Xbox is working on handheld gaming prototypes, its gaming CEO has confirmed

John Elden Ring

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Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that Microsoft is working on handheld gaming prototypes, but claimed that any potential device is still years away.

Microsoft’s gaming CEO has repeatedly hinted that it could create its own Steam Deck-style Xbox device, and in a new interview with Bloomberg, the exec said that the “expectation is that we would do something” in the category.

Microsoft is working on prototypes and considering what it might do, Spencer confirmed, and he’s asked his hardware team to analyse the market and “develop its vision based on what it learns”. Any device is a few years out, he said.

In the near term, Xbox will focus on making its app work better on existing portable devices, and partnering with hardware manufacturers to make sure their products sync, he added.

“Longer term, I love us building devices,” Spencer said. “And I think our team could do some real innovative work, but we want to be informed by learning and what’s happening now.”

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saltyashell

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spoiler alert: i'll be windows based, have Steam, EGS and run PlayStation PC ports
And it'll be made by third party companies like ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, just like the next console. Xbox lovers will need to read reviews of 5 different versions of Xbox to figure out which one to buy.
 

Boswollox

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spoiler alert: i'll be windows based, have Steam, EGS and run PlayStation PC ports
Microsoft can hurt Sony by running Sony pc ports on their handheld, but have a tightrope to walk when it comes to steam, as they have their own handheld.
Potentially, this Xbox handheld is just Gamepass and is used purely as a streaming device with little to no hardware involved.
Microsoft could make it cheap and affordable.
his words mean nothing.. prototype.. lmao
Xbox 360, Xbox one and Xbox series took an average 18 months to go from kick-off meeting to units-on-shelves. If they have a working prototype, then the sellable product is 9-12 away, tops.
 

peter42O

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No surprise here. I'm fully expecting Microsoft (and Sony) to have their own Xbox Portable releasing alongside their next generation console in Fall 2026. Both Microsoft and Sony have seen the massive success of the Nintendo Switch and to a lesser extent, the re-emergence of handhelds with the Steam Deck, Rog Ally, Logitech, etc. Makes sense to attack that market. Make the CPU/RAM as close to equal as the console with a weaker GPU to hit that native 1080P/60FPS/HDR spec and allow games to be digitally downloaded and streamed and off you go.
 

Gediminas

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Xbox 360, Xbox one and Xbox series took an average 18 months to go from kick-off meeting to units-on-shelves. If they have a working prototype, then the sellable product is 9-12 away, tops.
i wouldn't brag about time spend on those garbage from kick-off to shelves.
the reason, as those were dog shit, it is because it was made in 18 months. (X1 kinda least but still..)
 
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Boswollox

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i wouldn't brag about time spend on those garbage from kick-off to shelves.
the reason those were dog shit, it is because it was 18 months. (X1 kinda least but still..)
I agree completely. Sony spend years working on their consoles and it shows. The PS5 is beautifully engineered, as was the PS4. Arguably the PS4 was better engineered considering the financial difficulties Sony were facing at the time, but I digress.

Microsoft can make a handheld and they have a well engineered prototype in the 'surface' products. It wouldn't take much to retool a surface tablet and make it a handheld. Much easier than starting from scratch like steam has to do or what Sony would have to do.
 

Cool hand luke

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No surprise here. I'm fully expecting Microsoft (and Sony) to have their own Xbox Portable releasing alongside their next generation console in Fall 2026. Both Microsoft and Sony have seen the massive success of the Nintendo Switch and to a lesser extent, the re-emergence of handhelds with the Steam Deck, Rog Ally, Logitech, etc. Makes sense to attack that market. Make the CPU/RAM as close to equal as the console with a weaker GPU to hit that native 1080P/60FPS/HDR spec and allow games to be digitally downloaded and streamed and off you go.
The steam deck has sold so poorly that it's lifetime sales are less than a quarter of the Vita, so that we're all on the same page about the 'lesser extent'.
 

peter42O

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The steam deck has sold so poorly that it's lifetime sales are less than a quarter of the Vita, so that we're all on the same page about the 'lesser extent'.

Steam Deck is for those on Steam who want to take their library with them on the go. It's not about bringing in new people even though im sure they got some. Also, Valve is making money on ir or they wouldn't do it especially since they dominate PC gaming and have no real reason to do well anything.

The Xbox Portable will be the cheaper entry point for next generation. Same with PlayStation Portable 2 or whatever Sony ends up calling it. The Portables will be $500 and the consoles will be $800. Both companies are done taking losses as they both know, that their console's growth is stagnated and at best, are simply retaining what they've had last generation.