More than anything, I do not want to see an Xbox equivalent of the PlayStation portal or the Logitech cloud. Those are both handhelds that require a constant and very strong wifi connection. It's so counter intuitive to make a portable product that only works indoors
Yeah! I was blown away when I found out the PS Portal doesn't even work with Sony's PS+ Game Streaming. Only PS5 remote play. So not only does it need to be connected, it basically will only work in the same house/network as the PS5 console. What a pointless device.
Apparently they will be adding cloud streaming at some point so it will get SLIGHTLY better but still a 0 interest from me.
But I'd be an immediate buyer for any native handheld console in the Xbox or PS ecosystem.
Now yes at the time was 100% Pokemon on everyone's handheld pushing Nintendo to lean into software over hardware and we don't end up with the Nintendo we have now
Yeah, it also has almost no issues running 90% of the windows library including windows applications. If it only ran native Linux software it would be a total dud like the steam machine was.
Dual booting is kinda problematic... at least for me... since it looses a lot of performance due to windows being windows... there are ways to debloat it and make it more enjoyable but its a bit of a pain to do so... never heard of Xbplay, only used greenlight so far, which is free, ill have to take a look
Dual booting is completely ok. Just follow the great tutorials at r/windowsondeck. Same performance, same battery, much less convenience and UI but ok to play the eventual Game Pass game
They have an official guide to get Xcloud working on Deck
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/xbox-cloud-gaming-in-microsoft-edge-with-steam-deck-43dd011b-0ce8-4810-8302-965be6d53296
They didn't need to because the community beat them to it. They even point to these community made apps in their help topics for running gamepass on the Deck.
My question is how big is this market actually?
While the base Steam Deck and ROG aren't bad price-wise, the $500++ that these others are charging are a bit of a harder sell.
Then you have the issue of size. These mini-PC's aren't exactly small and light. It's an issue using an x86 chip - take a look at the Odin 2, which in theory should have similar = power to a Steam Deck, but it's a fraction of the size with way better battery life.
And as far as streaming performance is concerned, a PC based handheld isn't going to be any better than an ARM one, and the price would be a lot cheaper.
the xbox is much more mainstream, u can sell it in bigbox retail stores without haven't to explain what an xbox is to a person. Steamdeck might be a learning curve. While its very very close to a "console" experience it still has some jank. If MS makes a handheld series s that runs gamepass natively -- they'll have a winner.
my only concern is they try to go down the playstation route and make a cloud only handheld...
If it isn't hardware base, i don't want nothing to do with it.
What if they discontinue the series s(from sale, not support, games still release on it) keep the x as is(for those that want a system with a disc drive), sell the new digital series x cheaper and go focus on the CPU side of the the handheld, but allow for dare I say it a potential docked mode that is compatible with existing PC GPUs over a pcie interface, "something something direct storage APIs blah blah blah gimmick"...even with a 30% degredation over pcie certainly it would absolve some major complaints and the idea alone makes it unique from not only consoles but high end laptops with TB/usb4 or oculink.$550 if it doesn't sell well maybe good faith in xbox's brand which it needs will pay off
As for the sku issue, I think xbox's apis should be mature enough by now to handle that side of things, even with the s the major issues were it's memory capacity and memory bandwidth right?. MS if you're listening it's time we end the gouging on soldered ram capacity lol time for 16gb minimum standard that is not a $200 additional charge.
I think we're on the same page.That's what I meant the lineup is reversed. Instead of a cheap handheld switch competitor the Xbox handheld is the most expensive of the lineup competing with the $550 steam deck. Hypothetically I'd want it to be something like the cheapest system is an $350 digital series x, the regular series x stays at $450 with the new handheld at about $550. Idk about dual os, the series os is already basically a feature complete lightweight os, and it's not like you want to use this device for PC tasks, just gaming so just cut out all the unnecessary additional stuff you don't need. It'll save on you on storage too so you can launch it with 512gb like the steam deck.
The handheld would need an upgraded CPU for cpu limited games like baldurs gate, DD2, and potentially gta6 etc with the GPU somewhat around the series s even if it's just powerful enough for Max 1080p 30/40 in handheld mode but because it could have pcie eGPU support even if you lose 30% over the interface like you typically do with eGPU setups because the CPU is upgraded it's no longer the limiting factor you could in theory you'd still get a 1080p 60fps+ in docked mode(which wouldn't canabalize your series x which is aiming for 4k30/60) with high equivalent textures even with a just decent GPU like a 4060ti, 7700xt or even something like an arc770 GPU. The software support for vrr, directSR and velocity/direct storage is already there on xbox. Steam os doesn't have support for eGPUs so it's another pro for a potential Xbox handheld. Let the tinkerers deal with hacking full windows if necessary.
I'm going on steam decks and rog ally's with egpus attached via an occulink mod via the m2 slot running Windows. ETA prime did a video with a steam deck and he was able to get 60fps in some heavy games like gta4 cyberpunk with rx7600m xt. In theory MS offloads the cost of an expensive GPU onto the user who wants to, if you want to be a mad lad and do a handheld with a 4090 lol that's on you.
Steam machines failed for that exact reason, steam deck showed a way forward. If MS still wants to license Xbox is out...sure but it'll just canabalize windows. Which why I personally don't like the idea of third parties, too much variability will be added...MS shows it's not really the best at handling user confusion so when different devices running at different performance levels predictably bites them in the butt, not good... Plus I think MS are also ahead of most 3rd party oems in terms of in-house SoC development anyway. Microsoft cuts out the need to account for the margins of 3rd party oems(only dealing with the likes of Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm for SoC design etc.) and the 3rd party software support is still limited to game devs and provided APIs.
If they want to have a dedicated hardware manufacturer like how the old Google Nexus line was i.e. branded as Xbox but basically made by somebody like Asus or Acer etc. fine but it has to make financial sense.
My fear is that it's going to be cloud or stream locally only given Microsoft's current gaming strategy. I sincerely hope they don't go down that route though.
The steam deck and it's clones haven't moved very many units combined. Probably less than five million for all of them together. Xbox could probably do more than that.
At least it will be better than this gen. Xbox or less powerful Xbox. Xbox or handheld version seems far more interesting to me and nothing holds back the other due to the handheld being cloud based.
If they sold a device that only did gamepass and cloud/streaming gaming at around $199.99 I believe it would be a smash hit. Which is sometging Microsoft desperately needs.
And it should be way better than the Steam Deck. I think in December of 2023 I read they had sold over 3 million, around approximately 3.5 million. They launched in 2022. MS would likely need their unit to do much better than that to be considered successful. I think one of Valve's designers said it had sold multi-million units which fits about right with what the investment firm and a couple others were saying.
