Xbox
has
not
been
quiet
about
its
plans
to
enter
the
handheld
space
lately.
While
it
hasn’t
revealed
concrete
plans
about
what
form
the
handheld
will
take
or
when
it
might
come
out,
Xbox
head-honcho
Phil
Spencer
has
openly
discussed
the
idea,

although
at
the
time
he
indicated
they
were
still
years
away
from
launching
it.

However,
a
new
report
suggests
an

Xbox
handheld
device
might
be
launching
as
early
as
this
year.

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

“Codename
‘Keenan,’
this
gaming
handheld
will
look
unmistakably
‘Xbox’
we’re
told,
complete
with
an
official
Xbox
guide
button,
and
Xbox
design
sensibilities,”
said
Jez.

He
goes
on
to
explain
that
the
device
will
likely
be
more
PC
orientated,
along
the
lines
of
a
Steam
Deck
or
Asus
ROG
Ally.

“Given
that
this
is
a
partner
device,
similar
to
Lenovo’s
SteamOS
partnership
with
Valve,
I
expect
this
handheld
to
be
more
PC-oriented.
It’ll
most
likely
run
full
Windows,
putting
the
Microsoft
Store
and
PC
Game
Pass
front
and
center,
alongside
the
ability
to
install
things
like
Steam,”
Jez
says.

This
ties
in
with
previous
Windows
Central
reporting
by
Samuel
Tolbert,
who
wrote
in
December
of
2024
that

Microsoft
was
apparently
considering
3rd
parties
to
make
Xbox
branded
devices.

“We’ve
even
heard
that
Microsoft
is
exploring
options
around
letting
third-parties
build
Xbox-branded
devices,
something
that
could
extend
as
far
as
letting
them
directly
use
the
Xbox
operating
system,”
wrote
Tolbert.

It’s
not
just
Xbox,
either,
as
Sony
is
also
reportedly
working
on
a
handheld
based
on
their
Portal
streaming
device.

Naturally,
the
report
by
Jez
seems
to
conflict
with
what
Phil
Spencer
said,
but
in
his
reporting
Jez
comments
on
this
year’s
planned
handheld
as
being
a
different
device
to
Xbox’x
own
internally
developed
machine.

“For
now,
I
understand
that
Microsoft’s
next-gen
hardware
plans
include
a
premium
successor
to
the
powerful
Xbox
Series
X,
alongside
its
own
Xbox
gaming
handheld,
and
several
new
controller
options,”
said
Jez.
“Tentatively,
these
new
console
devices
are
slated
for
2027.”

Jez
is,
of
course,
also
openly
discussing
Xbox’s
plans
for
a
new
generation
console
as
well,
something
which
the
company
has
openly
confirmed
it’s
already
working
on.
Usually
news
that
a
company
is
working
on
its
next
console
is
barely
worth
talking
about
because
it’s
a
given
–
hardware
developement
is
a
near-continous
thing,
after
all
–
but
with
Xbox
shifting
over
to
third-party
publishing
on
multiple
platforms,
there’s
a
lot
of
questions
about
what
the
future
of
Xbox
is
going
to
be.
Jez’s
reports
might
help
alleviate
some
fears
that
Xbox
will
abandon
the
hardware
space
entirely.