Xbox handheld: leaks, release date and everything you need to know
Microsoft is reportedly working on an Xbox handheld. Here's what we know so far.
Microsoft is reportedly working on an Xbox handheld, which could rival the likes of the Nintendo Switch and Valve’s Steam Deck – if it turns out to be real.
With Xbox hardware sales flat-lining in Europe, a pivot to the growing handheld market could prove lucrative for Microsoft. After all, the demand for Sony’s PlayStation Portal showed there is an appetite for a native handheld more akin to a PSP 2.
Microsoft won’t be releasing a mid-gen console refresh like the PS5 Pro, either, but will instead focus on a new Xbox Series X Slim. If that’s the case, an Xbox handheld would fill the gap for Xbox fans and offer an alternative to simply buying a more powerful, yet familiar console.
Xbox handheld leaks
Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming Phil Spencer has discussed what he’d like to see from an Xbox handheld in an interview with Polygon at the annual Game Developers Conference.
Spencer, who has been very vocal about his love of the current portable PC handhelds, said: “I want my Lenovo Legion Go to feel like an Xbox. I brought [the Legion Go] with me to GDC. I’m on the airplane and I have this list of everything that makes it not feel like an Xbox. Forget about the brand. More like: Are all of my games there? Do all my games show up with the save [files] that I want? I’ll tell you one [game] that doesn’t right now – it’s driving me crazy – is Fallout 76. It doesn’t have cross-save.
“I want to be able to boot into the Xbox app in a full screen, but in a compact mode. And all of my social [experience] is there. Like I want it to feel like the dash of my Xbox when I turn on the television. [Except I want it] on those devices.”
Spencer also said the Xbox hardware team is considering “different hardware form factors and things that [they] could go do” as it plans the future of Xbox hardware. “What should we build that will find new players that will allow people to play at times when they couldn’t go play [in the past]?”
We know that Microsoft has considered a handheld device thanks to the massive Xbox leak which laid the company’s plans out for all to see, but Spencer’s comments show he’s given it some serious thought. Whether or not Microsoft’s plans center around improving the Xbox experience on handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally or creating hardware remains to be seen, but the latter would certainly create some excitement.
Xbox handheld release date
Microsoft has said to expect new Xbox hardware this holiday season, but could that include an Xbox handheld release date? With Sony preparing to release the PS5 Pro toward the end of this year and the Nintendo Switch 2 is predicted to release in early 2025, Microsoft would be wise to get its hardware out before then.
Xbox handheld specs
It’s hard to gauge how powerful an Xbox handheld would be, as Microsoft will want to make sure its portable console is affordable but capable enough to not hamper developers. If Microsoft can create a handheld that is close to a portable Xbox Series S in terms of specs – perhaps targeting 720p – it should make it easy to port games over to the new hardware.
As well as being able to play games natively, Microsoft will also be able to harness the power of Xbox Cloud Gaming. The service isn’t available on Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck, which could give Microsoft a unique selling point and allow the handheld to run more graphically intensive games if players have a strong enough internet connection.