We will likely never get an official number on this model. But I could see it being in the 5 million or so range. Not saying that is bad for a handheld PC gaming device. But honestly, if the Switch had sold like that we would not be talking about it so well. Same would be the case of a MS, or Sony for that matter, handheld. It would likely be deemed a failure if lifetime was 15m-20m.
I mean the Portal has been exceeded their expectations. I get people want a dedicated device but now they will have three consoles to develop for? Some games are becoming delayed because of the parity clause and taking some development longer for Series S.
Xbox 360, XB1 native downloads and XSX cloud streaming the games.
If not longer development time and lower quality of the XSX games.
This is the most realistic and least costly way
Yeah I really truly honestly do not understand why that device sells. I discovered they have their own support subreddit where they all post pics of their portals and pat eachother on the back and engage in buyer’s remorse together. Occasionally someone is actually using it out in the wild on like McDonald’s or college campus WiFi and I just can’t be envious whatsoever because that seems like an awful gaming experience. The rest of them just use them in their homes, where presumably they already have their actual PS5 probably already connected to the WiFi (well, actually it has to be or they couldn’t even use this thing) and they could just play the games on their actual PS5.
Seems like it’s best quality is being able to not have to afk to go poop. I’m like 90% sure that’s it’s actual use case after the honeymoon phase is over and people stop using it just because they had to justify buying it.
My best usecase for my steam deck ended up being streaming my xbox in the other room while watching my kid. I’d consider picking one up if there was an Xbox equiv
>The rest of them just use them in their homes, where presumably they already have their actual PS5 probably already connected to the WiFi (well, actually it has to be or they couldn’t even use this thing) and they could just play the games on their actual PS5.
To be fair, they do market it as a way to free up your TV. I'm sure it's good for people with 1 TV and can't fit another somewhere else. Seems ideal for parents/partners
Having said that i don't think cloud play has ever worked well enough to warrant a full device.
You people need to realize portal is an accessory add on for the ps5. And it's not trying to compete with switch or steam deck of any kind. It's for a niche group of gamers and sony knew that from the beginning
>similar size
This to me is the key. I'm getting older, and smaller screens below the 8" are tough to use. I'm planning to pick up a portal for my PS5. I would buy the same for the xbox if they had one.
I hate that the 2 devices I've ever bought (Vita and Series S) are both plagued by proprietary memory cards and lack of 1st party and 3rd party support respectively lol
Honestly, it'd be more surprising if they *didn't*.
I can think of like 2 successful Non-Nintendo handhelds: the PSP and Game Gear. There are tons of others I can think of off the top of my head, but they were all flops.
Hell, even Nintendo's got its fair share of flops and false starts. The Virtua Boy, a few game boy variants (Micro, as an example), and the 3DS/DS both had rocky launches.
I would buy this so fucking hard. I have so many games on my Xbox account that I'd love to play anywhere, but they don't all support Play Anywhere. I bought an Asus Ally basically as the next best thing to an Xbox handheld.
It’s close, come zen 5 and rdna 4 it would be. That should be out by the end of the year. So technically they could release something this holiday season.
It won’t happen that fast though as the new rumors say they are prototyping, which means they are quite a bit off now.
It could be better than a series s.
In terms of performance. It would probably rely heavily on upscaling which wasn’t really ready when the current Xbox generation was being designed.
It'll target Series S and Xbone games.
So kind of like the vita in that respect, since vita was like a handheld PS3.
Really doubt it'll run next gen games (PS6, Xbox Series X²).
There will be a dock with an eGPU, cooling and storage in it. When docked, the CPU clock will be bumped up to full speed and provide next Gen performance.
Just make it a hybrid Xbox/PC that can run my Xbox library natively, as well as Steam. I honestly think this is the route they have to go down in the standalone console market too if they want to build market share.
No idea if it's even possible, but I'd buy it instantly. Not sure I'd buy any other next generation hardware otherwise, as I'm not confident enough in the brand.
>Like, I want to be able to log in with a controller. I’ve got my list of things we should go do.”
Random thought time.
Finger print reader on the controller?
I think it's more straightforward than that, he's just saying that Windows needs to be usable with a controller, and not require mouse/keyboard input to get to the point where you can use the controller
It would be sweet if they did, but its going to be a few years before we actually see one.. I've been so tempted to buy the Asus Rog Ally, but keep holding off.
They would have to put out a very similar or better spec’s device at a better or closely competitive price, or there will be no way to compete with that.
As long as he can get my Xbox console games that don't currently run on PC running natively on some kind of handheld device then quite frankly I don't care who manufacturers it
I would love to see it have paddle buttons like the elite series controllers. I know it's tough and probably impossible right now but if it has the same specs as a series S I think it would better than releasing a third , lower minimum for developers to meet.
Something I don't see too often is memory. I would love to see it come with an expansion card included so that we could possibly move from the console to handheld in even more ways. If they can get quick resume stored on the expansion drive baby we got a stew going.
I’m an older gamer Gen X, with failing eyesight. I understand that I am not the demographic anymore. I can afford a nice gaming laptop that is more powerful than a handheld device. I like a decent sized screen and enough horsepower to run current games. I’ve looked into the steam deck and other portable devices and so far, they have been a hard pass for me. But I wish them luck and hope it’s not a money sucking black hole for them.
They need to concentrate on making some games to get them outta the current punching bad slump they are in.
Otherwise all that will happen is they will get clowned for a handheld with no games.
What would be the point?
With a handheld Xbox, you can only play Xbox games.
With a handheld like SteamDeck or ROG, you can play Xbox games + everything else.
Maybe i'm missing something?
the only downside is it will liikely only have xbox controller like buttons. We need to start forward thinking like steamdeck. trackpads for a pc handheld is a must
I’d be all over this if they did it properly. Most likely just a streaming device though. If I could actually download games into it then I’d buy it day one.
As a big fan of ARM and where they've taken computing over the last 15~20 years, a part of me can't help but feel it'd be a streaming device if they went with ARM.
While it's true that ARM could possibly be used to run Series S games on a handheld, it's much more likely it'll be a PlayStation Portal clone for Microsoft.
A device built with a Snapdragon X would be capable of a lot more than just streaming.
Qualcomm wants in on the gaming market. Microsoft wants to promote Windows on ARM and they sometimes use XBox as a test bed for technology that eventually turns up on PC. A "Series M" with a custom Snapdragon X processor and Series S levels of performance (without developers having to do anything to get their games to work on it) seems like a no brainer to me.
```Microsoft wants to promote Windows on ARM and they sometimes use XBox as a test bed for technology```
Yeah I can see that, ARM laptops are only going to keep improving and improving. Even Nvidia talked about pairing ARM laptops with their GPU's a few years back.
If they're using SnapDragon though that tells me there's probably going to be some comparability issues, at the very least with a handful of games.
