Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer has confirmed the company’s plan to release an Xbox handheld, but stressed it’s years away from release.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer said the “expectation is that we would do something” in the handheld game devices category, but such a device is a few years out.
Microsoft, Spencer said, is currently working on prototypes and considering what it might do, with its team developing its vision for a handheld based on what it learns from looking at the market.
In the shorter term, Microsoft will focus on improving the Xbox app so it works better on existing handheld gaming devices, Spencer added. “Longer term, I love us building devices,” Spencer said. “And I think our team could do some real innovative work, but we want to be informed by learning and what’s happening now.”
Spencer has made no secret of his desire to enter the handheld console market with Xbox hardware, and practically confirmed the plan to IGN back in June following the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase.
"The future for us in hardware is pretty awesome,” Spencer said at the time. “The work that the team is doing around different form factors, different ways to play, I'm incredibly excited about.
"Today was about the games... but we will have a time to come out and talk more about platform, and we can't wait to bring it to you."
When asked if a hypothetical Xbox handheld would be a dedicated gaming platform where you can play games locally (like a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch), or a cloud-based handheld, Spencer responded: "I think being able to play games locally is really important."
In an interview with Polygon in March, Spencer listed various features that would make a handheld console "feel like an Xbox," including having access to all your games with associated save files: "What should we build that will find new players?” he said at the time. “That will allow people to play at times when they couldn’t go play [in the past]?”
Rumors were fueled by the trove of leaked Microsoft documents last fall, which revealed plans for an Xbox handheld. Spencer, however, would later come out to say those plans were outdated.
Xbox had hinted at new hardware in the near-ish future, with Microsoft announcing a multi-year roadmap in February that includes a next-generation Xbox console.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].