The rumors are true: Xbox is following in the footsteps of Nintendo and Valve, and Phil Spencer confirms that a handheld is on the way.
In March of this year, it was reported that Xbox was developing its own handheld, something that is not surprising given the success of the Nintendo Switch (it is the third best-selling console of all time), and the Steam Deck It turned out to be very popular. also. Xbox head Phil Spencer then added fuel to the fire by saying he thinks the company should have a handheld, but didn’t directly confirm it. Now, in a new interview with Bloomberg, Spencer has finally confirmed that Xbox is working on something along those lines, but you probably won’t see it for a while.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Spencer said that “the expectation is that we will do something” in the world of handheld computers. Prototypes are currently being worked on, Xbox is considering how it wants to handle its version of a handheld, and Spencer is asking his group to look at the market and make decisions based on what they learn. However, Bloomberg also noted that Spencer says an Xbox handheld is still years away, so don’t expect to be playing the latest game Pass title from the comfort of your bed anytime soon (unless, you know, you have a different console). laptop that can run game Pass, which is totally possible).
The Switch has really changed the way companies look at laptops, with Nintendo being the only company that’s really going for it for a long time: Sony had the PSP, which actually did quite well (it’s estimated to have sold between 80 and 82 units). million units), but the PS Vita was obviously a failure, so the company remained out of the market until it launched the PS Portal. It’s estimated that between 420,000 and 630,000 units were sold last year, which isn’t too bad, but it’s obviously just a cloud streaming device and not a full wearable device.
We’re all still waiting for the Switch 2 too, which will be a good test to see if portable consoles are here to stay; all we have to do is wait for Nintendo to actually announce it.