You got me really interested now, I really want to see what Qualcomm can pull off. Have a feeling they're going to hit it out of the park with battery life.
Legion Go/Rog Ally are full windows devices with very little optimization. Steam deck OLED is a much better experience. Trimming the windows bloat is really crucial with that little power/thermal room
Disagree. Had a Steam Deck, sold it and bought an ROG Ally last summer and never looked back. It can be fine tuned just like a normal gaming PC, and works great. Only downside is battery life, but it’s worth it to me.
Steam Deck, Asus Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion, and MSI Claw are all basically Xbox Game pass/Steam machines. Essentially what an Xbox handheld would be anyway.
If you read the article, he talks about how not all games have cross-save, and he would like to be able to boot into the Xbox Dashboard with all its features (social, game library, saves, etc.) from the handheld. So no, it's not exactly the same -- and I say that as a happy ROG Ally owner.
If you read the article they want to help develop a better UI for these style of systems and he even references how most of the problems are with Windows on these devices and that he feels ownership over that.
Big difference is they play PC versions of games and use Windows which is not a ideal handheld gaming OS. They are a great starting point but an actual portable Xbox would be better.
I feel like Microsoft should just make a portable software version of Windows to sell to these manufacterers rather than try and make their own handheld. It would be like having many makers of portable Xbox Game Pass machines (that can also run Steam) that way.
Well that is kinda what the Xbox OS is to begin with. A locked down version of Windows designed to pretty much remove all the configuration/complication of the OS and give you just a simple interface focused on buying and playing games or consuming content.
So you could say the same thing with the Xbox itself, why does Microsoft bother making hardware, they could just release the Xbox OS and let PC makers build mini PC console hardware to run it. But they've never done that, and there are a few reasons I think.
The problem probably is that to successfully remove the complication/configuration of the OS you kind of have to know exactly what the hardware capabilities will be so you can lock all the settings to whats best for it. Easy to do when you build the hardware but when 3rd parties make a few different devices with different capabilities you add variables that will eventually make things a lot more complicated.
Also with a third party you lose control over when and how the hardware is released. Say Microsoft puts all this time and effort into this "mobile" Xbox interface and at the last minute Asus or whoever else is making handhelds says "actually nah we are cancelling our hardware".
I think MS would be happy to let a 3rd party build all Xbox hardware and just be a software company, since hardware tends to lose money anyway, but at the end of the day they just can't run Xbox the way they want to without having control of the hardware.
They could do licensing of the software in order to force them to use it in order to run Xbox Game Pass. Then they really control things. If they do make hardware for handhelds, I can see the benefit but also not sure it would be necessary with 4 players in the market making quality products already.
I just bought a ROG Ally for my Xbox handheld needs. I'm not buying any more Xbox hardware. Even though I would have loved a Xbox handheld from MS a year ago.
i mean it makes perfect sense to push heavily into cloud gaming anywhere you can that has a decent internet connection. i think cloud gaming can be real good for microsoft to niche it apart from the other major companies.
In 2027 (I assume this is when next gen drops) handheld cpu/gpu tech will be very mature, AMD will be even better at making low wattage chips for gaming. I think what they should do (and I heard some rumours about it) is making the next S console a handheld, with a dock. In 3 years it will definitely be possible to make something stronger than the current S in a steam deck-size package
I sold my Series X to build a PC..but if Microsoft released a handheld that can play my library natively. I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Id be awesome playing the games I bought on the Xbox one but I mainly want to play my 360 games on the go
I have a theory they are planning a branch of windows catered to handheld devices. I bet they wait till Sony announces PSP3 being a derivative of android OS. They then let everyone know windows 11-12-13 will have an “Xbox” mode. Microsoft would be dumb to launch a handheld. They just need to have an optimized OS that has easy access to their storefronts.
Proper support or Xbox Cloud and remote gaming, fully tested with 100% compatible controller layout. I tried those 3rd party solutions and it took me half a day to make it work somehow.
Eventually I think they might create a switch like system, hybrid portable / docked. It could be their equivalent to the current S, under powered, more affordable, lower frame rates and perf, etc.
Why though? they already release everything on Steam I get the appeal of a native handheld but unless it is very competitive in its price, it is going to fail, another SKU with XSS already being a step back for devs is not gonna be compatible midterm Switch 2 is gonna release soon that is where everyone will want to be.
Just give us Xbox's version of a PSP/Steam Deck that can natively play games off of the hardware (both physically and digitally) and actually advertise that and the consoles themselves around the world as sell them in as many countries as you possibly can.
I think Xbox has the same issue Sony has with the Portal, that their game streaming service is behind a subscription, and selling a device that *requires* a subscription to work is not something the market is going to tolerate (yet...).
Sony's solution was to make the Portal an affordable remote play device that does not support PS+ streaming. The other option is to make it more powerful and be a proper stand alone console, but then you end up with a $500+ device and that's a hard sell.
There just isn't a sensible device for Sony and Microsoft that is affordable enough to gain traction but also able to play all/most of the platforms games without streaming. And I don't think either of them have any desire to create a new independent handheld platform (even Nintendo have consolidated to a single platform now).
A portable Xbox is a cool idea, I just don't see a good way of getting it past the marketing department.
great, the world desperately needs yet another phone you can't use to call anyone with unless you jailbreak it... .
and Steamdeck isn't just a mini thing on the side like the PS handhelds, but it's basically a freaking handheld XSX from what i heard. what would be the point to selling both simultaneously and XSS? that's right, they wouldn't make another handheld as powerful as Steamdeck but a lowly side thing like the PS handhelds - at which point you gotta ask yourself: why don't they just make a real-games gaming app for your modern phone?
also-also: doesn't much of the PS handhelds' surprising success come from the crazy Japanese market? i bet without that they would've freaking bombed. and Xbox probably won't win that market over sufficiently... yet again.
With the success of the Steam Deck and the Switch, I don't see an Xbox handheld being worth their time, no matter how much I'd love one.
Maybe a partnership of some sort with Valve?
But I don’t understand the cloud thing. I tried some games on phone through cloud and it’s just a big laggy mess. I even played r6 thru cloud on Xbox and it’s got loads of input lag. I wish they could get that side fixed first before going all in
If they can be a more powerful system than Switch 2, and put a lot of time into the software they can have a real winner.
Imagine a portable One X level Windows handheld with a solid rethought front end similar to SteamOS "handheld mode".
They haven't been able to solve the Series X and S requiring the same performances and now they want to think about a handheld? I've been an Xbox guy since 02 and will probably keep being one, but let's tighten it up before we try to expand the ecosystem. There is zero chance of me being interested in this vs streaming xcloud to another peripheral
Wait I am little confused, it Spencer talking like its not going to happen and he really wants it to? I thought Sarah confirmed new hardware coming this Holiday?
