The rumors are true: a handheld Xbox console is in the works, even if it’s still a long way away. Hints at an Xbox handheld have been circulating for a while; they were first speculated on after a 2023 leak, and industry insiders have held that prototypes are in the works since March 2024. Cheesy “concept art” of bulky, chrome-plated, impractically modular behemoths would occasionally show up online, but this all seemed like baseless speculation – until now, that is.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed today in a Bloomberg interview that Xbox is currently experimenting with handheld prototypes. However, don’t think a big reveal is imminent, or even that the next Xbox will be all handheld. Spencer was clear that Microsoft’s current intentions are to experiment, and determine what’s possible for an Xbox console in the handheld space. The final product is still likely to be years away at this point.
How Microsoft Is Preparing For A Handheld Xbox
Paving The Way For The Next Xbox
Handheld consoles once had a bad reputation, and were commonly considered the lesser counterparts of their home console contemporaries. But in the past two generations, the Switch and the Steam Deck have earned the handheld market good press, demonstrating that they can deliver high-quality, AAA experiences on par with the best home console titles, even with less processing power. It’s easy to understand why Microsoft wants a piece of that pie, especially considering that the Switch is now the third-best-selling console in history per Nintendo’s internal reporting.
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Players like Samantha J. Foster on X (formerly Twitter) made it clear that there’s space in their lives for more handhelds – on one condition. Cloud gaming is all well and good, but many players want to be able to download games directly onto their handheld consoles, too. After all, internet connection isn’t always guaranteed, especially when you’re in transit, so any good handheld needs to take that into account.
This is something any Xbox handheld will have to address. Spencer clearly seems to be in tune with consumers’ wishlists, but he has another concern in mind first. Before that, Microsoft Gaming is working on improving its apps for third-party handheld devices, hoping they’ll eventually function as a sort of proof-of-concept for handheld hardware.
Although (or perhaps because) it’s available on a plethora of platforms, the Xbox app has several known issues, which Spencer wants to fix before any major announcements. “Longer term, I love us building devices,” he told Bloomberg, “And I think our team could do some real innovative work, but we want to be informed by learning and what’s happening now.” The operative words here are “longer term” – again, Spencer doesn’t mince words when warning a handheld Xbox is still far in the future.
Screen Rant’s Take: Cloud Gaming & Portability Go Hand-In-Hand
There’s great potential for a handheld Xbox console on today’s market, and I should know: I already use Game Pass’ cloud streaming services to play a wide variety of different Xbox games on the go. I primarily use the Game Pass browser app on the Steam Deck. I love the freedom of being able to access its massive, varied library from anywhere there’s Wi-Fi, and I’ve used it to play several games in full, or just to keep up my Slime Rancher hot streak while traveling.
It’s not a perfect system, though. Getting Game Pass up and running on Steam Deck requires some (admittedly simple) back end command line tweaking, and dropped frames/resolution dips are common (though rarely disruptive). I’d never try to play competitive Call of Duty on it, at least not in its current state, but it works well even for delicate, timing-based multiplayer action games like Monster Hunter Rise. Its convenience is unmatched, and automatic cloud saves that sync directly to my PC mean that there’s no separation between the games I play at home, and the games I play in transit.
That said, I agree with players who want the option to run games natively as well – I do plenty of that on the Steam Deck, too, and the reason I enjoy it so much is that I don’t have to choose just one or the other. With these concepts in mind, the Xbox handheld could be one to watch out for when it’s eventually revealed.
Sources: Bloomberg, Nintendo, Samantha J. Foster/X