Out of all the major console manufacturers in gaming history,Xboxis the only one that hasn’t released a handheld. Despite the successes that PlayStation and Nintendo have enjoyed with their portable devices,Xboxhas oddly been reluctant to make a move in this market. It appears, however, that this may change in the future. Over the last few months, reports have suggested that Microsoft is working on not one, but two Xbox handhelds. One of them is allegedly being produced by the company itself, while another is being created by PC manufacturer Asus.
Windows Central’s Jez Corden stated back in March that the Asus Xbox handheld, codenamed Project Kennan, would come out later this year. This device, he said, would effectively bean Xbox-branded ROG Ally. In other words, it’d only be able to play PC games and would not natively run any games designed for Xbox consoles. Microsoft’s own handheld, meanwhile, was apparently going to be launched alongside the next-generation Xbox in 2027, and it would be compatible with Xbox console games. The system was even reportedly going to feature a docking station, much like the Nintendo Switch, but now it’s unclear if it will ever see the light of day.
Microsoft’s Long-Rumored Xbox Handheld May Never See the Light of Day
The Native Xbox Handheld from Microsoft Has Reportedly Been Put on the Back Burner
If the reports about the native Xbox handheld are true, the console seems quite promising, and it would fill a major gap in the Xbox hardware ecosystem. Unfortunately, though, it appears that the handheld won’t be released anytime soon. Jez Corden reported earlier this week thatMicrosoft’s portable device had been sidelinedin order to prioritize support for Windows-based PC handhelds, like Project Kennan. Although Microsoft still apparently wants to make a handheld of its own in the future, it will not come out until 2028, at the earliest. That said, there’s always the possibility that it may get canceled later on.
The Xbox Series X/S Generation Has Been Marred by Inconsistency
Perhaps the biggest problem that Xbox has suffered from during the Xbox Series X/S generation is inconsistency. Microsoft, it seems, cannot follow a business plan for its gaming division without changing it every few years. When the Xbox Series X/S was first released in 2020, Microsoft consistently touted it as “the world’s most powerful console” and sold it on the promise ofunmissable first-party exclusives. Then, after Microsoft acquired Bethesda in 2021, Xbox head Phil Spencer claimed that most, if not all, future Bethesda games would be exclusive to platforms where Game Pass exists (e.g. Xbox, PC, and cloud).
Although less than five years have passed since then, most of these promises have failed to come to fruition. The Xbox Series X/S is no longer the most powerful console on the market. Instead, the PS5 Pro is, and Microsoft has shown no interest in making a direct competitor to it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Xbox Series X/S has also received very few compelling AAA exclusives. Microsoft’s output of first-party exclusive content has already been pretty sparse this gen, and its new multi-platform pivot has made the situation worse. Lately, the company has started shipping almost all of its first-party games,includingForza Horizon 5andGears of War: Reloaded, on PlayStation and/or Nintendo consoles.
It’s Unlikely that Microsoft’s Hardware Plans Will Remain the Same in 2028 and Beyond
Xbox’s strategies have shifted consistently in the last couple of years, and many have lost trust in the brand as a result. Although Microsoft claims that it will releasea next-generation Xbox console, some are skeptical that it will ever come out. Likewise, the future of its rumored Xbox handheld seems fairly shaky. If Microsoft has already deprioritized the development of the system, as Jez Corden has alleged, then there’s no guarantee that it will ever come out. Frankly, it’s hard to believe that the company’s hardware plans will remain the same in the next three to four years, considering how it has handled the currentXboxconsoles.
