Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, has confirmed that there will be a gaming handheld for Xbox. However, it will take some time before the device is released.
What did Phil Spencer say? Spencer explained in a conversation with Bloomberg that Microsoft is working on a handheld for Xbox. This was reported by the English-language magazine Gamesradar.com, citing an interview between Spencer and Bloomberg.
The CEO of Microsoft Gaming states that the “expectation is that we will be doing something” in the handheld hardware space, but the company is still figuring out what that should look like. He personally says about it:
In the long term, I think it’s great that we are building devices. And I believe our team could do really innovative work, but we want to learn from the insights and what is happening now.
Work is being done on prototypes, and Spencer has advised the team to observe the existing market and eventually realize their vision based on the insights gained.
What happens next? In the coming months, the team plans to focus on improving the Xbox app on existing portable devices and working with hardware manufacturers to ensure that their products are compatible with Xbox games and experiences. Spencer stated this to the magazine Bloomberg.
This is intended to create the right conditions. Because the Xbox app, he admits, is currently rather good than great on some devices. There is still more that can be done.
What will this gaming handheld be? So far, there is almost nothing known, except that Spencer has confirmed that they want to work on a handheld behind the scenes. Whether we will ultimately receive a device like the Steam Deck with powerful hardware or just a streaming device like the PlayStation Portal, Microsoft has not yet committed to.
In particular, there are many strong alternatives in the gaming handheld market that a new Xbox handheld would first have to compete against.
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