Microsoft Gaming CEO: “I think we should have a handheld, too”
Microsoft Gaming CEO: “I think we should have a handheld, too”
More than just streaming, playing games locally "is really important" to Spencer.
Not an official announcement, but it's probably safe to assume an Xbox handheld is in development.
SteamOS is probably the biggest risk to the Windows monopoly right now, so that tracks.
And it's absolutely Microsoft's cycle. New game changer product comes on the market, they rush a half ass version out with the promise of a really good one later, half ass one flops, they scrap the whole idea because no one wants the half ass version, they fade into obscurity.
Tablets, VR, video chat, phones
Anyone remember this?
I loved windows phone, the UI was so clear (I still use square home on android to this day), the camera app was superb and it was a very efficient operating system for low end hardware.
It didn’t have a ton of apps but honestly I don’t know, sometimes that doesn’t feel like a bad thing for a thing I am always trying to make more into a tool than an addiction….
Sure windows phone wasn’t going to grow rapidly for years, but it was well situated to take advantage of an opportunity in the future when apple or google stumbled and created an opening. I think for a company as large as Microsoft just abandoning it entirely was a massively stupid move. Now Microsoft has a gigantic blind spot in mobile, and they are stuck in that position.
I would never buy an Xbox handheld. Why would you want a handheld that is locked into Microsoft’s ecosystem even more than a Windows handheld? You’ll get maybe ten to fifteen years out of it, then it will become a brick that Microsoft has abandoned. You will never have fond memories of playing on the Xbox handheld that you can recreate with physical hardware. You’ll never get to show your kids what gaming was like on the thing, because the authentication servers were shut off years ago, and now it is a worthless paperweight.
You’ll get maybe ten to fifteen years out of it
That's way longer than most consoles last before the servers get turned off
Microsoft is at least good about supporting their gaming hardware for quite a while. But better than other consoles still isn’t good enough. I’ve got a computer from ~1990 that still works and can play contemporary PC games. You can bet the Steam Deck will still work in 2060.
Microsoft could just drop a Windows handheld that can play Xbox games natively.
The Xbox already runs on a custom VM based on Windows 10/11. Microsoft themselves are the only ones keeping the two who systems separated by artificial software limitations.
Microsoft : "When we added all the extra 'features' of Win11 into our Xbox OS, we saw a severe drop in performance. So we have kept them separate." Customers : "So you do agree the features in Win11 are detrimental to the user experience?" Microsoft : "Fuck no, those features are essential for a user. Btw, have you upgraded to Win11?"
Way ahead of you. I would never buy an Xbox. Or anything microsoft for that matter. It's just been better this way.
No, it would use the same Microsoft auth it already uses for xbox, outlook, windows etc.
“Hey boss we have the tech from Surface Division to form factor the new Xbox and portable the same. People could just buy one device.”
*Out the Windows boardroom guy meme*
Exactly my thoughs.
I'm assuming it's gonna be a lame attempt to capitalize on the steam deck's success with hope that popular DRM game exclusives will drive sales.
Although I'm pretty sure the MSI Claw already proved that won't work. Even if it had been good in hardware, the addition of only a few select games didn't justify the cost or performance of windows on a handheld.
Unless they put some actual development and research behind it, which they won't, it'll probably last only a few years before they have to cancel due to sunk cost and lack of game sales.
They'd need to properly place DirectX with a clean NT kernel on some good hardware, and make a completely new (and usable) UI like Xbox without sacrificing battery power, which even the deck struggled to accomplish.
Considering how cruddy windows 11 has been, Xbox nuking teams left & right, and MSFT throwing all their budget at AI, I just don't see it happening.
I consider this comment naive. Microsoft selling a powerful arm based handheld might be extremely successful and totally viable. They have already done the rnd for x86 backwards compatibility on arm and have a close relationship with Qualcomm.
On top of this, I doubt many of the Steam Deck's current competitors could have sold at a loss like Valve did (IIRC, they sold at a loss or at least pretty close to it). Microsoft, however, definitely has the spare money as a larger corp if they decided to really back the XBox/Gaming division. Price-wise, they could compete. If they're in the same pricing ballpark, manage a reasonable quality handheld, and can promise perfect windows compatibility with games, that might be something.
"Quick, fresh bubble, flood the market!"
I could only see this working if it came with 6 free months of GamePass, or if it was some kind of loss leader to sell games on their store.
Unless it's as easy to install games from the other stores, why would you otherwise pay to live in a tiny, walled garden?
I would expect it to be a loss leader. The cheap price combined with brand recognition, advertising, and a streamlined experience could make it a successful product I think.
The SteamDeck itself is in loss leader territory.
Even the ROG Ally comes with a free month of GamePass Ultimate, and a new Xbox comes with 90 days. I don't see why a MS first party handheld wouldn't come with some.
Their competition is the Deck and other handhelds that run full versions of Windows, there's no reason to believe they wouldn't give it the same kind of capacities (i.e. a real handheld PC) in which case it's the Deck that will feel like a walled garden considering that not all games are compatible and not all launchers work on it.
I say that as a Deck owner that plays with it pretty much once a day.
