Spencer: Xbox Working on Prototype Handhelds, Any Device is a Few Years Out - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 03 January 2025 / 2,566 Views
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer speaking with Bloomberg confirmed Xbox is working on prototypes for a handheld Xbox, however, any device is at least a few years away from release.
Spencer wants the Xbox hardware team to analyze the handheld market, which includes the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck, and more. He wants the team to "develop its vision based on what it learns."
In the short term, Spencer wants Xbox to focus on making its app work better on current portable devices and to partner with hardware manufacturers to ensure Xbox products sync.
"Longer term, I love us building devices," he said. "And I think our team could do some real innovative work, but we want to be informed by learning and what’s happening now."
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
More Articles
Surprised the Surface team haven't come up with one already
Xbox will probably release a streaming box then.
There are two conditions I have that must be met, if Microsoft wants to also sell that device to me:
- Support of physical media
-
A true offline mode -> games can be installed offline and played offline with no need to connect to the internet even once.
The rest hinges on the games.
Physical media? Yeah right...lol
This will be used to promote cross-buy
Buy it once, get it on console/handheld/pc
Then there is no chance this device will be for you. Absolutely no way is there going to be physical media support in a portable Xbox device.
The X-Pocket
I presume they're waiting for it to match Series S' performance profile for ease of porting.
Rog Ally models already exceed Series S. I think they're waiting for Series X power to come down to a more reasonable price. AMDs Strix Halo/Ryzen AI Max SOCs top SKU has RTX 4070 performance so greater than Series X and PS5 Pro. So that performance could be encompassed in a lower SKU in a few years, at a cheaper price and more efficient node which is essential for good battery life.
In real world value though? So not on paper spec of the Roy Ally models, but the chipset literally running the same (or as close as possible) performance profile as Series S for a sustained 2hour + portable playtime?
But yeah, they are probably targeting next gen entry level performance for future proofing. So something a bit above Series X with next gen features like PSSR.
The ROG Ally top SKUs easily deliver real world Series S performance as is and that was the 1st iteration let alone the ROG Ally X. Strix already exceeds PS5 Pro performance. So with MS stating the handheld a few years out, we're probably looking at RDNA 5 so a gen and a half beyond Strix Halos 3.5 and a node or two more advanced which will bring the power efficiency and battery life. MS would not launch a new gen in a few years with Series S performance. Not when Series X performance already exists now in mobile form and will exist more efficiently at that performance level in a few years which will bring even better battery life. MS have their own super res tech that they'll no doubt use unless AMDs upcoming ML iteration of FSR ends up being superior.
I had a look online and that's not the story I'm seeing. On paper specs are better, but its not able to out-compete in real terms. Digital Foundary covered this in the vid below.
"Realistically you'll getting half of the Series S' 4Tflop" because of power constraint. A Handheld which is able to directly translate Series S performance profiles in a portable mode with no extra optimisation & 2hourbattery life is probably 2 years out at a $399 price tag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&si=pGMMPOTHWKvDxoGX&v=fAF8LeCkpYY&feature=youtu.be
If they demand that all games most also play on this thing, it'll be the Xbox Series S situation all over again.
What if they all have to play on it because it's all there is in terms of future XB hardware?
So the next Xbox might be a switch like hybrid style. Hope that happens
Stupid. It's like a scenario kind of like where the Germans were in late 1944. They were losing, the allies were steadily gaining ground and they knew that they'd lose eventually. But lo and behold, the Germans decide to invade England!
This is just like that. Microsoft would have the worst 1st generation ever. They are going to have to go up against nintendo for the mobile market, and phones as well since every phone can have a game on it.
idk I wouldn't count Microsoft out, though they would have a very steep uphill battle against NSW2 and Steam Deck. Xbox doesn't have many exclusives, so any game you'd want to play on an Xbox Portable would almost certainly be playable (with similar specs) on an (upgraded) Steam Deck. NSW2 could also pose a problem, as NSW2 would likely have far better third-party support (devs have far more confidence in NSW2/Steam than Xbox Portable) alongside strong first-party lineup.
...And this is not even mentioning the obvious fact: The market of handheld consumers in USA does not overlap very well with Xbox/PlayStation gamers, not like Nintendo (who is mostly carried by JP). It's a limited market, and Steam Deck is a clear reflection of how limited such a market would be.
In any case...I'm excited to see how this system turns out IF it turns out (assuming Microsoft doesn't abandon plans). :)
Agreed, and good luck to MSFT in their endeavor, however impossible the effort might seem.
Microsoft, presumably, would not be trying to launch a new mobile platform. It'll just be another way to access game pass. So it's about further building the game pass ecosystem, I imagine.
Could you clarify your comment? My interpretation of what you just wrote is that you're saying Microsoft will presumably not be launch a new handheld system, but rather is searching for ways to get GamePass on-the-go. Whether this be on Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, iPhone, or wtvr else. Am I understanding correctly?
I'm saying they're not really competing with Switch or Steam Deck. They're likely aiming to increase playtime/reliance on Gamepass from existing subs than they are thinking that a handheld will bring in many new subs.
In other words, they want to improve the overall Xbox ecosystem to keep people invested and committed to it. .
After its clear that an Xbox Mobile won't use cardridges or other physical media we can hope it plays games nativley and not streaming only. Will have no chance against the Switch (Up). I am even willing to bet my best part on this! But maybe it could catch the Steam Deck/ Rog Alley. Do we have sales for these so called PC "Handhelds"? I heard the SD was ~3 million in 2 years...
@TeachMeHisty
After the next Xbox likley won't even have an aditional Disc Drive or physical media for games (its more than clear they want to move away from that... many shops do not even offer them anymore!!), i would exclude the posibility of physical games.
If Microsoft somehow pulls this off,
Imagine game pass skyrockets thanks to XboxPortable
Japan will never buy into a handheld from a non Japanese company.
iPhone / Samsung
Apple are the exception rather than the rule. Samsung don't sell much in Japan. Japan consumers are fiercely loyal to Japanese companies.
Steam deck hasn't taken over the hand held market from Nintendo and that's the Biggest PC library holder what makes you think xbox will when it has the smallest user base?
A dedicated home console cannot "Play Anywhere".
The term is referring to the Xbox ecosystem on console, PC, and handheld. Buy on one platform, play on all.
It’s amazing how bad Phil Spencer has done. He is so bad at his job, It’s shocking he hasn’t been fired already. Everybody else and their grandmother has been releasing handhelds, but Xbox who has the most Games studios in the world is still a few years out from releasing a handheld. It’s just incredible.
You can view him as bad for the quality of Xbox/Microsoft gaming and bad on the console side. On the whole? They're making crazy revenue and profits.
Could Xbox have bounced back with some games staying on console, better-selling software and less focus on PC crossplay/crossbuy? Sure. But it would've been far riskier to do that.
Essay Pro