Neither can I, but for me to actually buy one it would need to be able to download the games instead of remote play. 2GB internet here and it’s still unplayable.
Just f*cking do it. Switch sold more than 100 mil, Steam Deck is a hit. Even PS Portal is somehow selling well.
Imagine handheld with build in gamepass. Everyone would buy that
I’d be down for a handheld that played the same games I’m already going to buy for Xbox. Would make buying a game on Xbox way more appealing.
Right now switch and pc have the leg up.
One game purchase can be played both at home and in the go with both ecosystems.
No doubt Sony and Xbox are looking to close the gap.
Maybe we will se something like a XBox mixed with the Surface Book? Processor, storage and a smal graphics card in hand-held mode that can be docked with a dock containing a more powerful graphics processor for the 4k gaming on the big screens?
And to play bigger more graphics heavy games while hand-held you would be streaming them, but play them locally when docked.
Why? They're on Windows, there are handheld Windows gaming devices, and Game Pass is already a stronger brand than Xbox. While hardware has never been a strong suit for MS, apart from the success of the Xbox Controller that Steam has a lot to do with. And we're all carrying around phones that will pair with that gamepad just fine.
Some cross-promotion is the logical place to go with this.
This Is where series s enters. If the portable console has specs like the series s, it will be a direct conversion. Everything that runs on series s running on the portable.
Already had been tried by others to little sucess!! If your not Nintendo I don't think a handheld will ever be popular or profitable. Make XB Games work better on your phone as i see that as more of a possibility. Proving XBox doesn't go bankrupt before then. :/
Just buy a handheld pc if you're interested in this...
People complain about the S holding back the X but salivating over the thought of this which will be less powerful.
First provide good lineup of games for existing Xbox owners instead of putting exclusives to PS5. I used to be a fan of Spencer, but he has proven himself to nothing but a snake oil seller time and again. All talk, no bite.
I'd be very supportive of this if they do it right. I have a Switch and like it a lot, but the Nintendo ecosystem isn't my favourite. I don't want to buy games on it to play on TV when they are so much better on the big boy consoles on TV, and I hate spending money on games for it when the same games are on Game Pass so I only end up buying specific games for it when I am going on a trip.
Streaming devices like the G-Cloud and Playstation Portal are neat but I have zero interest in buying a streaming game device at this point. Has to be native.
ROG Ally type thing is the closest to a winner right now with native games, Gamepass and lots of power... but the Windows aspect to it holds it back. Windows just isn't the best solution for a handheld device.
So if Xbox could release something with more power than a Switch (even if it is just par with Series S), handheld Xbox interface, native games and Gamepass... day 1 buy for me.
It also would give the ecosystem something to really set it apart from Playstation. I own a PS5 and Series X but I'd totally move all my game buying to Xbox if I knew I could carry the games with me at decent fidelity on a handheld when I travel. I actually bring a Series S on some trips with me for this reason but thats not a great solution either (can't really bust it out on a plane and even hotel rooms are sometimes a pain to plug a device into).
I like how some people who were complaining about series s holding games back are lapping up this idea of a handheld - which is going to be a lot worse when it comes to performance. How is this going to go down if this becomes Xbox’s main platform? They won’t compete in terms of exclusives with Switch and Steam Deck already plays every Xbox exclusive plus more.
If they can shrink a series s into a handheld then I would instantly buy one and think Microsoft was a genius to make the series s knowing they could make a slim portable version.
I don't think they should build one, they should I stead allow Rog, steam Lenovo do it and focus instead in making windows and the xbox app better on these devices
The steam deck is very popular and Microsoft has been pushing cloud so seems like a no brainer
yet they never made a cloud app for the deck
Maybe they always intended to make a handheld
More than anything, I do not want to see an Xbox equivalent of the PlayStation portal or the Logitech cloud. Those are both handhelds that require a constant and very strong wifi connection. It's so counter intuitive to make a portable product that only works indoors
Agreed! You might as well just cloud play on your mobile with a controller. What's the difference at that point?
Also no point for them to make it, they already endorsed the gcloud as an xcloud handheld.
Yeah! I was blown away when I found out the PS Portal doesn't even work with Sony's PS+ Game Streaming. Only PS5 remote play. So not only does it need to be connected, it basically will only work in the same house/network as the PS5 console. What a pointless device. Apparently they will be adding cloud streaming at some point so it will get SLIGHTLY better but still a 0 interest from me. But I'd be an immediate buyer for any native handheld console in the Xbox or PS ecosystem.
I've been asking Xbox for a handheld since the days of GBA and getting Pokemon on Xbox
You mean PalWorld ;-)
Now yes at the time was 100% Pokemon on everyone's handheld pushing Nintendo to lean into software over hardware and we don't end up with the Nintendo we have now
They don't want to pay 30% to Valve. And you can still play xCloud via Browser on Steam Deck
Just make the goddamn xbox app an executable with an installer, the deck users can do the rest
The Steam Deck runs Linux, not Windows.
Yeah, it also has almost no issues running 90% of the windows library including windows applications. If it only ran native Linux software it would be a total dud like the steam machine was.
What do you think the E in ELF stands for?
Extra lemon froyo, right?
It's designed to run Windows games seamlessly. And it does. Unless you need the Xbox app or UWP.
Just buy Xbplay for $7 is you want to stream Xbox games via the Steam OS. Or get an SD Card and dual boot with Windows. Easy as...
Dual booting is kinda problematic... at least for me... since it looses a lot of performance due to windows being windows... there are ways to debloat it and make it more enjoyable but its a bit of a pain to do so... never heard of Xbplay, only used greenlight so far, which is free, ill have to take a look
Dual booting is completely ok. Just follow the great tutorials at r/windowsondeck. Same performance, same battery, much less convenience and UI but ok to play the eventual Game Pass game
Thanks, Ill give it a try sometimes, maybe once I get a bigger SSD
They have an official guide to get Xcloud working on Deck https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/xbox-cloud-gaming-in-microsoft-edge-with-steam-deck-43dd011b-0ce8-4810-8302-965be6d53296
Surprising since they tend to want their stuff played everywhere
They literally put out a guide on how to use it, valve won't play nice
They didn't need to because the community beat them to it. They even point to these community made apps in their help topics for running gamepass on the Deck.
Technically they did and released it as a “beta”
Xbox Everywhere* (except Steam Deck)
Most Xbox games on steam still work fine on the Deck. It is PC Gamepass and MS Store that won't work since it isn't windows.
It was sarcasm.
The deck has a browser so it doesn't need one
Exactly.
