Handhelds are all the rage right now, and despite the Steam Deck OLED largely leading the way, there’s no shortage of competitors coming for its crown. Could we then soon be seeing the reveal on an Xbox handheld device with a view to expanding its hardware family? Well, if you want to believe that a few liked tweets from Phil Spencer are as good as confirmation, then go ahead, but it’s a road that might lead to disappointment.
The Steam Deck OLED tops the list of best handheld gaming PCs, but getting Xbox Game Pass running on it is far more hassle than Microsoft probably likes. On Windows handhelds like the Legion Go and ROG Ally, Game Pass is much more accessible, but the OS itself is carrying problems that require a fix.
Some Xbox fans are now taking a few tweets liked by Phil Spencer, along with Sarah Bond’s comments on the business update podcast about “exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday” and have concluded that an Xbox handheld is on the way.
The tweets in question are from Windows Central Gaming and Brian Crecente. In the WGC tweet, it’s suggested that Xbox should be making a handheld, and links to an opinion piece from Jez Corden. Corden himself has also tweeted out this piece and it has been liked by Phil Spencer.
Crecente’s tweet comes in two parts, one posing that PC gaming handhelds are “paving the way for console-like experiences on an open operating system” while the other states that Microsoft needs to step up and help out the handheld market.
While one is a clearer statement of intent than the other, claiming that Phil Spencer liking these tweets is a show of commitment to a new hardware device is far too great a reach.
Handhelds were addressed by Phil Spencer during an interview with The Verge, where he talked about how Windows devices like the ROG Ally and Legion Go are struggling because of the OS.
With Windows being highlighted as a point of contention, would an Xbox handheld use something other than Windows? It seems more likely that until this problem is fixed, it is safer to assume that it’s more important for Microsoft to get Xbox games onto existing PC gaming handhelds in a convenient and accessible way, rather than sending its device out into a market dominated by Valve.
Not quite into the handheld hype? If you’d rather go more traditional, we can help you build a gaming PC instead.