Xbox boss: ‘I think we should have a handheld too’

Microsoft’s Xbox chief Phil Spencer has been hinting at a possible Xbox handheld for several months. Earlier this year, he said that He added that he’s “a big fan of handhelds,” After liking a post on X that mentioned the possibility of this new hardware. Now, in an interview IGN “I think we should have a handheld one, too,” Spencer says.

This is the biggest indication yet that Microsoft is working on an Xbox handheld, which has long been rumored. “The future is great for us in hardware. I’m really excited about the work the team is doing around different form factors and different ways to play,” Spencer said. “Today was about games… but we’ll have time to talk more about the platform.”

When pressed on whether the Xbox handheld would stream games or play them locally, Spencer gave another hint that Microsoft is considering an actual handheld gaming device, and not some other device. PlayStation Portal“I love my ROG Ally, my Lenovo Legion Go, my Steam Deck. I think being able to play games locally is really important,” Spencer said.

Earlier this year, Spencer talked about wanting a compact Xbox mode on handheld gaming PCs. “I would like to be able to boot the Xbox app in full screen, but in compact mode,” Spencer said in a post. Polygon Interview. “Like I want it to feel like the dash of my Xbox when I turn on the television. [Except I want it] on those devices.”

I suspect what Microsoft is working on is an Xbox handheld that is Windows-based, but has the ability to run Xbox games and the full Xbox dashboard. The Vergecast earlier this year, I discussed My ideal for an Xbox handheld. It would run Windows at its core but would never bring it over to you so that it looked and felt like an Xbox console, but if you wanted to run Steam games or Xbox games, you could.