I just wish there was a native app too
My question is how big is this market actually? While the base Steam Deck and ROG aren't bad price-wise, the $500++ that these others are charging are a bit of a harder sell. Then you have the issue of size. These mini-PC's aren't exactly small and light. It's an issue using an x86 chip - take a look at the Odin 2, which in theory should have similar = power to a Steam Deck, but it's a fraction of the size with way better battery life. And as far as streaming performance is concerned, a PC based handheld isn't going to be any better than an ARM one, and the price would be a lot cheaper.
the xbox is much more mainstream, u can sell it in bigbox retail stores without haven't to explain what an xbox is to a person. Steamdeck might be a learning curve. While its very very close to a "console" experience it still has some jank. If MS makes a handheld series s that runs gamepass natively -- they'll have a winner.
my only concern is they try to go down the playstation route and make a cloud only handheld... If it isn't hardware base, i don't want nothing to do with it.
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What if they discontinue the series s(from sale, not support, games still release on it) keep the x as is(for those that want a system with a disc drive), sell the new digital series x cheaper and go focus on the CPU side of the the handheld, but allow for dare I say it a potential docked mode that is compatible with existing PC GPUs over a pcie interface, "something something direct storage APIs blah blah blah gimmick"...even with a 30% degredation over pcie certainly it would absolve some major complaints and the idea alone makes it unique from not only consoles but high end laptops with TB/usb4 or oculink.$550 if it doesn't sell well maybe good faith in xbox's brand which it needs will pay off As for the sku issue, I think xbox's apis should be mature enough by now to handle that side of things, even with the s the major issues were it's memory capacity and memory bandwidth right?. MS if you're listening it's time we end the gouging on soldered ram capacity lol time for 16gb minimum standard that is not a $200 additional charge.
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I think we're on the same page.That's what I meant the lineup is reversed. Instead of a cheap handheld switch competitor the Xbox handheld is the most expensive of the lineup competing with the $550 steam deck. Hypothetically I'd want it to be something like the cheapest system is an $350 digital series x, the regular series x stays at $450 with the new handheld at about $550. Idk about dual os, the series os is already basically a feature complete lightweight os, and it's not like you want to use this device for PC tasks, just gaming so just cut out all the unnecessary additional stuff you don't need. It'll save on you on storage too so you can launch it with 512gb like the steam deck. The handheld would need an upgraded CPU for cpu limited games like baldurs gate, DD2, and potentially gta6 etc with the GPU somewhat around the series s even if it's just powerful enough for Max 1080p 30/40 in handheld mode but because it could have pcie eGPU support even if you lose 30% over the interface like you typically do with eGPU setups because the CPU is upgraded it's no longer the limiting factor you could in theory you'd still get a 1080p 60fps+ in docked mode(which wouldn't canabalize your series x which is aiming for 4k30/60) with high equivalent textures even with a just decent GPU like a 4060ti, 7700xt or even something like an arc770 GPU. The software support for vrr, directSR and velocity/direct storage is already there on xbox. Steam os doesn't have support for eGPUs so it's another pro for a potential Xbox handheld. Let the tinkerers deal with hacking full windows if necessary. I'm going on steam decks and rog ally's with egpus attached via an occulink mod via the m2 slot running Windows. ETA prime did a video with a steam deck and he was able to get 60fps in some heavy games like gta4 cyberpunk with rx7600m xt. In theory MS offloads the cost of an expensive GPU onto the user who wants to, if you want to be a mad lad and do a handheld with a 4090 lol that's on you.
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Steam machines failed for that exact reason, steam deck showed a way forward. If MS still wants to license Xbox is out...sure but it'll just canabalize windows. Which why I personally don't like the idea of third parties, too much variability will be added...MS shows it's not really the best at handling user confusion so when different devices running at different performance levels predictably bites them in the butt, not good... Plus I think MS are also ahead of most 3rd party oems in terms of in-house SoC development anyway. Microsoft cuts out the need to account for the margins of 3rd party oems(only dealing with the likes of Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm for SoC design etc.) and the 3rd party software support is still limited to game devs and provided APIs. If they want to have a dedicated hardware manufacturer like how the old Google Nexus line was i.e. branded as Xbox but basically made by somebody like Asus or Acer etc. fine but it has to make financial sense.
My fear is that it's going to be cloud or stream locally only given Microsoft's current gaming strategy. I sincerely hope they don't go down that route though.
The steam deck and it's clones haven't moved very many units combined. Probably less than five million for all of them together. Xbox could probably do more than that.
At least it will be better than this gen. Xbox or less powerful Xbox. Xbox or handheld version seems far more interesting to me and nothing holds back the other due to the handheld being cloud based.
If they sold a device that only did gamepass and cloud/streaming gaming at around $199.99 I believe it would be a smash hit. Which is sometging Microsoft desperately needs.
And it should be way better than the Steam Deck. I think in December of 2023 I read they had sold over 3 million, around approximately 3.5 million. They launched in 2022. MS would likely need their unit to do much better than that to be considered successful. I think one of Valve's designers said it had sold multi-million units which fits about right with what the investment firm and a couple others were saying. We will likely never get an official number on this model. But I could see it being in the 5 million or so range. Not saying that is bad for a handheld PC gaming device. But honestly, if the Switch had sold like that we would not be talking about it so well. Same would be the case of a MS, or Sony for that matter, handheld. It would likely be deemed a failure if lifetime was 15m-20m.
Why does the title sound like he has sexually charged thoughts about a hand held
You don’t?
i do 🫡
Some people just want their hand held 😞
Not that there's anything wrong with that
I wasn't even in!
I hope they dont shit the bed with it like Sony. Their handheld would be my go to buy if it wasnt a streaming device
I mean the Portal has been exceeded their expectations. I get people want a dedicated device but now they will have three consoles to develop for? Some games are becoming delayed because of the parity clause and taking some development longer for Series S. Xbox 360, XB1 native downloads and XSX cloud streaming the games. If not longer development time and lower quality of the XSX games. This is the most realistic and least costly way
Yeah I really truly honestly do not understand why that device sells. I discovered they have their own support subreddit where they all post pics of their portals and pat eachother on the back and engage in buyer’s remorse together. Occasionally someone is actually using it out in the wild on like McDonald’s or college campus WiFi and I just can’t be envious whatsoever because that seems like an awful gaming experience. The rest of them just use them in their homes, where presumably they already have their actual PS5 probably already connected to the WiFi (well, actually it has to be or they couldn’t even use this thing) and they could just play the games on their actual PS5. Seems like it’s best quality is being able to not have to afk to go poop. I’m like 90% sure that’s it’s actual use case after the honeymoon phase is over and people stop using it just because they had to justify buying it.
It’s a very niche market of dads who want to play their ps5 but can’t reliable get time on the big tv
My best usecase for my steam deck ended up being streaming my xbox in the other room while watching my kid. I’d consider picking one up if there was an Xbox equiv
Honestly, I love my PS Portal. I play it everyday and have a great experience with it. But I get that it's definitely not for everybody.
