Xbox Branded Handheld to Launch This 12 months, In response to new Report – WGB

Xbox has not been quiet about its plans to enter the hand held house these days. Whereas it hasn’t revealed concrete plans about what type the hand held will take or when it would come out, Xbox head-honcho Phil Spencer has overtly mentioned the concept, though on the time he indicated they have been nonetheless years away from launching it.

Nonetheless, a brand new report suggests an Xbox handheld machine is likely to be launching as early as this yr.

Jez Corden from Window’s Central has the pertinent info. He reveals that Xbox is working with a third-party to launch an Xbox branded handheld, with a launch date pencilled in for this yr.

“Codename ‘Keenan,’ this gaming handheld will look unmistakably ‘Xbox’ we’re instructed, full with an official Xbox information button, and Xbox design sensibilities,” mentioned Jez.

He goes on to clarify that the machine will seemingly be extra PC oriented, alongside the traces of a Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally.

“On condition that this can be a accomplice machine, much like Lenovo’s SteamOS partnership with Valve, I anticipate this handheld to be extra PC-oriented. It’ll most probably run full Home windows, placing the Microsoft Retailer and PC Recreation Move entrance and heart, alongside the power to put in issues like Steam,” Jez says.

This ties in with earlier Home windows Central reporting by Samuel Tolbert, who wrote in December of 2024 that Microsoft was apparently contemplating third events to make Xbox branded units.

“We’ve even heard that Microsoft is exploring choices round letting third-parties construct Xbox-branded units, one thing that would prolong so far as letting them straight use the Xbox working system,” wrote Tolbert.

It’s not simply Xbox, both, as Sony can also be reportedly engaged on a handheld based mostly on their Portal streaming machine.

Naturally, the report by Jez appears to battle with what Phil Spencer mentioned, however in his reporting Jez feedback on this yr’s deliberate handheld as being a distinct machine to Xbox’x personal internally developed machine.

“For now, I perceive that Microsoft’s next-gen {hardware} plans embrace a premium successor to the highly effective Xbox Collection X, alongside its personal Xbox gaming handheld, and a number of other new controller choices,” mentioned Jez. “Tentatively, these new console units are slated for 2027.”

Jez is, after all, additionally overtly discussing Xbox’s plans for a brand new era console as nicely, one thing which the corporate has overtly confirmed it’s already engaged on. Often information that an organization is engaged on its subsequent console is barely price speaking about as a result of it’s a given – {hardware} developement is a near-continous factor, in any case – however with Xbox shifting over to third-party publishing on a number of platforms, there’s a variety of questions on what the way forward for Xbox goes to be. Jez’s reviews may assist alleviate some fears that Xbox will abandon the {hardware} house fully.