Xbox boss: ‘I think we should have a portable too’

Microsoft’s Xbox chief Phil Spencer has been dropping hints about a potential Xbox handheld for months. Earlier this year, he said he was “a big fan of wearables” after liking posts on X that mentioned the possibility of this new hardware. Now, in an interview with IGN Spencer says, “I think we should have a handheld too.”

It’s the biggest hint that Microsoft is working on an Xbox handheld, something that’s been rumored for a long time. “The future for us in hardware is incredible. I’m incredibly excited about the work the team is doing around different formats and ways of playing,” said Spencer. “Today was about games… but we will have time to come out and talk more about the platform.”

Pressed on whether an Xbox handheld would stream games or play them locally, Spencer gave yet another hint that Microsoft is looking at a true portable gaming device rather than something like the PlayStation Portal. “I like my ROG Ally, my Lenovo Legion Go, my Steam Deck. I think being able to play locally is really important,” Spencer said.

Earlier this year, Spencer talked about wanting a compact Xbox mode on a portable gaming PC. “I want to be able to launch the Xbox app in full screen, but in compact mode,” Spencer said in a statement. Polygon interview. “Like I want it to look like the dashboard on my Xbox when I turn on the television. [Except I want it] on these devices.”

I suspect Microsoft is working on an Xbox handheld that is Windows-based but has the ability to play Xbox games and the full Xbox dashboard. About The Vergecast at the beginning of this year, I discussed my ideal for an Xbox portable. It would run Windows at its core, but it would never expose that to you, so it looks like an Xbox console, but if you want to run Steam or Xbox games, you can.