Phil Spencer all but confirms plans for Xbox portable console
"I think we should have a handheld."
Last night, Microsoft unveiled three new Xbox consoles set to hit the market. However, despite previous rumours that such a platform was in development, there was no word on any handheld Xbox gaming device.
Following the show, Phil Spencer sat down with IGN, where he was asked specifically about an Xbox handheld device, and the company's mantra of 'going where the players are'. And, despite no Xbox handheld device being officially confirmed (nor denied), Spencer agreed: "I think we should have a handheld".
Said Spencer: "The future for us in hardware is pretty awesome, and 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 further asked, all very hypothetically, whether any future handheld Xbox console would be more akin to a Steam Deck that could be played offline, or a cloud-based piece of kit, Spencer said: "I think being able to play games locally is really important."
It feels like Spencer has all but confirmed a handheld Xbox gaming device is on the cards, and it will support offline play. The idea of an Xbox handheld is nothing new. Back in 2017, Spencer said Microsoft had "roughly designed an Xbox handheld" in the past. Meanwhile, the Xbox exec has been spotted interacting with social media posts about handheld devices as recently as this year.
Elsewhere during his conversation with IGN, Spencer addressed the closure of Tango Gameworks earlier this year, and the decision to bring Doom: The Dark Ages to PlayStation 5 as well as Xbox and PC.