After years of speculation, rumours, and many DIY portable Xbox attempts, we have some very promising claims hinting at an official Xbox handheld on the horizon. Microsoft has seemingly opted for a designer job, leaving manufacturing to partners who can adapt their products to different market segments.
According to Windows Central, this handheld Xbox will be closer to a PC than an Xbox in the sense that it will be built and sold by partners such as Asus, MSI, and Lenovo. Codenamed Keenan, this portable device should look and feel like a regular Xbox console, featuring Xbox controls, menus, and services. You can expect the same experience as the respective console, including GamePass support and voice chat, with some extras borrowed from PCs like alternative storefronts.
Slated to launch later this year, this Xbox handheld will be based on an operating system similar to Valve’s Steam OS, allowing partners to integrate it into various devices. Maybe even on regular PCs one day, who knows.
This means that it should be released before the next Xbox console succeeding the Series X/S sometime in 2027. This portable machine is also said to target a Windows-like experience to reduce the gap between platforms and streamline game development. Furthermore, alternative stores such as Steam, GOG, and Epic Games may have a chair at this table.
The brand’s modern strategy took a left turn as Microsoft now pursues service-based solutions focused on the software. Previously, you had to choose between getting an Xbox 360 to play GTA 4 DLCs ahead of PS3 users or getting a PS3 to play The Last of Us and Metal Gear Solid. Now, you can get a PS5 and stream Halo to your smartphone or TV via the cloud. Heck, even previously exclusive titles such as Forza and Sea of Thieves are available on PS5 consoles. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Doom: The Dark Ages will be multi-platform, with names that made up the Xbox brand such as the Halo and Gears of War series rumoured to follow.
Instead of reigniting the console war, however, an Xbox handheld is less a play about competing with Sony and more about taking a leaf from Valve’s book. Much like SteamOS puts Steam front and centre, the Xbox portable will likely spotlight GamePass, Battle.net, and Xbox Store. Encouraging direct purchases helps the brand avoid forking over a 30% cut to third parties, but also affords users the opportunity to use other storefronts without arbitrary exclusivity.
For my part, I don’t mind dealing with reduced quality or screen resolution as long as battery life is good. If said Xbox handheld can’t run games for more than two hours, it better have some great aspects to compensate. A 5G or equivalent connection is also something to consider nowadays, since internet requirements are all the more common. Diablo 4 is the perfect handheld game, yet doesn’t feature native support for offline play.
What is sure is that Microsoft has an opening in the handheld segment since Sony has yet to launch a new PSP. If done right, and at a competitive price which is totally possible with the amount of units Microsoft partners can produce, Valve’s Steam Deck may have a dangerous adversary.