I've heard from some others that there was a version of Windows (I'm blanking on which one) that worked great on tiny computers, so if they were to revive the project, it could be a really viable competitor.
The other handhelds that run Windows suffer from it being too much of a traditional PC first and not having enough "console" in them, from what I hear. Can't say from first hand experience, though, since I also own a Deck.
Either way, time will tell what eventually comes out of that brief sentiment.
Can we also have a Windows Phone next? You can call it an Xbox Phone if you like.
Yeah. Not interested with anything that made by microsoft.
If they can't pull this off as an ARM device and recompile all the games to run on it, then don't bother.
There's nothing they can really bring to this that the Steam Deck hasn't already done better.
If Microsoft stuck with what it already does, it would be better. They already have cloud streaming technology which makes playing games on their ecosystem possible on any screen. Having a separate handheld console would complicate things. I just don't see the appeal.
They are risking Linux becoming an actual thing in the portable, desktop & living room spaces.
I said this earlier in the thread but I am very confident at this point that Microsoft already lost this battle to Linux in the longterm. Particularly because Linux operating system devs don’t care about AI and Microsoft is obsessed with it like all other dumb massive tech companies and honestly it is going to lead nowhere in terms of providing a useful basis for an operating system especially if the foundation you are working from sucks (glares at Microsoft and Windows). So volunteer Linux devs actually have a huge lead here even though Microsoft has wayyyyy more resources and money because Microsoft is firehosing it all at the stupidest shit while they fire core team members left and right destroying their longterm capability to create quality products.
You really have to understand AI as the dream come true from sociopathic tech CEOs standpoint, they can finally get rid of the humans, fire most of the programmers and suck up so much data that they can create an UBER AI that knows all…. except reality doesn’t work like that. No matter, reality is kept safely at bay always at least 4 kilometers from the Microsoft C-suite at all times.
The shift just hasn’t happened yet like a dead tree limb hanging on until that gust of wind comes along and the whole limb comes crashing down abruptly weeks after the storm that weakened it.
Why would anyone buy this? You can already do this streaming through the Deck or any of the other handhelds, if Game Pass is your thing.
A big part of the Deck outselling the competition is price. An Xbox handheld could be sold at a loss (like the deck) with the plan of making the money back on Microsoft store/Xbox store sales.
Arm based platform with modern games over cell connection.
If they make a device that doesn't suck, will people not just install Steam on it?
And all other launchers and any PC game that doesn't run on Linux...
"if only we had a way to like, take a desktop pc and make it, like, not tethered to a power outlet. and made the mouse and keyboard a part of the case. and added a screen and speakers too. too bad we have no idea how to do that." -Microsoft, as they shove the 10,000 laptops off of the desk. "guess we will have to do it ourselves."
(yeah yeah a laptop "isn't a handheld" but you get the stupidity all the same, surely. MS abandoned their platform just to make a different, more constrained platform, and charge people for multi-player. and they want to act like they couldn't do that 25 years ago for free. fuck off MS.)
To be fair, gaming laptops kinda suck (at least they did when I owned one). I would probably recommend a steam deck + a desktop over a gaming laptop.
Called it months ago, they'll develop a handheld version of Windows and have their own handheld!
If the controller feels as good as my Elite 2 then I'm sold
Xbox Remote Play already works on the Steam Deck and Android devices. Not sure on iOS, I haven't tried that, but I've personally run it on my Android tablet and Steam Deck.
Always in favour of healthy competition.
This is microsoft, so I expect unhealthy competition.
Still healthier than Nintendo owning the handheld gaming market
Mind, a VERY low bar to clear
Like trying to push the stupid recall AI that takes screen shots every few seconds.
You absolutely aren't wrong there.
Oh, I was wondering how it was going to happen. So many of these games look fantastic and like a good strong future ahead for Xbox. So I was wondering how they were going to screw this up.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Speaking on stage as part of an IGN Live interview, Spencer said directly that "I think we should have a handheld, too."
The comment stops just short of an official announcement that Microsoft is actively working on portable gaming hardware for the first time.
"The future for us in hardware is pretty awesome," Spencer continued during the IGN presentation.
Comments like these are a big change from internal Microsoft documents that leaked last September, which listed an Xbox portable as a "current gap in FY23" that is "not in scope for 1st party" (alongside potential products like a mobile controller, earbuds, and a media remote).
But Spencer was quick to call that leak "outdated" at the time, so it might not be the last word on Microsoft's portable gaming plans.
That feels like ancient history, though, in a world where everyone and their corporate subsidiary is looking to draft off the market success of the Steam Deck.
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Phil Spencer holding a steamdeck and looking over at a switch: After all, why not? Why shouldn't I have a handheld system.
No they shouldn't
Eh. I wouldn't buy it, but i would support more competition in the market. Maybe Microsoft could make a version of windows specfic to handheld that Lenovo and asus could use.
I hope they call it XBox Zune
I would absolutely buy one of these and I've been wishing for something like this for years. I do most of my gaming on Xbox these days, and it would be great to be able to play in bed. I don't even care if it runs Windows or just an Xbox OS.
I do have a Steam Deck, but some games are too much effort to setup and troubleshoot. I want to hit one button and have a guarantee that the game will work, like the Switch.