Steam Deck. That coupled with cross buy/progression with Xbox games would be a cool thing to have, especially if the price is decent.

Microsoft: Yes we're looking to make an Xbox handheld soon.
Valve: You don't say.
Sega: No don't, you'll failed.
Sony: Good luck, all we manage to do this gen is remote play.
Nintendo: Challenge accepted.

I honestly have zero interest in buying a Xbox handheld. After buying an Xbox Series S it's basically just collected dust while I use my Switch and PS5. Cool for people who enjoy the Xbox brand but for me personally I would pass on it.

Another failure on the way from Microsoft. You know they’ll make some stupidly powerful £700 handheld that won’t differentiate itself from all the steamdecks of the world.

I wonder if it would be more profitable to just develop for switch 2 than make their own handheld. Personally I’d love to get their Xbox live or whatever it’s called on the switch 2 as a subscription service.

I mean it's interesting but odds on it will be overpriced. They need to deal with their problems in the home console sector primarily you feel. Entering the handheld sector individually seems a real roll of the dice. You sometimes have to do that in business, but as someone pointed out they have been stagnating for around a decade now arguably. They would be best served getting into some profitable partnerships with successful veterans of the sector, Ninty.

I suppose they’ll see what Nintendo has cooking and if they can put enough of their stuff on it. Otherwise they may do their own device sooner than later

Xbox will never outsell Nintendo. Look at current gen. Switch-150milion consoles and Xbox 29M and Ps5 60M. The smartest choice would be just developing games for the next Nintendo consoles.

I imagine il be digital only and able to down load games. From that comment to play locally. Don't see Xbox designing something to take physical games when they're really trying to push digital in their console with digital console since Xbox one . Force to connect Xbox one to net and register wise doesn't work. My daughter has one even thought advise her get a PS4. My personal opinion maybe iam wrong but see Nintendo being last to turn digital only. I don't really want to pay 50quid for a licence to play a game

The best handheld I've ever had so far has been the Rog Ally X. Pricey at £800, but an incredible piece of kit. Highly recommended and alongside my switch, that's a ton of games and platforms covered. Whilst I'm excited to see what MS do, by the point of release we'll probably have Rog Ally 2, Steam Deck 2 and whatever handheld Sony are working on. For MS the future is cloud, which for me on the Rog X works brilliantly and publishing.

Xbox, Windows 8, 10, 11, and their Surface brand computers and accessories have been so poorly managed these past 14 years that I’ll never buy another Microsoft product of any kind. Their ideas, products and implementations have been promise’s broken and directionless.

Here comes MS trying to destroy another gaming niche with lots of money, terrible management and no sustainable strategy at all ❤️

It’ll never happen. And if it somehow does, it’ll flop like their current consoles. Microsoft just needs to STFU. This is the fifth (?) article I’ve seen in two days between here and PushSquare. They have zero idea what they are doing and just run their mouths pretending to have a clue. Newsflash, your console is not selling well and no amount of buying up companies will change that. Especially when you’re talking about wanting to put your games on other consoles. Just admit defeat with some dignity already.

Just to clarify. I’m not “anti-Xbox”, my only console is a 360. I’m just tired of hearing all the crap they are spewing lately.

@VoidofLight Yep, this is what I’ve said the past couple days with these articles. Yet somehow people just don’t understand that.

Why? Fifteen or twenty years ago this would have been a great idea but it is far too late. Maybe an “official” or “themed” Steam thing would work but other than that…

This is what happens when you spend nearly 80 billion dollars on acquisitions…. The board and share holders want a return and aren’t seeing it. So they out as many of their games as they can on as many platforms as they can, and enter new markets like handhelds.. 10 years too late.
Xbox is in total disarray, has no direction and is being screwed unsurprisingly to make as much profit as possible. They refuse to follow the exclusives model like Nintendo and Sony, believe the Switch isn’t a competitor, well its successor will be when they launch s handheld that’s for sure. And they don’t buy exclusivity deals like Sony does. Why they had to buy huge studios instead of nail down exclusive deals is beyond me?

@-wc- Maybe they can attach half of one of those egornomic keyboards to each side of an old Surface Tablet RT for their handheld. Could double as a Link glider when we're not playing. 😂

Don’t bother. Your best bet is third-party going forward.

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