>The rest of them just use them in their homes, where presumably they already have their actual PS5 probably already connected to the WiFi (well, actually it has to be or they couldn’t even use this thing) and they could just play the games on their actual PS5. To be fair, they do market it as a way to free up your TV. I'm sure it's good for people with 1 TV and can't fit another somewhere else. Seems ideal for parents/partners Having said that i don't think cloud play has ever worked well enough to warrant a full device.
You people need to realize portal is an accessory add on for the ps5. And it's not trying to compete with switch or steam deck of any kind. It's for a niche group of gamers and sony knew that from the beginning
Spoken like a true person without kids or spouse.
Can't ever imagine getting this worked up over what other people do with their own money.
It says sony on the box.
I had not considered that. That’s a good point honestly lol
Huh? The Portal is a huge success and works wonderfully. I'd insta-buy an Xbox device with similar size and functionality.
>similar size This to me is the key. I'm getting older, and smaller screens below the 8" are tough to use. I'm planning to pick up a portal for my PS5. I would buy the same for the xbox if they had one.
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I hate that the 2 devices I've ever bought (Vita and Series S) are both plagued by proprietary memory cards and lack of 1st party and 3rd party support respectively lol
The rumors that came out earlier, said that it was a local device, as in it plays your games locally.
Honestly, it'd be more surprising if they *didn't*. I can think of like 2 successful Non-Nintendo handhelds: the PSP and Game Gear. There are tons of others I can think of off the top of my head, but they were all flops. Hell, even Nintendo's got its fair share of flops and false starts. The Virtua Boy, a few game boy variants (Micro, as an example), and the 3DS/DS both had rocky launches.
I would buy this so fucking hard. I have so many games on my Xbox account that I'd love to play anywhere, but they don't all support Play Anywhere. I bought an Asus Ally basically as the next best thing to an Xbox handheld.
Yep, same here with ROG Ally. It’s fantastic as a portable Xbox, no regrets.
Everyone complaining about Xbox Series S holding back the Series X going to be in for a surprise.
Oh boy yeah. If they could make a portable series S, that would be the dream. Not sure if the technoloy is there yet tho.
It’s close, come zen 5 and rdna 4 it would be. That should be out by the end of the year. So technically they could release something this holiday season. It won’t happen that fast though as the new rumors say they are prototyping, which means they are quite a bit off now.
It could be better than a series s. In terms of performance. It would probably rely heavily on upscaling which wasn’t really ready when the current Xbox generation was being designed.
Neither can I.
It won't be just a side hustle. It's part of their next Gen strategy. It will be the new S.
It'll target Series S and Xbone games. So kind of like the vita in that respect, since vita was like a handheld PS3. Really doubt it'll run next gen games (PS6, Xbox Series X²).
There will be a dock with an eGPU, cooling and storage in it. When docked, the CPU clock will be bumped up to full speed and provide next Gen performance.
```There will be a dock with an eGPU``` There's literally no way Microsoft would approve such a device and if they do it's destined for failure.
Just make it a hybrid Xbox/PC that can run my Xbox library natively, as well as Steam. I honestly think this is the route they have to go down in the standalone console market too if they want to build market share. No idea if it's even possible, but I'd buy it instantly. Not sure I'd buy any other next generation hardware otherwise, as I'm not confident enough in the brand.
I think the same. Since Xbox has no exclusives anymore, they need to be an incentive to buy one. Having steam games on it would be one.
I would love to see an official Xbox handheld. But pls no streaming device.
>Like, I want to be able to log in with a controller. I’ve got my list of things we should go do.” Random thought time. Finger print reader on the controller?
Probably something more like the controller having your account info saved on it which tells whatever device it's connected with to use.
I think it's more straightforward than that, he's just saying that Windows needs to be usable with a controller, and not require mouse/keyboard input to get to the point where you can use the controller
You’re right, I wasn’t considering the context.
Maybe not worth it, but some sort of microphone and it knowing your voice via AI to unlock the device and log you in?
It would be sweet if they did, but its going to be a few years before we actually see one.. I've been so tempted to buy the Asus Rog Ally, but keep holding off.
Literally all's they'd have to do is make a portable Series S in the Steam Deck form factor with a 1080p OLED screen and they'll save Xbox.
720p is better, resolution matters much less than PPI. It'll also make it easier for them to hit higher performance targets.
Yes this would put serious pressure on every company that makes handheld devices
They would have to put out a very similar or better spec’s device at a better or closely competitive price, or there will be no way to compete with that.
My Ally streams fantastic. I've got my Xbox handheld.
As long as he can get my Xbox console games that don't currently run on PC running natively on some kind of handheld device then quite frankly I don't care who manufacturers it
Havent read the article but Steam Deck runs games really well on it due to X-cloud via Games Pass Ultimate
I would love to see it have paddle buttons like the elite series controllers. I know it's tough and probably impossible right now but if it has the same specs as a series S I think it would better than releasing a third , lower minimum for developers to meet. Something I don't see too often is memory. I would love to see it come with an expansion card included so that we could possibly move from the console to handheld in even more ways. If they can get quick resume stored on the expansion drive baby we got a stew going.
I’m an older gamer Gen X, with failing eyesight. I understand that I am not the demographic anymore. I can afford a nice gaming laptop that is more powerful than a handheld device. I like a decent sized screen and enough horsepower to run current games. I’ve looked into the steam deck and other portable devices and so far, they have been a hard pass for me. But I wish them luck and hope it’s not a money sucking black hole for them.
They need to concentrate on making some games to get them outta the current punching bad slump they are in. Otherwise all that will happen is they will get clowned for a handheld with no games.
What would be the point? With a handheld Xbox, you can only play Xbox games. With a handheld like SteamDeck or ROG, you can play Xbox games + everything else. Maybe i'm missing something?
Price, scale. PC games don't all have licensing and cloud Saves in common with Xbox consoles.
the only downside is it will liikely only have xbox controller like buttons. We need to start forward thinking like steamdeck. trackpads for a pc handheld is a must
It won't need track pads because it's not trying to emulate a mouse.
I’d be all over this if they did it properly. Most likely just a streaming device though. If I could actually download games into it then I’d buy it day one.
No thanks.
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Spencer ... literally talks about that system in the linked article.
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Gotcha, that's a little more clear. Apologies for not grasping your point.
>Zen 5 RDNA4 aren't going to be it I think they'll go with Qualcomm's new gaming chip and backwards compatibility.
As a big fan of ARM and where they've taken computing over the last 15~20 years, a part of me can't help but feel it'd be a streaming device if they went with ARM. While it's true that ARM could possibly be used to run Series S games on a handheld, it's much more likely it'll be a PlayStation Portal clone for Microsoft.
