Discussion The future is handheld — so where do Xbox and PlayStation go next?

[marees]

Has Nintendo inspired the next generation of consoles again?

For about a year now, Xbox CEO and Microsoft president of gaming Phil Spencer has been tap dancing around the idea of an Xbox handheld device and whether or not Microsoft will release a mobile Xbox. Finally, in an interview with Bloomberg from late September 2024, new Xbox president Sarah Bond all but confirmed that some sort of handheld device is on the minds of Xbox as a way to “meet gamers wherever they are.”

Unlike Xbox, the rumors surrounding Sony producing a new handheld console haven’t been taken as directly from the horse’s mouth.

In February, regular YouTube leaker Moore’s Law is Dead reported that Sony is working on a “non-streaming, pocket-sized console” — in other words, not another PlayStation Portal, despite that device’s popularity. In August, hardware leaker Tom Henderson claimed that Sony is “paying very close attention” to the current handheld market. The latest rumor from September alleges that Sony is working on two different gaming platforms for the PS6 generation, a standard console and some kind of handheld.

Where there’s smoke, as they say...

MLID: "Xbox may have lost the console wars to Sony. But they sure as hell, don't want to lose the handheld wars to Valve"

The future is handheld — so where do Xbox and PlayStation go next?

Has Nintendo inspired the next generation of consoles again?

www.tomsguide.com

 

[Oyeve]

I can't see Sony making a viable handheld. Most of my Playstation games are on physical media, I don't think sony has a way to transfer that. Xbox with their PC/XBOX crossplaying can. Me, I personally play PC games on my Asus Ally and can play Xbox games on it as well, so honestly, I really see no reason to get an xbox portable anything and I definitely do see any point in Steamdeck as I run Steam on my Asus. I am only interested in a Switch 2, but only if its BC with the Switch.

 

[Glo.]

Future is handheld - smartphone. Mobile gaming is by far, the largest market out there. There is zero reason for Sony and MS to ignore this platform.

Mobile games, AAA games, AA games, game streaming. This platform can handle all of it.

 

[marees]

In handheld space the main competition for MS is valve releasing the standalone Steam O/S next month. Lenovo Legion Go S will come with that

I believe Sony is targetting playing base PS5 games on a handheld. They have a tougher job than MS because many handhelds today are close to matching the Series S but PS5 is a step too far.

 

[quikah]

In handheld space the main competition for MS is valve releasing the standalone Steam O/S next month. Lenovo Legion Go S will come with that

I believe Sony is targetting playing base PS5 games on a handheld. They have a tougher job than MS because many handhelds today are close to matching the Series S but PS5 is a step too far.

MS is in better shape for sure. The Series S, while kind of a mistake as a console was a good way for them to prepare for a mobile device future. Requiring release on both allowed them to train developers to optimize for the low end. Hopefully they don't cheap out on the memory again.

 

[Mopetar]

I don't think Microsoft will succeed with a handheld and it might flop so badly they exit the hardware market entirely.

While it's more feasible from a hardware perspective than it's ever been, they still have a software problem. If you can't get people to buy your console for that reason, why would you convince them to buy a portable of similar costs that still has no games?

Microsoft may look covetously at the Switch and want a piece of that pie, but they're misunderstanding it entirely. Their potential market is Steam Deck customers. Nintendo sells as many handhelds as they do because of Mario, Zelda, and all of their other franchises that you can't get elsewhere.

 

[marees]

I don't think Microsoft will succeed with a handheld and it might flop so badly they exit the hardware market entirely.

While it's more feasible from a hardware perspective than it's ever been, they still have a software problem. If you can't get people to buy your console for that reason, why would you convince them to buy a portable of similar costs that still has no games?

Microsoft may look covetously at the Switch and want a piece of that pie, but they're misunderstanding it entirely. Their potential market is Steam Deck customers. Nintendo sells as many handhelds as they do because of Mario, Zelda, and all of their other franchises that you can't get elsewhere.

What if MS allow steam app to run on xbox o/s ??

 

[Mopetar]

What if MS allow steam app to run on xbox o/s ??

Why would they do this? They're aren't going to make much if any profit on the hardware, so giving up their revenue stream from getting a cut of software sales isn't going happen.

 

[marees]

Microsoft wants to bring Xbox experience to Windows handhelds​

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Microsoft is combining ‘the best of Xbox and Windows together’ for handhelds​

Microsoft’s VP of ‘Next Generation’ says changes are coming in 2025.
by Tom Warren and Sean Hollister

Microsoft has done compact modes for Xbox apps on Windows that are focused on improving the handheld experience, but it’s a lot like putting lipstick on a pig instead of addressing the core experience. “I think we’ll have a lot more to share later this year,” teases Ronald. “I think it’s going to be a journey and I think you’ll see a lot of investments over time that you’re starting to see already, but we’ll have a lot more to share later this year.”


