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Phil Spencer has confirmed that Microsoft is developing an Xbox handheld console that is similar to the Nintendo Switch, but it is still in the prototype phase. This device will be similar to Nintendo’s console or Valve’s Steam Deck, and not like the PlayStation Portal. The news comes from the CEO of Xbox, Phil Spencer, in his interview with Bloomberg.
Although he expects such a console to become a reality in the future, how far into the future it is, is still unknown. According to him, it is likely years away from release. However, the idea is for the team to develop a vision of what it will do after some market analysis.
The new console is part of the long-term strategy of Xbox, but in the shorter term, the company plans on developing the Xbox app further and making it better on already existing portable gaming devices. This includes working with the hardware manufacturers to make it happen.
For the Xbox handheld console to succeed, it needs to be innovative and deliver on what the people in the market already expect, said Spencer, so the team “wants to be informed by learning and what’s happening right now.”
This now confirms some of the leaks we saw earlier this year that said that Microsoft was working on a fully native Xbox handheld console’s prototypes. This subject was then revisited a few times, and now it has been fully confirmed, even if we don’t have a release date.
Spencer says that the strategy for Xbox is to go where the players are, and if the players are using handhelds, that is where Xbox needs to be. Although the idea is sound, buying an Xbox handheld may not make much sense if all of its games are already available on every other platform, something Xbox is doubling down on as it ports its games onto rival consoles. It goes both ways because Death Stranding showed up on the Microsoft store out of nowhere just last week.