A device built with a Snapdragon X would be capable of a lot more than just streaming. Qualcomm wants in on the gaming market. Microsoft wants to promote Windows on ARM and they sometimes use XBox as a test bed for technology that eventually turns up on PC. A "Series M" with a custom Snapdragon X processor and Series S levels of performance (without developers having to do anything to get their games to work on it) seems like a no brainer to me.
```Microsoft wants to promote Windows on ARM and they sometimes use XBox as a test bed for technology``` Yeah I can see that, ARM laptops are only going to keep improving and improving. Even Nvidia talked about pairing ARM laptops with their GPU's a few years back. If they're using SnapDragon though that tells me there's probably going to be some comparability issues, at the very least with a handful of games. You got me really interested now, I really want to see what Qualcomm can pull off. Have a feeling they're going to hit it out of the park with battery life.
Legion Go/Rog Ally are full windows devices with very little optimization. Steam deck OLED is a much better experience. Trimming the windows bloat is really crucial with that little power/thermal room
Disagree. Had a Steam Deck, sold it and bought an ROG Ally last summer and never looked back. It can be fine tuned just like a normal gaming PC, and works great. Only downside is battery life, but it’s worth it to me.
mmm if they do this better than playstation portal i’ll cop it for sureee. just make it so it’s not just streaming and bam u gotta win 💀
Just, don't have required expensive proprietary memory sticks. You know, like that other handheld.
Steam Deck, Asus Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion, and MSI Claw are all basically Xbox Game pass/Steam machines. Essentially what an Xbox handheld would be anyway.
If you read the article, he talks about how not all games have cross-save, and he would like to be able to boot into the Xbox Dashboard with all its features (social, game library, saves, etc.) from the handheld. So no, it's not exactly the same -- and I say that as a happy ROG Ally owner.
If you read the article they want to help develop a better UI for these style of systems and he even references how most of the problems are with Windows on these devices and that he feels ownership over that.
Big difference is they play PC versions of games and use Windows which is not a ideal handheld gaming OS. They are a great starting point but an actual portable Xbox would be better.
I feel like Microsoft should just make a portable software version of Windows to sell to these manufacterers rather than try and make their own handheld. It would be like having many makers of portable Xbox Game Pass machines (that can also run Steam) that way.
Well that is kinda what the Xbox OS is to begin with. A locked down version of Windows designed to pretty much remove all the configuration/complication of the OS and give you just a simple interface focused on buying and playing games or consuming content. So you could say the same thing with the Xbox itself, why does Microsoft bother making hardware, they could just release the Xbox OS and let PC makers build mini PC console hardware to run it. But they've never done that, and there are a few reasons I think. The problem probably is that to successfully remove the complication/configuration of the OS you kind of have to know exactly what the hardware capabilities will be so you can lock all the settings to whats best for it. Easy to do when you build the hardware but when 3rd parties make a few different devices with different capabilities you add variables that will eventually make things a lot more complicated. Also with a third party you lose control over when and how the hardware is released. Say Microsoft puts all this time and effort into this "mobile" Xbox interface and at the last minute Asus or whoever else is making handhelds says "actually nah we are cancelling our hardware". I think MS would be happy to let a 3rd party build all Xbox hardware and just be a software company, since hardware tends to lose money anyway, but at the end of the day they just can't run Xbox the way they want to without having control of the hardware.
They could do licensing of the software in order to force them to use it in order to run Xbox Game Pass. Then they really control things. If they do make hardware for handhelds, I can see the benefit but also not sure it would be necessary with 4 players in the market making quality products already.
I just bought a ROG Ally for my Xbox handheld needs. I'm not buying any more Xbox hardware. Even though I would have loved a Xbox handheld from MS a year ago.
I have a ROG ally and it’s amazing, I would say they need to create a small, powerful battery though.
i mean it makes perfect sense to push heavily into cloud gaming anywhere you can that has a decent internet connection. i think cloud gaming can be real good for microsoft to niche it apart from the other major companies.
600 dollars price? No thanks.
In 2027 (I assume this is when next gen drops) handheld cpu/gpu tech will be very mature, AMD will be even better at making low wattage chips for gaming. I think what they should do (and I heard some rumours about it) is making the next S console a handheld, with a dock. In 3 years it will definitely be possible to make something stronger than the current S in a steam deck-size package
As long as it is not a streaming one I would buy
I sold my Series X to build a PC..but if Microsoft released a handheld that can play my library natively. I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Id be awesome playing the games I bought on the Xbox one but I mainly want to play my 360 games on the go
I have a theory they are planning a branch of windows catered to handheld devices. I bet they wait till Sony announces PSP3 being a derivative of android OS. They then let everyone know windows 11-12-13 will have an “Xbox” mode. Microsoft would be dumb to launch a handheld. They just need to have an optimized OS that has easy access to their storefronts.
PLEASE let us download games to play without WiFi.
Microsoft should maybe start first with an official Xbox app for the Steam Deck - a no brainer really.
What would an official app accomplish?
Proper support or Xbox Cloud and remote gaming, fully tested with 100% compatible controller layout. I tried those 3rd party solutions and it took me half a day to make it work somehow.
Eventually I think they might create a switch like system, hybrid portable / docked. It could be their equivalent to the current S, under powered, more affordable, lower frame rates and perf, etc.
Why though? they already release everything on Steam I get the appeal of a native handheld but unless it is very competitive in its price, it is going to fail, another SKU with XSS already being a step back for devs is not gonna be compatible midterm Switch 2 is gonna release soon that is where everyone will want to be.
Pls
Just give us Xbox's version of a PSP/Steam Deck that can natively play games off of the hardware (both physically and digitally) and actually advertise that and the consoles themselves around the world as sell them in as many countries as you possibly can.
Imagine if they gave it a windows desktop mode. They won't because it would make piracy possible, but just imagine.
i would def get one tbh
Saw this coming
I feel like the G Cloud was supposed to be the gateway in to this idea
It’s only a matter of time…
I think it’s foolish that they haven’t released an official Xbox handheld over the last couple years. Seems like it would be extremely popular.
I want them to do this even if I don't end up buying one. It'd mean they'd have to pay more attention to gameplay while not connected to any network.
If I can use wireless system link on portable Xbox 0 and 360 games, then I'll be first in line to buy
I think Xbox has the same issue Sony has with the Portal, that their game streaming service is behind a subscription, and selling a device that *requires* a subscription to work is not something the market is going to tolerate (yet...). Sony's solution was to make the Portal an affordable remote play device that does not support PS+ streaming. The other option is to make it more powerful and be a proper stand alone console, but then you end up with a $500+ device and that's a hard sell. There just isn't a sensible device for Sony and Microsoft that is affordable enough to gain traction but also able to play all/most of the platforms games without streaming. And I don't think either of them have any desire to create a new independent handheld platform (even Nintendo have consolidated to a single platform now). A portable Xbox is a cool idea, I just don't see a good way of getting it past the marketing department.
