Microsoft could actually be working on an Xbox handheld console, as Xbox boss Phil Spencer drops the biggest hint yet.
This is from a recent interview with IGN during Summer Game Fest 2024, where Phil Spencer was asked to comment on rumors of an Xbox handheld as part of the company’s ongoing business strategy to track users where they play, such as PC and console.
While Spencer didn’t outright confirm that a device is in the works, he did say, “So we should have a handheld? I guess we should have a handheld too.”
Spencer wouldn’t elaborate further on this statement, but said we should hear more from Xbox President Sarah Bond.
“I don’t want to say anything,” Spencer said. “I think you should have Sarah (Bond), our president of Xbox, which is great. But the future for us in terms of hardware is pretty awesome, and the work that the team is doing around different form factors, different ways to play, I’m incredibly excited about it.
“Today was about the matches,” he added. “We’ve had some of our Gen 9 consoles, Series S and Series presenting it to you guys.”
Finally, Spencer was asked whether a potential Xbox handheld would be a Steam Deck-like piece of hardware that allowed users to play offline or whether it would be a cloud-based device.
“What I think, I love my ROG Ally, my Lenovo Legion Go, fantastic, my Steam Deck,” he said. “I think it’s very important to be able to play games locally.”
During the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, Microsoft officially unveiled the new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S models that leaked earlier this year.