The Xbox handheld dream lives - Phil Spencer adds more fuel to the fire
OK, maybe not everyone's dream, but some of you definitely want one.
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Handhelds are kind of all the rage these days, and it seems like Phil Spencer is still interested in making one for Xbox.
It's taken a while, but following the immense success of the Nintendo Switch, certain companies are starting to realise that people actually really like playing things handheld. For the most part, all your gaming needs are covered - the Switch is Nintendo's own console, so you can easily play the newest Mario wherever. Handhelds like the Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go can sort you out on the PC front. And then there's the PlayStation Portal, a cloud based handheld that doesn't always work, but should technically let you play God of War on the bog. That then leaves Xbox, who doesn't have a console, but Xbox head Phil Spencer absolutely wants one.
Speaking at IGN Live, Spencer was asked about a potential Xbox handheld device, where he said quite plainly "I think we should have a handheld." He continued, saying, "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." Spencer was also asked if a hypothetical Xbox handheld would be like the Steam Deck, which can be played offline, or if it would be cloud based, to which he responded "I think being able to play games locally is really important."
That obviously doesn't outright confirm anything, but it certainly does register as a hint towards future plans for Xbox on the hardware front (something that's still a bit of a mystery given Microsoft's reported push towards its games going multiplatform). This isn't the first time that Spencer has discussed wanting to take his Xbox on the go, so it feels like it's only a matter of time before we get some kind of reveal.