“I think, at the end of the day, our goal is to make Windows great for gaming on any device,” says Ronald. “The reality is the Xbox operating system is built on top of Windows. So there’s a lot of infrastructure that we built in the console space that we can bring to the PC space and really deliver that premium gaming experience on any device.”

Specifically, Microsoft has to tackle a lot of the very basics of making Windows more friendly to controllers and getting that Xbox experience to really drive things instead of the taskbar, Start menu, and other elements. “There’s just certain things in Windows that were not designed for if you don’t have a keyboard and mouse, like thumbstick support or joypads and stuff like that,” Ronald admits.

“There’s fundamental interaction models that we’re working on to make sure that regardless of the operating system details it feels very natively like a gaming-centric device and a gaming-centric experience.”

Ronald says the goal is to put an Xbox experience at the center — “not the Windows desktop that you have today.”

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/7/24338778/microsoft-xbox-handheld-pc-gaming

 

[gorobei]

they are partnering with a oem (like lenovo/msi/asus) for the first one. after that they will be releasing their own manufactured HH in 2027.

Xbox's hardware fightback begins with a gaming handheld planned for later this year, with full next-gen consoles targeting 2027

Microsoft's first full foray into PC gaming handhelds begins with a partner device set to launch later this year, with its own Xbox Series X|S successors now fully in production.

www.windowscentral.com

this generally suggests that for the first one the xb aspect will just be the OS. they are still releasing a full console in '27 so at best the HH becomes the equivalent to the series S and they only sell one X spec console.

 

[Mopetar]

That sounds like another recipe for disaster. Did no one learn anything from the 3DO?

The people in charge of gaming at Microsoft should be fired and replaced with anyone who hasn't mistaken their backside as a good place to put their own head.

 

[marees]

Asus is the launch partner for the xbox themed windows handheld

the Xbox work that has hit the headlines this week is actually called Project Kennan, not Keenan. I’m told that Kennan is the codename for a handheld that is being manufactured by Asus, and it’s part of a larger effort from Microsoft to unify Windows and Xbox towards a universal library of Xbox and PC games.

I’m told that Asus is one of the launch partners for these efforts, with an Xbox-branded handheld likely to debut later this year. I say likely because a lot of this platform work is still ongoing, so until Microsoft officially announces it, timelines could change.


Some of this platform work is codenamed Project Bayside, part of an Xbox UX framework that is designed to ensure there’s a common Xbox UI across multiple devices to help combine Windows and Xbox. Together, Kennan and Bayside represent some of the work that Ronald was hinting at, opening up the benefits of Xbox to the broader Windows ecosystem.


Windows Central reports that Microsoft is working on a “premium successor” to the Xbox Series X alongside its own Xbox handheld that is tentatively slated for release in 2027. I’m fully expecting Microsoft’s next Xbox console to be a lot more PC-like, so the Kennan and Bayside projects will likely give us an early look at how the next-gen Xbox will take shape on the software side, at least.

These Xbox platform changes could also help fend off the threat of SteamOS. I wrote last year that Microsoft is now in a handheld gaming PC race, with Valve allowing device makers to offer SteamOS on their handhelds instead of Windows. Microsoft has been slow to respond to the Steam Deck, particularly around improving the Windows experience on handhelds like Asus’ ROG Ally. Valve opening up SteamOS last summer and then Lenovo introducing its own SteamOS-powered handheld in January will have sounded the alarms inside Microsoft, because if one Windows OEM has already been tempted by SteamOS then what’s stopping more of them from switching?

This is particularly relevant beyond the emerging market of handhelds, too. Valve is now in a far better position to make its console-like Steam Machines a reality, thanks to the success of the Steam Deck and its Proton work. If OEMs get comfortable with SteamOS on their handhelds, the next logical step is a demand for SteamOS on something more like a miniature PC or game console.


https://www.theverge.com/notepad-mi...icrosoft-xbox-handheld-project-kennan-notepad

 

[marees]

MS first party handheld not before 2027

In that case it could potentially be on RDNA 5 / UDNA

DF Weekly: if the Xbox handheld is years away, what's the point of Project Kennan?

Digital Foundry on what could be a crucial step in bringing Windows and Xbox together.

www.eurogamer.net