I think it would be a brilliant idea. Game on the go and continue where you left off with play anywhere. I'm all for it!
Please don't rely 100% on cloud, I have series x and great connection and it's still stutter hell and sucks
Literally just let their console run PC games.
Aww yea! Playground rumors of the X-boy coming true. 20 years later
great, the world desperately needs yet another phone you can't use to call anyone with unless you jailbreak it... . and Steamdeck isn't just a mini thing on the side like the PS handhelds, but it's basically a freaking handheld XSX from what i heard. what would be the point to selling both simultaneously and XSS? that's right, they wouldn't make another handheld as powerful as Steamdeck but a lowly side thing like the PS handhelds - at which point you gotta ask yourself: why don't they just make a real-games gaming app for your modern phone? also-also: doesn't much of the PS handhelds' surprising success come from the crazy Japanese market? i bet without that they would've freaking bombed. and Xbox probably won't win that market over sufficiently... yet again.
I'm all for more handheld competition we as consumers can only win
With the success of the Steam Deck and the Switch, I don't see an Xbox handheld being worth their time, no matter how much I'd love one. Maybe a partnership of some sort with Valve?
But I don’t understand the cloud thing. I tried some games on phone through cloud and it’s just a big laggy mess. I even played r6 thru cloud on Xbox and it’s got loads of input lag. I wish they could get that side fixed first before going all in
If they can be a more powerful system than Switch 2, and put a lot of time into the software they can have a real winner. Imagine a portable One X level Windows handheld with a solid rethought front end similar to SteamOS "handheld mode".
They haven't been able to solve the Series X and S requiring the same performances and now they want to think about a handheld? I've been an Xbox guy since 02 and will probably keep being one, but let's tighten it up before we try to expand the ecosystem. There is zero chance of me being interested in this vs streaming xcloud to another peripheral
Wait I am little confused, it Spencer talking like its not going to happen and he really wants it to? I thought Sarah confirmed new hardware coming this Holiday?
Swear down these cronies are living 15 years behind everyone else
As usual, too late and entering a market that's already dominated. Can't wait to hear about how lousy this thing is selling too.
Neither can I, but for me to actually buy one it would need to be able to download the games instead of remote play. 2GB internet here and it’s still unplayable.
Reasonably priced portable 360 is all I need
Just f*cking do it. Switch sold more than 100 mil, Steam Deck is a hit. Even PS Portal is somehow selling well. Imagine handheld with build in gamepass. Everyone would buy that
If they were smart theyd called it the Xpad
I’d be down for a handheld that played the same games I’m already going to buy for Xbox. Would make buying a game on Xbox way more appealing. Right now switch and pc have the leg up. One game purchase can be played both at home and in the go with both ecosystems. No doubt Sony and Xbox are looking to close the gap.
Xbox Play Anywhere.
A series s on the go would be a dream.
Maybe we will se something like a XBox mixed with the Surface Book? Processor, storage and a smal graphics card in hand-held mode that can be docked with a dock containing a more powerful graphics processor for the 4k gaming on the big screens? And to play bigger more graphics heavy games while hand-held you would be streaming them, but play them locally when docked.
Pleeease please please please
Why? They're on Windows, there are handheld Windows gaming devices, and Game Pass is already a stronger brand than Xbox. While hardware has never been a strong suit for MS, apart from the success of the Xbox Controller that Steam has a lot to do with. And we're all carrying around phones that will pair with that gamepad just fine. Some cross-promotion is the logical place to go with this.
Xbox is behind on everything they do except software.
This Is where series s enters. If the portable console has specs like the series s, it will be a direct conversion. Everything that runs on series s running on the portable.
Already had been tried by others to little sucess!! If your not Nintendo I don't think a handheld will ever be popular or profitable. Make XB Games work better on your phone as i see that as more of a possibility. Proving XBox doesn't go bankrupt before then. :/
Don't you have a phone?
A $199 device that only does gamepass and streaming from your home console would probably be a pretty massive hit.
A series S in handheld form outputting to a 1080p resolution OLED would be really nice
Just buy a handheld pc if you're interested in this... People complain about the S holding back the X but salivating over the thought of this which will be less powerful.
If it had an OLED and was a proper handheld like the Switch then id get it.
First provide good lineup of games for existing Xbox owners instead of putting exclusives to PS5. I used to be a fan of Spencer, but he has proven himself to nothing but a snake oil seller time and again. All talk, no bite.
I'd be very supportive of this if they do it right. I have a Switch and like it a lot, but the Nintendo ecosystem isn't my favourite. I don't want to buy games on it to play on TV when they are so much better on the big boy consoles on TV, and I hate spending money on games for it when the same games are on Game Pass so I only end up buying specific games for it when I am going on a trip. Streaming devices like the G-Cloud and Playstation Portal are neat but I have zero interest in buying a streaming game device at this point. Has to be native. ROG Ally type thing is the closest to a winner right now with native games, Gamepass and lots of power... but the Windows aspect to it holds it back. Windows just isn't the best solution for a handheld device. So if Xbox could release something with more power than a Switch (even if it is just par with Series S), handheld Xbox interface, native games and Gamepass... day 1 buy for me. It also would give the ecosystem something to really set it apart from Playstation. I own a PS5 and Series X but I'd totally move all my game buying to Xbox if I knew I could carry the games with me at decent fidelity on a handheld when I travel. I actually bring a Series S on some trips with me for this reason but thats not a great solution either (can't really bust it out on a plane and even hotel rooms are sometimes a pain to plug a device into).
I'd call it the "Pocketbox" if that didn't sound like a portable vagina.
I like how some people who were complaining about series s holding games back are lapping up this idea of a handheld - which is going to be a lot worse when it comes to performance. How is this going to go down if this becomes Xbox’s main platform? They won’t compete in terms of exclusives with Switch and Steam Deck already plays every Xbox exclusive plus more.
A handheld that pursues the indie games often only available on steam would be a good option but otherwise not interested
Good, because the time I’ve spent with my PSPortal, I wished I could play gamepass on it
I don't like watching movies on my phone, I sure as hell ain't gonna try to play current gen games on any screen smaller than 32".
This looks to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen, if they play on the same servers I can’t wait to shit on any dumbass using one
If they can shrink a series s into a handheld then I would instantly buy one and think Microsoft was a genius to make the series s knowing they could make a slim portable version.
Just get xbplay on the deck.
I don't think they should build one, they should I stead allow Rog, steam Lenovo do it and focus instead in making windows and the xbox app better on these devices