Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer acknowledged and poured cold water on the persistent rumors of an upcoming Xbox handheld announcement during a recent interview with Bloomberg.
“The expectation is that we would do something,” Spencer said, while also noting that work on such a project would need to go beyond market research and prototyping. “In the longer term, I think it’s great that we’re building devices. And I think our team could do some really innovative work, but we want to be informed by learning and what’s happening now.”
Xbox’s current focus is reportedly on improving the Xbox app on existing platforms and working more closely with hardware developers to ensure a better experience for users.
Spencer admitted he was “a big fan of handhelds” in a February 2024 conversation with The edgeand a month later he discussed his philosophy on handheld gaming with Polygon at the Game Developers Conference, no doubt adding to the fervent cottage industry of rumor mongers that tend to pop up around these types of topics.
“I want my Lenovo Legion Go to feel like an Xbox,” Spencer told Polygon editor-in-chief Chris Plante. “I took (the Legion Go) to GDC. I’m on a plane and I have a list of everything that doesn’t make it feel like an Xbox. Forget the brand. More like: Are All My Games There? Are all my games showing up with the save(s) I want?”
Back to the Bloomberg interview, Spencer said Xbox was open to further acquisitions, although perhaps not one as big and difficult as Activision Blizzard, which cost just under $69 billion and sparked a lengthy lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission before the company went bankrupt. officially launched in 2023. He also claimed that Xbox has “never been healthier” since laying off 2,500 employees and closing three studios.
“I feel pretty good about where this industry is going,” Spencer said, before criticizing strategies like those that have led to Sony’s expensive new PlayStation 5 Pro console. “To reach new players, we have to be creative and adapt to new business models, new devices and new ways of access. We’re not going to grow the market with $1,000 consoles.”